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Lu X, Sun Q, Wu L, Liao M, Yao J, Xiu M. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in first-episode medication-naïve patients with schizophrenia: A 12-week longitudinal follow-up study. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2024; 131:110959. [PMID: 38311095 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2024.110959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
Inflammation has been related to schizophrenia (SZ). The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an inexpensive inflammatory marker, however, its potential predictive value in patients with SZ has not been extensively investigated. This study aimed to examine whether NLR could predict the clinical response to antipsychotics in this population. One hundred and ninety-five medication-naïve first-episode schizophrenia (MNFES) patients were recruited and received treatment with risperidone for 12 weeks in the present study. Clinical symptoms were evaluated at week 0 and the end of 12 weeks of treatment using the PANSS scales. Complete blood counts were determined at baseline. We found that baseline NEU counts and NLR were positively associated with improvements in clinical symptoms in patients. In addition, MNFES patients with higher baseline NLR values showed a better treatment response to antipsychotics. Linear regression analysis revealed a predictive role of baseline NLR for the improvements of clinical symptoms in SZ patients. Our findings demonstrate that higher NLR was related to better improvements in symptoms after 12 weeks of treatment with antipsychotics, which renders it a promising biomarker of the response to antipsychotics in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobing Lu
- Department of Nutritional and Metabolic Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Translational Medicine of Mental Disorders, Guangzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | | | - Ling Wu
- Qingdao Mental Health Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Meisi Liao
- North University of China, Taiyuan, China
| | - Jing Yao
- Peking University HuiLongGuan Clinical Medical School, Beijing HuiLongGuan Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Meihong Xiu
- Peking University HuiLongGuan Clinical Medical School, Beijing HuiLongGuan Hospital, Beijing, China.
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2
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Iftimovici A, He Q, Jiao C, Duchesnay E, Krebs MO, Kebir O, Chaumette B. Longitudinal MicroRNA Signature of Conversion to Psychosis. Schizophr Bull 2024; 50:363-373. [PMID: 37607340 PMCID: PMC10919777 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbad080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS The emergence of psychosis in ultra-high-risk subjects (UHR) is influenced by gene-environment interactions that rely on epigenetic mechanisms such as microRNAs. However, whether they can be relevant pathophysiological biomarkers of psychosis' onset remains unknown. STUDY DESIGN We present a longitudinal study of microRNA expression, measured in plasma by high-throughput sequencing at baseline and follow-up, in a prospective cohort of 81 UHR, 35 of whom developed psychosis at follow-up (converters). We combined supervised machine learning and differential graph analysis to assess the relative weighted contribution of each microRNA variation to the difference in outcome and identify outcome-specific networks. We then applied univariate models to the resulting microRNA variations common to both strategies, to interpret them as a function of demographic and clinical covariates. STUDY RESULTS We identified 207 microRNA variations that significantly contributed to the classification. The differential network analysis found 276 network-specific correlations of microRNA variations. The combination of both strategies identified 25 microRNAs, whose gene targets were overrepresented in cognition and schizophrenia genome-wide association studies findings. Interpretable univariate models further supported the relevance of miR-150-5p and miR-3191-5p variations in psychosis onset, independent of age, sex, cannabis use, and medication. CONCLUSIONS In this first longitudinal study of microRNA variation during conversion to psychosis, we combined 2 methodologically independent data-driven strategies to identify a dynamic epigenetic signature of the emergence of psychosis that is pathophysiologically relevant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Iftimovici
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, GDR 3557-Institut de Psychiatrie, Université de Paris, Paris, France
- CEA Paris-Saclay, Joliot Institute, NeuroSpin, BAOBAB, Centre d'études de Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Qin He
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, GDR 3557-Institut de Psychiatrie, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Chuan Jiao
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, GDR 3557-Institut de Psychiatrie, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Edouard Duchesnay
- CEA Paris-Saclay, Joliot Institute, NeuroSpin, BAOBAB, Centre d'études de Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Marie-Odile Krebs
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, GDR 3557-Institut de Psychiatrie, Université de Paris, Paris, France
- GHU Paris Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Pôle hospitalo-universitaire d'Evaluation, Prévention, et Innovation Thérapeutique (PEPIT), Paris, France
| | - Oussama Kebir
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, GDR 3557-Institut de Psychiatrie, Université de Paris, Paris, France
- GHU Paris Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Pôle hospitalo-universitaire d'Evaluation, Prévention, et Innovation Thérapeutique (PEPIT), Paris, France
| | - Boris Chaumette
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, GDR 3557-Institut de Psychiatrie, Université de Paris, Paris, France
- GHU Paris Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Pôle hospitalo-universitaire d'Evaluation, Prévention, et Innovation Thérapeutique (PEPIT), Paris, France
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Eick SM, Ortlund K, Aguiar A, Merced-Nieves FM, Woodbury ML, Milne GL, Schantz SL. Associations between oxidative stress biomarkers during pregnancy and infant cognition at 7.5 months. Dev Psychobiol 2024; 66:e22457. [PMID: 38388194 PMCID: PMC10901445 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Oxidative stress has been identified as an important biological pathway leading to neurodevelopmental delay. However, studies assessing the effects of oxidative stress on cognitive outcomes during infancy, a critical period of neurodevelopment, are limited. Our analysis included a subset of those enrolled in the Illinois Kids Development Study (N = 144). Four oxidative stress biomarkers (8-isoprostane-PGF2α , 2,3-dinor-5,6-dihydro-8-iso-PGF2α , 2,3-dinor-8-iso-PGF2α , and prostaglandin-F2α ) were measured in second and third trimesters urine and were averaged. Infant cognition was measured using a visual recognition memory task consisting of five blocks, each with one familiarization trial (two identical stimuli) and two test trials (one familiar and one novel stimulus). Outcomes measured included average run duration (a measure of information processing speed), novelty preference (a measure of recognition memory), time to reach familiarization, and shift rate (measures of attention). Linear regression was used to estimate associations between individual oxidative stress biomarkers and each outcome. Increasing 8-isoprostane-PGF2α , 2,3-dinor-8-iso-PGF2α , and prostaglandin-F2α were associated with a decrease in novelty preference (β = -0.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.03, 0.00; β = -0.02, 95% CI = -0.04, 0.00; β = -0.01, 95% CI = -0.02, 0.00, respectively), as well as a modest increase in shift rate. These findings suggest that oxidative stress may be associated with poorer recognition memory in early infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M Eick
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Kaegan Ortlund
- Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Andréa Aguiar
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Francheska M Merced-Nieves
- Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Megan L Woodbury
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ginger L Milne
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Susan L Schantz
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
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4
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Tandon R, Nasrallah H, Akbarian S, Carpenter WT, DeLisi LE, Gaebel W, Green MF, Gur RE, Heckers S, Kane JM, Malaspina D, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Murray R, Owen M, Smoller JW, Yassin W, Keshavan M. The schizophrenia syndrome, circa 2024: What we know and how that informs its nature. Schizophr Res 2024; 264:1-28. [PMID: 38086109 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
With new data about different aspects of schizophrenia being continually generated, it becomes necessary to periodically revisit exactly what we know. Along with a need to review what we currently know about schizophrenia, there is an equal imperative to evaluate the construct itself. With these objectives, we undertook an iterative, multi-phase process involving fifty international experts in the field, with each step building on learnings from the prior one. This review assembles currently established findings about schizophrenia (construct, etiology, pathophysiology, clinical expression, treatment) and posits what they reveal about its nature. Schizophrenia is a heritable, complex, multi-dimensional syndrome with varying degrees of psychotic, negative, cognitive, mood, and motor manifestations. The illness exhibits a remitting and relapsing course, with varying degrees of recovery among affected individuals with most experiencing significant social and functional impairment. Genetic risk factors likely include thousands of common genetic variants that each have a small impact on an individual's risk and a plethora of rare gene variants that have a larger individual impact on risk. Their biological effects are concentrated in the brain and many of the same variants also increase the risk of other psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder, autism, and other neurodevelopmental conditions. Environmental risk factors include but are not limited to urban residence in childhood, migration, older paternal age at birth, cannabis use, childhood trauma, antenatal maternal infection, and perinatal hypoxia. Structural, functional, and neurochemical brain alterations implicate multiple regions and functional circuits. Dopamine D-2 receptor antagonists and partial agonists improve psychotic symptoms and reduce risk of relapse. Certain psychological and psychosocial interventions are beneficial. Early intervention can reduce treatment delay and improve outcomes. Schizophrenia is increasingly considered to be a heterogeneous syndrome and not a singular disease entity. There is no necessary or sufficient etiology, pathology, set of clinical features, or treatment that fully circumscribes this syndrome. A single, common pathophysiological pathway appears unlikely. The boundaries of schizophrenia remain fuzzy, suggesting the absence of a categorical fit and need to reconceptualize it as a broader, multi-dimensional and/or spectrum construct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajiv Tandon
- Department of Psychiatry, WMU Homer Stryker School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, MI 49008, United States of America.
| | - Henry Nasrallah
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Cincinnati, OH 45267, United States of America
| | - Schahram Akbarian
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States of America
| | - William T Carpenter
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, United States of America
| | - Lynn E DeLisi
- Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States of America
| | - Wolfgang Gaebel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, LVR-Klinikum Dusseldorf, Heinrich-Heine University, Dusseldorf, Germany
| | - Michael F Green
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90024, United States of America; Greater Los Angeles Veterans' Administration Healthcare System, United States of America
| | - Raquel E Gur
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States of America
| | - Stephan Heckers
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, United States of America
| | - John M Kane
- Department of Psychiatry, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Glen Oaks, NY 11004, United States of America
| | - Dolores Malaspina
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Genetics, and Genomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States of America
| | - Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannhein/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Robin Murray
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, Kings College, London, UK
| | - Michael Owen
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, and Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Jordan W Smoller
- Center for Precision Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States of America
| | - Walid Yassin
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States of America
| | - Matcheri Keshavan
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States of America
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5
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Jiang DQY, Guo TL. Interaction between Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) and Acetaminophen in Disease Exacerbation-Focusing on Autism and the Gut-Liver-Brain Axis. TOXICS 2024; 12:39. [PMID: 38250995 PMCID: PMC10818890 DOI: 10.3390/toxics12010039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
This review presents a new perspective on the exacerbation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through the gut-liver-brain axis. We have summarized evidence reported on the involvement of the gut microbiome and liver inflammation that led to the onset and exacerbation of ASD symptoms. As PFAS are toxicants that particularly target liver, this review has comprehensively explored the possible interaction between PFAS and acetaminophen, another liver toxicant, as the chemicals of interest for future toxicology research. Our hypothesis is that, at acute dosages, acetaminophen has the ability to aggravate the impaired conditions of the PFAS-exposed liver, which would further exacerbate neurological symptoms such as lack of social communication and interest, and repetitive behaviors using mechanisms related to the gut-liver-brain axis. This review discusses their potential interactions in terms of the gut-liver-brain axis and signaling pathways that may contribute to neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tai Liang Guo
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA;
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6
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Bris ÁG, MacDowell KS, Ulecia-Morón C, Martín-Hernández D, Moreno B, Madrigal JLM, García-Bueno B, Caso JR, Leza JC. Differential regulation of innate immune system in frontal cortex and hippocampus in a "double-hit" neurodevelopmental model in rats. Neurotherapeutics 2024; 21:e00300. [PMID: 38241165 PMCID: PMC10903097 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurot.2023.10.010] [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: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs) are neuropsychiatric conditions affecting central nervous system development, characterized by cognitive and behavioural alterations. Inflammation has been recently linked to NDs. Animal models are essential for understanding their pathophysiology and identifying therapeutic targets. Double-hit models can reproduce neurodevelopmental and neuroinflammatory impairments. Sixty-seven newborn rats were assigned to four groups: Control, Maternal deprivation (MD, 24-h-deprivation), Isolation (Iso, 5 weeks), and Maternal deprivation + Isolation (MD + Iso, also known as double-hit). Cognitive dysfunction was assessed using behavioural tests. Inflammasome, MAPKs, and TLRs inflammatory elements expression in the frontal cortex (FC) and hippocampus (HP) was analysed through western blot and qRT-PCR. Oxidative/nitrosative (O/N) evaluation and corticosterone levels were measured in plasma samples. Double-hit group was affected in executive and working memory. Most inflammasomes and TLRs inflammatory responses were increased in FC compared to the control group, whilst MAPKs were downregulated. Conversely, hippocampal inflammasome and inflammatory components were reduced after the double-hit exposure, while MAPKs were elevated. Our findings reveal differential regulation of innate immune system components in FC and HP in the double-hit group. Further investigations on MAPKs are necessary to understand their role in regulating HP neuroinflammatory status, potentially linking our MAPKs results to cognitive impairments through their proliferative and anti-inflammatory activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro G Bris
- Departamento de Farmacología y Toxicología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERSAM, ISCIII). Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (Imas12) e Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Neuroquímica (IUIN), Spain
| | - Karina S MacDowell
- Departamento de Farmacología y Toxicología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERSAM, ISCIII). Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (Imas12) e Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Neuroquímica (IUIN), Spain
| | - Cristina Ulecia-Morón
- Departamento de Farmacología y Toxicología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERSAM, ISCIII). Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (Imas12) e Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Neuroquímica (IUIN), Spain
| | - David Martín-Hernández
- Departamento de Farmacología y Toxicología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERSAM, ISCIII). Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (Imas12) e Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Neuroquímica (IUIN), Spain
| | - Beatriz Moreno
- Departamento de Farmacología y Toxicología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERSAM, ISCIII). Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (Imas12) e Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Neuroquímica (IUIN), Spain
| | - José L M Madrigal
- Departamento de Farmacología y Toxicología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERSAM, ISCIII). Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (Imas12) e Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Neuroquímica (IUIN), Spain
| | - Borja García-Bueno
- Departamento de Farmacología y Toxicología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERSAM, ISCIII). Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (Imas12) e Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Neuroquímica (IUIN), Spain
| | - Javier R Caso
- Departamento de Farmacología y Toxicología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERSAM, ISCIII). Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (Imas12) e Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Neuroquímica (IUIN), Spain
| | - Juan C Leza
- Departamento de Farmacología y Toxicología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERSAM, ISCIII). Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (Imas12) e Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Neuroquímica (IUIN), Spain.
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Nicolaides NC, Kanaka-Gantenbein C, Pervanidou P. Developmental Neuroendocrinology of Early-Life Stress: Impact on Child Development and Behavior. Curr Neuropharmacol 2024; 22:461-474. [PMID: 37563814 PMCID: PMC10845081 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x21666230810162344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Our internal balance, or homeostasis, is threatened or perceived as threatened by stressful stimuli, the stressors. The stress system is a highly conserved system that adjusts homeostasis to the resting state. Through the concurrent activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the locus coeruleus/norepinephrine-autonomic nervous systems, the stress system provides the appropriate physical and behavioral responses, collectively termed as "stress response", to restore homeostasis. If the stress response is prolonged, excessive or even inadequate, several acute or chronic stress-related pathologic conditions may develop in childhood, adolescence and adult life. On the other hand, earlylife exposure to stressors has been recognized as a major contributing factor underlying the pathogenesis of non-communicable disorders, including neurodevelopmental disorders. Accumulating evidence suggests that early-life stress has been associated with an increased risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder in the offspring, although findings are still controversial. Nevertheless, at the molecular level, early-life stressors alter the chemical structure of cytosines located in the regulatory regions of genes, mostly through the addition of methyl groups. These epigenetic modifications result in the suppression of gene expression without changing the DNA sequence. In addition to DNA methylation, several lines of evidence support the role of non-coding RNAs in the evolving field of epigenetics. In this review article, we present the anatomical and functional components of the stress system, discuss the proper, in terms of quality and quantity, stress response, and provide an update on the impact of early-life stress on child development and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas C. Nicolaides
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, First Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, ‘Aghia Sophia’ Children's Hospital, Athens, 11527, Greece
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center of Clinical, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, 11527, Greece
- School of Medicine, University Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health and Precision Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Function and Therapy, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Christina Kanaka-Gantenbein
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, First Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, ‘Aghia Sophia’ Children's Hospital, Athens, 11527, Greece
| | - Panagiota Pervanidou
- Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, “Aghia Sophia” Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece
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8
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Santos-Silva T, dos Santos Fabris D, de Oliveira CL, Guimarães FS, Gomes FV. Prefrontal and Hippocampal Parvalbumin Interneurons in Animal Models for Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Schizophr Bull 2024; 50:210-223. [PMID: 37584417 PMCID: PMC10754178 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbad123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Consistent with postmortem findings in patients, most animal models for schizophrenia (SCZ) present abnormal levels of parvalbumin (PV), a marker of fast-spiking GABAergic interneurons, in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HIP). However, there are discrepancies in the literature. PV reductions lead to a functional loss of PV interneurons, which is proposed to underly SCZ symptoms. Given its complex etiology, different categories of animal models have been developed to study SCZ, which may distinctly impact PV levels in rodent brain areas. STUDY DESIGN We performed a quantitative meta-analysis on PV-positive cell number/density and expression levels in the PFC and HIP of animal models for SCZ based on pharmacological, neurodevelopmental, and genetic manipulations. RESULTS Our results confirmed that PV levels are significantly reduced in the PFC and HIP regardless of the animal model. By categorizing into subgroups, we found that all pharmacological models based on NMDA receptor antagonism decreased PV-positive cell number/density or PV expression levels in both brain areas examined. In neurodevelopmental models, abnormal PV levels were confirmed in both brain areas in maternal immune activation models and HIP of the methylazoxymethanol acetate model. In genetic models, negative effects were found in neuregulin 1 and ERBB4 mutant mice in both brain regions and the PFC of dysbindin mutant mice. Regarding sex differences, male rodents exhibited PV reductions in both brain regions only in pharmacological models, while few studies have been conducted in females. CONCLUSION Overall, our findings support deficits in prefrontal and hippocampal PV interneurons in animal models for SCZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thamyris Santos-Silva
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Débora dos Santos Fabris
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavioral Sciences, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Cilene Lino de Oliveira
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis,Brazil
| | - Francisco S Guimarães
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Felipe V Gomes
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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9
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Martinez VO, Dos Santos NR, Bah HAF, Junior EAG, Costa DO, Menezes-Filho JA. Impact of chronic toxoplasmosis in pregnancy: association between maternal seropositivity for Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies and fetal growth restriction. Parasitol Res 2023; 123:25. [PMID: 38072839 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-08068-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Insults caused by acute infections during the gestational period on fetal development are known; however, new evidence suggests that chronic infectious diseases can also impact the maternal immune status and lead to negative consequences for the neonate. This study investigated the association between the prevalence of specific antibodies in pregnant women and alterations in fetal development at birth. A follow-up study evaluated women during the gestational period and their respective newborns at delivery time. The pregnant women were tested for the presence of antibodies to infectious agents: Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), cytomegalovirus (CMV), syphilis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B and C. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to the pregnant women at the time of recruitment after obtaining informed consent. Detailed information about the newborns was extracted from medical records. The seroprevalence of chronic T. gondii infection, as determined by the presence of IgG antibodies against the protozoan, was found to be 56.2%, while the overall prevalence of CMV IgG antibodies was 96.3%. Non-primiparous pregnant women from socio-economic classes, less affluent groups, and skilled working-class individuals had higher chances of testing positive for specific T. gondii IgG antibodies. Newborns classified as small for gestational age represented 12.9% of the total. Those born to mothers seropositive for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were 9.4 times more likely to be born small for gestational age (p = 0.035). The results suggest that chronic T. gondii infection may contribute to higher rates of newborns with growth restriction. These findings add to a growing body of evidence regarding the impact of chronic infectious diseases on intrauterine fetal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Otero Martinez
- Graduate Program in Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
| | - Nathália Ribeiro Dos Santos
- Graduate Program in Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
- Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Homègnon Antonin Ferréol Bah
- Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Public Health, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | | | - Daisy Oliveira Costa
- Graduate Program in Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
- Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - José Antonio Menezes-Filho
- Graduate Program in Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
- Laboratory of Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Public Health, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
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Tatemoto P, Pértille F, Bernardino T, Zanella R, Guerrero-Bosagna C, Zanella AJ. An enriched maternal environment and stereotypies of sows differentially affect the neuro-epigenome of brain regions related to emotionality in their piglets. Epigenetics 2023; 18:2196656. [PMID: 37192378 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2023.2196656] [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: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms are important modulators of neurodevelopmental outcomes in the offspring of animals challenged during pregnancy. Pregnant sows living in a confined environment are challenged with stress and lack of stimulation which may result in the expression of stereotypies (repetitive behaviours without an apparent function). Little attention has been devoted to the postnatal effects of maternal stereotypies in the offspring. We investigated how the environment and stereotypies of pregnant sows affected the neuro-epigenome of their piglets. We focused on the amygdala, frontal cortex, and hippocampus, brain regions related to emotionality, learning, memory, and stress response. Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were investigated in these brain regions of male piglets born from sows kept in an enriched vs a barren environment. Within the latter group of piglets, we compared the brain methylomes of piglets born from sows expressing stereotypies vs sows not expressing stereotypies. DMRs emerged in each comparison. While the epigenome of the hippocampus and frontal cortex of piglets is mainly affected by the maternal environment, the epigenome of the amygdala is mainly affected by maternal stereotypies. The molecular pathways and mechanisms triggered in the brains of piglets by maternal environment or stereotypies are different, which is reflected on the differential gene function associated to the DMRs found in each piglets' brain region . The present study is the first to investigate the neuro-epigenomic effects of maternal enrichment in pigs' offspring and the first to investigate the neuro-epigenomic effects of maternal stereotypies in the offspring of a mammal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Tatemoto
- Center for Comparative Studies in Sustainability, Health and Welfare, Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, FMVZ, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fábio Pértille
- Avian Behavioral Genomics and Physiology Group, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Animal Biotechnology Laboratory, Animal Science Department, University of São Paulo - Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ), Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
- Physiology and Environmental Toxicology Program, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Thiago Bernardino
- Center for Comparative Studies in Sustainability, Health and Welfare, Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, FMVZ, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, São Paulo, Brazil
- Graduation Program in One Health, University of Santo Amaro, São Paulo Brazil
| | - Ricardo Zanella
- Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna
- Avian Behavioral Genomics and Physiology Group, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Physiology and Environmental Toxicology Program, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Adroaldo José Zanella
- Center for Comparative Studies in Sustainability, Health and Welfare, Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, FMVZ, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, São Paulo, Brazil
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11
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Seebeck J, Sznajder KK, Kjerulff KH. The association between prenatal psychosocial factors and autism spectrum disorder in offspring at 3 years: a prospective cohort study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2023:10.1007/s00127-023-02538-5. [PMID: 37556019 DOI: 10.1007/s00127-023-02538-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Few studies of risk factors for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been prospective in design or investigated the role of psychosocial factors measured during pregnancy. We aimed to investigate associations between prenatal psychosocial factors and risk of ASD in offspring, as part of a multicenter prospective cohort study of more than 2000 mother-child pairs. METHODS Nulliparous women aged 18-35 years, living in Pennsylvania, USA, were interviewed during pregnancy and multiple times postpartum over the course of a 3-year period. There were 2388 mothers who completed the Screen for Social Interaction Toddler Version (SSI-T), a measure of risk of ASD, when their child was 3-years old. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to investigate the associations between prenatal psychosocial factors-including total scores on three scales (social-support, stress and depression), trouble paying for basic needs, mental illness diagnosis and use of antidepressants-and risk of ASD in offspring at the age of 3-years, controlling for relevant confounding variables. RESULTS There were 102 children (4.3%) who were scored as at-risk of ASD at 3-years. Prenatal psychosocial factors that were significantly associated with risk of ASD in the adjusted models were lower social-support (p < 0.001); stress (p = 0.003): depression (< 0.001), trouble paying for basic needs (p = 0.012), mental illness diagnosis (p = 0.016), and use of antidepressants (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION These findings suggest that maternal experience of adverse psychosocial factors during pregnancy may be important intrauterine exposures related to the pathogenesis of ASD.
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Savino R, Medoro A, Ali S, Scapagnini G, Maes M, Davinelli S. The Emerging Role of Flavonoids in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. J Clin Med 2023; 12:jcm12103520. [PMID: 37240625 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12103520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifaceted neurodevelopmental syndrome, accumulating evidence indicates that oxidative stress and inflammation are common features of ASD. Flavonoids, one of the largest and best-investigated classes of plant-derived compounds, are known to exert antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. This review used a systematic search process to assess the available evidence on the effect of flavonoids on ASD. A comprehensive literature search was carried out in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases following the PRISMA guidelines. A total of 17 preclinical studies and 4 clinical investigations met our inclusion criteria and were included in the final review. Most findings from animal studies suggest that treatment with flavonoids improves oxidative stress parameters, reduces inflammatory mediators, and promotes pro-neurogenic effects. These studies also showed that flavonoids ameliorate the core symptoms of ASD, such as social deficits, repetitive behavior, learning and memory impairments, and motor coordination. However, there are no randomized placebo-controlled trials that support the clinical efficacy of flavonoids in ASD. We only found open-label studies and case reports/series, using only two flavonoids such as luteolin and quercetin. These preliminary clinical studies indicate that flavonoid administration may improve specific behavioral symptoms of ASD. Overall, this review is the first one to systematically report evidence for the putative beneficial effects of flavonoids on features of ASD. These promising preliminary results may provide the rationale for future randomized controlled trials aimed at confirming these outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Savino
- Department of Woman and Child, Neuropsychiatry for Child and Adolescent Unit, General Hospital "Riuniti" of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy
| | - Alessandro Medoro
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences "V. Tiberio", University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
| | - Sawan Ali
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences "V. Tiberio", University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
| | - Giovanni Scapagnini
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences "V. Tiberio", University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
| | - Michael Maes
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Sergio Davinelli
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences "V. Tiberio", University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
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Makris G, Eleftheriades A, Pervanidou P. Early Life Stress, Hormones, and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Horm Res Paediatr 2023; 96:17-24. [PMID: 35259742 DOI: 10.1159/000523942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early life stress (ELS) describes a broad spectrum of adverse and stressful prenatal events, namely, prenatal maternal stress (PMS), or early postnatal events, which can have detrimental long-term influences on the physiology, cognition, and behavior of an individual. There is abundant evidence indicating that ELS exerts its lasting effects on the physical and mental health of the individual, likely acting through a number of mediating mechanisms, including the disruption of developmental programming of the fetus. Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), for example, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), are a group of conditions that typically manifest during infancy, childhood, or adolescence and are characterized by developmental deficits in various domains. SUMMARY The scope of the current mini-review is to provide an up-to-date summary of the findings regarding the association of ELS and NDDs and the possible hormonal mechanisms through which PMS exerts its impact on neurodevelopment. We focus on the available evidence regarding children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD or ASD. ELS exposure during developmental vulnerability windows may increase the risk for either subclinical neuropsychological alterations or clinical conditions, such as NDDs. In fact, a large body of evidence underlies the association of ELS exposure and increased risk for NDDs in the offspring. KEY MESSAGES The majority of data suggest that ELS, including PMS, may be associated with ADHD and ASD in the offspring, although there is no consensus regarding the critical developmental periods. Carefully controlled prospective studies are needed to determine the possible causal processes and mechanisms underlying the association of ELS and NDDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerasimos Makris
- Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Anna Eleftheriades
- Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Panagiota Pervanidou
- Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece,
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Tong J, Liang C, Tao S, Geng M, Gan H, Yan S, Cao H, Xie L, Huang K, Tao F, Wu X. Association of maternal and cord blood barium exposure with preschoolers' intellectual function: Evidence from the Ma'anshan Birth Cohort (MABC) study. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 858:160029. [PMID: 36356737 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Barium is widely involved in drilling fluids, plastics, and personal care products. Although the neurodevelopmental toxicity of barium has been reported in animals, human data are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the effect of prenatal barium concentrations on preschoolers' intellectual function based on a birth cohort study. METHODS A total of 2164 mother-child pairs from Ma'anshan city, China were included in this study. We measured serum barium concentrations in the first, second, and third trimesters and in cord blood. Intellectual function in children aged 3.0-6.0 years old was assessed using the Chinese version of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV). Linear regression models were used to analyze the association between averaged barium exposure during pregnancy and intellectual function. Multiple informant models were performed to jointly test for differences in associations between four repeated barium exposure and intellectual function. All models were further stratified by child sex. RESULTS Collectively, we observed significant inverse associations of average maternal barium exposure levels with verbal comprehension index (VCI), visual spatial index (VSI), processing speed index (PSI), and full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) scores. Maternal serum log10-transformed barium levels in the second trimester were inversely associated with VCI [-2.33 (95%CI: -4.02, -0.64)], VSI [-2.30 (95%CI: -4.08, -0.52)], working memory index (WMI) [-2.09 (95%CI: -3.71, -0.46)], PSI [-2.23 (95%CI: -3.82, -0.65)], and FSIQ scores [-2.73 (95%CI: -4.23, -1.22)]. Prenatal barium exposure was inversely associated with VCI, VSI, WMI, PSI, and FSIQ in girls, except for the fluid reasoning index (FRI). Additionally, inverse associations were found between prenatal barium exposure and VSI, PSI, and FSIQ in boys. CONCLUSIONS Prenatal barium exposure had detrimental effects on intellectual function in preschoolers and girls drove these inverse associations more than boys. The second trimester may be the critical window of neurotoxicity to barium exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Tong
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Chunmei Liang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Shuman Tao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Menglong Geng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Hong Gan
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Shuangqin Yan
- Ma'anshan Maternal and Child Health Center, Ma'anshan 243011, Anhui, China
| | - Hui Cao
- Ma'anshan Maternal and Child Health Center, Ma'anshan 243011, Anhui, China
| | - Liangliang Xie
- Ma'anshan Maternal and Child Health Center, Ma'anshan 243011, Anhui, China
| | - Kun Huang
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Fangbiao Tao
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China.
| | - Xiaoyan Wu
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China.
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Morel C, Schroeder H, Emond C, Turner JD, Lichtfouse E, Grova N. Brominated flame retardants, a cornelian dilemma. ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS 2023; 21:9-14. [PMID: 35095379 PMCID: PMC8783781 DOI: 10.1007/s10311-022-01392-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Chloé Morel
- Calbinotox, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Lorraine, Campus Aiguillettes, B.P. 70239, 54506 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France
| | - Henri Schroeder
- Calbinotox, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Lorraine, Campus Aiguillettes, B.P. 70239, 54506 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France
- UMR Inserm 1256 nGERE, Nutrition-Génétique et Exposition aux risques environnementaux, Institute of Medical Research (Pôle BMS, University of Lorraine, B.P. 184, 54511 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France
| | - Claude Emond
- Calbinotox, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Lorraine, Campus Aiguillettes, B.P. 70239, 54506 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France
- PKSH Inc, Mascouche, QC Canada
- School of Public Health, DSEST, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC Canada
| | - Jonathan D. Turner
- Immune Endocrine Epigenetics Research Group, Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29, rue Henri Koch, L-4354 Esch-Sur-Alzette, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
| | - Eric Lichtfouse
- Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, CEREGE, 13100 Aix en Provence, France
| | - Nathalie Grova
- Calbinotox, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Lorraine, Campus Aiguillettes, B.P. 70239, 54506 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France
- UMR Inserm 1256 nGERE, Nutrition-Génétique et Exposition aux risques environnementaux, Institute of Medical Research (Pôle BMS, University of Lorraine, B.P. 184, 54511 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France
- Immune Endocrine Epigenetics Research Group, Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29, rue Henri Koch, L-4354 Esch-Sur-Alzette, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
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De Asis-Cruz J, Limperopoulos C. Harnessing the Power of Advanced Fetal Neuroimaging to Understand In Utero Footprints for Later Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 93:867-879. [PMID: 36804195 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Adverse intrauterine events may profoundly impact fetal risk for future adult diseases. The mechanisms underlying this increased vulnerability are complex and remain poorly understood. Contemporary advances in fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have provided clinicians and scientists with unprecedented access to in vivo human fetal brain development to begin to identify emerging endophenotypes of neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia. In this review, we discuss salient findings of normal fetal neurodevelopment from studies using advanced, multimodal MRI that have provided unparalleled characterization of in utero prenatal brain morphology, metabolism, microstructure, and functional connectivity. We appraise the clinical utility of these normative data in identifying high-risk fetuses before birth. We highlight available studies that have investigated the predictive validity of advanced prenatal brain MRI findings and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. We then discuss how ex utero quantitative MRI findings can inform in utero investigations toward the pursuit of early biomarkers of risk. Lastly, we explore future opportunities to advance our understanding of the prenatal origins of neuropsychiatric disorders using precision fetal imaging.
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Li Q, Ju XW, Xu J, Jiang J, Lu C, Ju XD. Maternal blood inflammatory marker levels increased in fetuses with ventriculomegaly. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:998206. [PMID: 36545352 PMCID: PMC9760835 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.998206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Fetal ventriculomegaly (VM) is one of the most common abnormalities of the central nervous system (CNS), which can be significantly identified by brain anomalies prenatally by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Aberrant white blood cells (WBCs) levels indicate that the maternal is suffering from the infection. Previous studies have confirmed that prenatal infection can affect fetal brain structure, but there is no research revealed the association between maternal blood parameters with fetal VM until now. Methods We measured the width of the lateral ventricle of 142 fetuses, which were divided into the fetal VM group (n = 70) and the normal lateral ventricle group (n = 72). We compared maternal blood cell levels between the two groups and investigate potential biomarkers of fetal VM. Result High levels of maternal WBC and neutrophil (NE#) levels were observed in fetuses with VM (p < 0.001), while lymphocyte percentage, monocytes (MO#), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet were also increased in the fetal VM group (p = 0.033, 0.027, 0.034, and 0.025, respectively). receiver-operator curve (ROC) analysis suggested that WBC and NE# counts might be useful to distinguish fetuses with enlarged lateral ventricles (AUC = 0.688, 0.678, respectively). Conclusion The current study emphasizes the importance of maternal infection for fetal brain growth, which could provide important information for prenatal diagnosis of CNS anomalies. Future research needs longitudinal analysis and exploration of the influence of maternal blood inflammatory marker levels on fetal brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Li
- School of Psychology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Xin-Wei Ju
- Department of Radiology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Jing Xu
- School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Jiuhong Jiang
- School of Information Science and Technology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Chang Lu
- School of Psychology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China,Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Brain Development, Changchun, China,*Correspondence: Chang Lu,
| | - Xing-Da Ju
- School of Psychology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China,Autism Centre of Excellence, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China,Xing-Da Ju,
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Changes in Stereotypies: Effects over Time and over Generations. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12192504. [PMID: 36230246 PMCID: PMC9559266 DOI: 10.3390/ani12192504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Herein, we propose that there should be discussion about the function and effects of stereotypies in relation to the time during which they are shown. In the first stages, stereotypies may help animals deal with challenges. However, behavior can potentially alter the brain, impairing its function due the absence of a diverse repertory, and change brain connections, neurophysiology and later neuroanatomy. The neuroanatomical changes in individuals showing stereotypies could be an effect rather than a cause of the stereotypy. As a consequence, studies showing different outcomes for animal welfare from stereotypy expression could be due to variation in a timeline of expression. Stereotypies are widely used as an animal welfare indicator, and their expression can tell us about psychological states. However, there are questions about the longer-term consequences if animals express stereotypies: do the stereotypies help in coping? During the prenatal period, stereotypic behavior expressed by the mother can change the phenotype of the offspring, especially regarding emotionality, one mechanism acting via methylation in the limbic system in the brain. Are individuals that show stereotypies for shorter or longer periods all better adjusted, and hence have better welfare, or is the later welfare of some worse than that of individuals that do not show the behavior? Abstract Stereotypies comprise a wide range of repeated and apparently functionless behaviors that develop in individuals whose neural condition or environment results in poor welfare. While stereotypies are an indicator of poor welfare at the time of occurrence, they may have various consequences. Environmental enrichment modifies causal factors and reduces the occurrence of stereotypies, providing evidence that stereotypies are an indicator of poor welfare. However, stereotypy occurrence and consequences change over time. Furthermore, there are complex direct and epigenetic effects when mother mammals that are kept in negative conditions do or do not show stereotypies. It is proposed that, when trying to deal with challenging situations, stereotypies might initially help animals to cope. After further time in the conditions, the performance of the stereotypy may impair brain function and change brain connections, neurophysiology and eventually neuroanatomy. It is possible that reported neuroanatomical changes are an effect of the stereotypy rather than a cause.
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de Bartolomeis A, Barone A, Vellucci L, Mazza B, Austin MC, Iasevoli F, Ciccarelli M. Linking Inflammation, Aberrant Glutamate-Dopamine Interaction, and Post-synaptic Changes: Translational Relevance for Schizophrenia and Antipsychotic Treatment: a Systematic Review. Mol Neurobiol 2022; 59:6460-6501. [PMID: 35963926 PMCID: PMC9463235 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-022-02976-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Evidence from clinical, preclinical, and post-mortem studies supports the inflammatory/immune hypothesis of schizophrenia pathogenesis. Less evident is the link between the inflammatory background and two well-recognized functional and structural findings of schizophrenia pathophysiology: the dopamine-glutamate aberrant interaction and the alteration of dendritic spines architecture, both believed to be the “quantal” elements of cortical-subcortical dysfunctional network. In this systematic review, we tried to capture the major findings linking inflammation, aberrant glutamate-dopamine interaction, and post-synaptic changes under a direct and inverse translational perspective, a paramount picture that at present is lacking. The inflammatory effects on dopaminergic function appear to be bidirectional: the inflammation influences dopamine release, and dopamine acts as a regulator of discrete inflammatory processes involved in schizophrenia such as dysregulated interleukin and kynurenine pathways. Furthermore, the link between inflammation and glutamate is strongly supported by clinical studies aimed at exploring overactive microglia in schizophrenia patients and maternal immune activation models, indicating impaired glutamate regulation and reduced N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) function. In addition, an inflammatory/immune-induced alteration of post-synaptic density scaffold proteins, crucial for downstream NMDAR signaling and synaptic efficacy, has been demonstrated. According to these findings, a significant increase in plasma inflammatory markers has been found in schizophrenia patients compared to healthy controls, associated with reduced cortical integrity and functional connectivity, relevant to the cognitive deficit of schizophrenia. Finally, the link between altered inflammatory/immune responses raises relevant questions regarding potential new therapeutic strategies specifically for those forms of schizophrenia that are resistant to canonical antipsychotics or unresponsive to clozapine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea de Bartolomeis
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Psychiatry, University School of Medicine of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy. .,Unit of Treatment Resistant Psychosis, Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science and Odontostomatology, University School of Medicine of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
| | - Annarita Barone
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Psychiatry, University School of Medicine of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,Unit of Treatment Resistant Psychosis, Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science and Odontostomatology, University School of Medicine of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Licia Vellucci
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Psychiatry, University School of Medicine of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,Unit of Treatment Resistant Psychosis, Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science and Odontostomatology, University School of Medicine of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Benedetta Mazza
- Unit of Treatment Resistant Psychosis, Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science and Odontostomatology, University School of Medicine of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Mark C Austin
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Program, College of Pharmacy, Idaho State University (ISU), Pocatello, ID, USA
| | - Felice Iasevoli
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Psychiatry, University School of Medicine of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,Unit of Treatment Resistant Psychosis, Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science and Odontostomatology, University School of Medicine of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Mariateresa Ciccarelli
- Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Psychiatry, University School of Medicine of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,Unit of Treatment Resistant Psychosis, Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science and Odontostomatology, University School of Medicine of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
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20
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Prefrontal Cortex Response to Prenatal Insult and Postnatal Opioid Exposure. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13081371. [PMID: 36011282 PMCID: PMC9407090 DOI: 10.3390/genes13081371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The influence of proinflammatory challenges, such as maternal immune activation (MIA) or postnatal exposure to drugs of abuse, on brain molecular pathways has been reported. On the other hand, the simultaneous effects of MIA and drugs of abuse have been less studied and sometimes offered inconsistent results. The effects of morphine exposure on a pig model of viral-elicited MIA were characterized in the prefrontal cortex of males and females using RNA-sequencing and gene network analysis. Interacting and main effects of morphine, MIA, and sex were detected in approximately 2000 genes (false discovery rate-adjusted p-value < 0.05). Among the enriched molecular categories (false discovery rate-adjusted p-value < 0.05 and −1.5 > normalized enrichment score > 1.5) were the cell adhesion molecule pathways associated with inflammation and neuronal development and the long-term depression pathway associated with synaptic strength. Gene networks that integrate gene connectivity and expression profiles displayed the impact of morphine-by-MIA interaction effects on the pathways. The cell adhesion molecules and long-term depression networks presented an antagonistic effect between morphine and MIA. The differential expression between the double-challenged group and the baseline saline-treated Controls was less extreme than the individual challenges. The previous findings advance the knowledge about the effects of prenatal MIA and postnatal morphine exposure on the prefrontal cortex pathways.
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21
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Yoshino Y, Kumon H, Shimokawa T, Yano H, Ochi S, Funahashi Y, Iga JI, Matsuda S, Tanaka J, Ueno SI. Impact of Gestational Haloperidol Exposure on miR-137-3p and Nr3c1 mRNA Expression in Hippocampus of Offspring Mice. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2022; 25:853-862. [PMID: 35859315 PMCID: PMC9593222 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyac044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia is a mental disorder caused by both environmental and genetic factors. Prenatal exposure to antipsychotics, an environmental factor for the fetal brain, induces apoptotic neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment of offspring similar to schizophrenia. The aim was to investigate molecular biological changes in the fetal hippocampus exposed to haloperidol (HAL) by RNA expression as a model of the disorder. METHODS HAL (1 mg/kg/d) was administered to pregnant mice. Upregulated and downregulated gene expressions in the hippocampus of offspring were studied with RNA-sequencing and validated with the qPCR method, and micro-RNA (miR) regulating mRNA expressional changes was predicted by in silico analysis. An in vitro experiment was used to identify the miRNA using a dual-luciferase assay. RESULTS There were significant gene expressional changes (1370 upregulated and 1260 downregulated genes) in the HAL group compared with the control group on RNA-sequencing analysis (P < .05 and q < 0.05). Of them, the increase of Nr3c1 mRNA expression was successfully validated, and in silico analysis predicted that microRNA-137-3p (miR-137-3p) possibly regulates that gene's expression. The expression of miR-137-3p in the hippocampus of offspring was significantly decreased in the first generation, but it increased in the second generation. In vitro experiments with Neuro2a cells showed that miR-137-3p inversely regulated Nr3c1 mRNA expression, which was upregulated in the HAL group. CONCLUSIONS These findings will be key for understanding the impact of the molecular biological effects of antipsychotics on the fetal brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Yoshino
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Molecules and Function, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, Toon, Ehime, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kumon
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Molecules and Function, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, Toon, Ehime, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Shimokawa
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime, Japan
| | - Hajime Yano
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime, Japan
| | - Shinichiro Ochi
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Molecules and Function, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, Toon, Ehime, Japan
| | - Yu Funahashi
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Molecules and Function, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, Toon, Ehime, Japan
| | - Jun-ichi Iga
- Correspondence: Jun-ichi Iga, MD, PhD, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Molecules and Function, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, Toon, Ehime 791-0295, Japan ()
| | - Seiji Matsuda
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime, Japan
| | - Junya Tanaka
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime, Japan
| | - Shu-ichi Ueno
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Molecules and Function, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, Toon, Ehime, Japan
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22
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Komada M, Nishimura Y. Epigenetics and Neuroinflammation Associated With Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Microglial Perspective. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:852752. [PMID: 35646933 PMCID: PMC9133693 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.852752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroinflammation is a cause of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, fetal alcohol syndrome, and cerebral palsy. Converging lines of evidence from basic and clinical sciences suggest that dysregulation of the epigenetic landscape, including DNA methylation and miRNA expression, is associated with neuroinflammation. Genetic and environmental factors can affect the interaction between epigenetics and neuroinflammation, which may cause neurodevelopmental disorders. In this minireview, we focus on neuroinflammation that might be mediated by epigenetic dysregulation in microglia, and compare studies using mammals and zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Munekazu Komada
- Mammalian Embryology, Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kindai University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuhei Nishimura
- Department of Integrative Pharmacology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan
- *Correspondence: Yuhei Nishimura,
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23
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Cattane N, Vernon AC, Borsini A, Scassellati C, Endres D, Capuron L, Tamouza R, Benros ME, Leza JC, Pariante CM, Riva MA, Cattaneo A. Preclinical animal models of mental illnesses to translate findings from the bench to the bedside: Molecular brain mechanisms and peripheral biomarkers associated to early life stress or immune challenges. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2022; 58:55-79. [PMID: 35235897 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2022.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Animal models are useful preclinical tools for studying the pathogenesis of mental disorders and the effectiveness of their treatment. While it is not possible to mimic all symptoms occurring in humans, it is however possible to investigate the behavioral, physiological and neuroanatomical alterations relevant for these complex disorders in controlled conditions and in genetically homogeneous populations. Stressful and infection-related exposures represent the most employed environmental risk factors able to trigger or to unmask a psychopathological phenotype in animals. Indeed, when occurring during sensitive periods of brain maturation, including pre, postnatal life and adolescence, they can affect the offspring's neurodevelopmental trajectories, increasing the risk for mental disorders. Not all stressed or immune challenged animals, however, develop behavioral alterations and preclinical animal models can explain differences between vulnerable or resilient phenotypes. Our review focuses on different paradigms of stress (prenatal stress, maternal separation, social isolation and social defeat stress) and immune challenges (immune activation in pregnancy) and investigates the subsequent alterations in several biological and behavioral domains at different time points of animals' life. It also discusses the "double-hit" hypothesis where an initial early adverse event can prime the response to a second negative challenge. Interestingly, stress and infections early in life induce the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, alter the levels of neurotransmitters, neurotrophins and pro-inflammatory cytokines and affect the functions of microglia and oxidative stress. In conclusion, animal models allow shedding light on the pathophysiology of human mental illnesses and discovering novel molecular drug targets for personalized treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Cattane
- Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Anthony C Vernon
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom; MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Alessandra Borsini
- Stress, Psychiatry and Immunology Laboratory, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Catia Scassellati
- Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Dominique Endres
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Lucile Capuron
- Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, NutriNeuro, UMR 1286, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Ryad Tamouza
- Département Medico-Universitaire de Psychiatrie et d'Addictologie (DMU ADAPT), Laboratoire Neuro-psychiatrie translationnelle, AP-HP, UniversitéParis Est Créteil, INSERM U955, IMRB, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Fondation FondaMental, F-94010 Créteil, France
| | - Michael Eriksen Benros
- Biological and Precision Psychiatry, Copenhagen Research Centre for Mental Health, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte Hospitalsvej 15, 4th floor, 2900 Hellerup, Denmark; Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Juan C Leza
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Investigación Hospital 12 de Octubre (i+12), IUIN-UCM. Spain
| | - Carmine M Pariante
- Stress, Psychiatry and Immunology Laboratory, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Marco A Riva
- Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy; Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
| | - Annamaria Cattaneo
- Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy; Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Italy.
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24
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Gyllenhammer LE, Rasmussen JM, Bertele N, Halbing A, Entringer S, Wadhwa PD, Buss C. Maternal Inflammation During Pregnancy and Offspring Brain Development: The Role of Mitochondria. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:498-509. [PMID: 34800727 PMCID: PMC9086015 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The association between maternal immune activation (MIA) during pregnancy and risk for offspring neuropsychiatric disorders has been increasingly recognized over the past several years. Among the mechanistic pathways that have been described through which maternal inflammation during pregnancy may affect fetal brain development, the role of mitochondria has received little attention. In this review, the role of mitochondria as a potential mediator of the association between MIA during pregnancy and offspring brain development and risk for psychiatric disorders will be proposed. As a basis for this postulation, convergent evidence is presented supporting the obligatory role of mitochondria in brain development, the role of mitochondria as mediators and initiators of inflammatory processes, and evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction in preclinical MIA exposure models and human neurodevelopmental disorders. Elucidating the role of mitochondria as a potential mediator of MIA-induced alterations in brain development and neurodevelopmental disease risk may not only provide new insight into the pathophysiology of mental health disorders that have their origins in exposure to infection/immune activation during pregnancy but also offer new therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Gyllenhammer
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California
| | - Jerod M Rasmussen
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California
| | - Nina Bertele
- Department of Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Amy Halbing
- Department of Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Department of Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sonja Entringer
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pathik D Wadhwa
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California
| | - Claudia Buss
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, California; Department of Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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25
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Okazaki S, Boku S, Watanabe Y, Otsuka I, Horai T, Morikawa R, Kimura A, Shimmyo N, Tanifuji T, Someya T, Hishimoto A. Polymorphisms in the hypoxia inducible factor binding site of the macrophage migration inhibitory factor gene promoter in schizophrenia. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265738. [PMID: 35324982 PMCID: PMC8946738 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a multifunctional cytokine that promotes neurogenesis and neuroprotection. MIF is predominantly expressed in astrocytes in the brain. The serum MIF level and microsatellites/single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the MIF gene promoter region are known to be associated with schizophrenia (SCZ). Interestingly, previous studies reported that hypoxia, an environmental risk factor for SCZ, induced MIF expression through binding of the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1 to the hypoxia response element (HRE) in the MIF promoter. Methods We investigated the involvement of MIF in SCZ while focusing on the HIF pathway. First, we conducted an association study of the SNP rs17004038 (C>A) in the HRE of the MIF promoter between 1758 patients with SCZ and 1507 controls. Next, we investigated the effect of hypoxia on MIF expression in primary cultured astrocytes derived from neonatal mice forebrain. Results SNP rs17004038 was significantly associated with SCZ (p = 0.0424, odds ratio = 1.445), indicating that this SNP in the HRE of the MIF promoter was a genetic risk factor for SCZ. Hypoxia induced MIF mRNA expression and MIF protein production and increased HIF-1 binding to the MIF promoter, while the activity of the MIF promoter was suppressed by mutations in the HRE and by deletion of the HRE in astrocytes. Conclusion These results suggest that SNP rs17004038 in the HRE of the MIF promoter was significantly associated with SCZ and may be involved in the pathophysiology of SCZ via suppression of hypoxia and HIF pathway-induced MIF expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Okazaki
- Department of Psychiatry, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Shuken Boku
- Department of Psychiatry, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kumamoto University Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto, Japan
- * E-mail:
| | - Yuichiro Watanabe
- Department of Psychiatry, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Ikuo Otsuka
- Department of Psychiatry, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Tadasu Horai
- Department of Psychiatry, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Ryo Morikawa
- Department of Psychiatry, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Atsushi Kimura
- Department of Psychiatry, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Naofumi Shimmyo
- Department of Psychiatry, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Takaki Tanifuji
- Department of Psychiatry, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Someya
- Department of Psychiatry, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Akitoyo Hishimoto
- Department of Psychiatry, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
- Department of Psychiatry, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
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26
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Paraschivescu C, Barbosa S, Van Steenwinckel J, Gressens P, Glaichenhaus N, Davidovic L. Early Life Exposure to Tumor Necrosis Factor Induces Precocious Sensorimotor Reflexes Acquisition and Increases Locomotor Activity During Mouse Postnatal Development. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:845458. [PMID: 35368298 PMCID: PMC8964393 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.845458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammation appears as a cardinal mediator of the deleterious effect of early life stress exposure on neurodevelopment. More generally, immune activation during the perinatal period, and most importantly elevations of pro-inflammatory cytokines levels could contribute to psychopathology and neurological deficits later in life. Cytokines are also required for normal brain function in homeostatic conditions and play a role in neurodevelopmental processes. Despite these latter studies, whether pro-inflammatory cytokines such as Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) impact neurodevelopmental trajectories and behavior during the immediate postnatal period remains to be elucidated. To address this issue, we have injected mouse pups daily with recombinant TNF from postnatal day (P)1 to P5. This yielded a robust increase in peripheral and central TNF at P5, and also an increase of additional pro-inflammatory cytokines. Compared to control pups injected with saline, mice injected with TNF acquired the righting and the acoustic startle reflexes more rapidly and exhibited increased locomotor activity 2 weeks after birth. Our results extend previous work restricted to adult behaviors and support the notion that cytokines, and notably TNF, modulate early neurodevelopmental trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Paraschivescu
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université Côte d'Azur, Valbonne, France
| | - Susana Barbosa
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université Côte d'Azur, Valbonne, France
| | | | | | - Nicolas Glaichenhaus
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université Côte d'Azur, Valbonne, France
| | - Laetitia Davidovic
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université Côte d'Azur, Valbonne, France
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27
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Zhao H, Mao X, Zhu C, Zou X, Peng F, Yang W, Li B, Li G, Ge T, Cui R. GABAergic System Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 9:781327. [PMID: 35198562 PMCID: PMC8858939 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.781327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a series of neurodevelopmental diseases characterized by two hallmark symptoms, social communication deficits and repetitive behaviors. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is one of the most important inhibitory neurotransmitters in the central nervous system (CNS). GABAergic inhibitory neurotransmission is critical for the regulation of brain rhythm and spontaneous neuronal activities during neurodevelopment. Genetic evidence has identified some variations of genes associated with the GABA system, indicating an abnormal excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) neurotransmission ratio implicated in the pathogenesis of ASD. However, the specific molecular mechanism by which GABA and GABAergic synaptic transmission affect ASD remains unclear. Transgenic technology enables translating genetic variations into rodent models to further investigate the structural and functional synaptic dysregulation related to ASD. In this review, we summarized evidence from human neuroimaging, postmortem, and genetic and pharmacological studies, and put emphasis on the GABAergic synaptic dysregulation and consequent E/I imbalance. We attempt to illuminate the pathophysiological role of structural and functional synaptic dysregulation in ASD and provide insights for future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Ranji Cui
- *Correspondence: Tongtong Ge, ; Ranji Cui,
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28
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Aljumaiah MM, Alonazi MA, Al-Dbass AM, Almnaizel AT, Alahmed M, Soliman DA, El-Ansary A. Association of Maternal Diabetes and Autism Spectrum Disorders in Offspring: a Study in a Rodent Model of Autism. J Mol Neurosci 2022; 72:349-358. [PMID: 34562183 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-021-01912-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigated that maternal type 1 diabetes may contribute to autism pathogenesis in offspring, and that insulin therapy during pregnancy may prevent the onset of autism. As evidenced, selected brain biomarkers representing the accepted etiological mechanism of autism in newborn rats from diabetic mothers and diabetic mothers receiving insulin therapy compared to the propionic acid (PPA) rodent model of autism were screened. Female Wistar rats with a controlled fertility cycle were randomly divided into three groups: a control group, a group treated with a single dose of 65 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ) to induce type 1 diabetes (T1D), and a group treated with a single dose of STZ to induce T1D along with insulin therapy. Neonatal rats from these groups were divided into four experimental groups of six animals each: the control group, oral buffered PPA-treated group administered a neurotoxic dose of 250 mg/kg PPA for 3 days to induce autism, neonatal rats from mothers with T1D, and neonatal rats from mothers with T1D receiving insulin therapy. Biochemical parameters of oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and glutamate excitotoxicity were examined in brain homogenates from all neonatal rats. The development of pathogenic bacteria was monitored in stool samples from all rat groups. Descriptive analyses of changes in fecal microbiota and overgrowth of Clostridium species were performed in diabetic mothers, diabetic mothers treated with insulin therapy, and their offspring. Clostridium species may induce autism-relevant behaviors in offspring from mothers with T1D. Maternal T1D without insulin therapy increased lipid peroxidation levels, reduced GST activity, and lower offspring' vitamin C and GSH levels. Increased IL-6 levels and reduced GABA levels were detected in brain homogenates from neonatal rats whose mothers had T1D. Interestingly, insulin therapy reduced MDA and IL-6 levels and increased GST, GSH, and vitamin C levels in brain homogenates of neonatal rats from mothers with T1D receiving insulin therapy compared to the PPA-treated group. Based on our results, the PPA-treated group and neonatal rats from mothers with T1D exhibited similar results. These findings suggest that neonatal rats from mothers with T1D may develop autism-relevant biochemical autistic features and that insulin therapy may ameliorate oxidative stress, poor detoxification, inflammation, and excitotoxicity as ascertained mechanisms involved in the etiology of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malak M Aljumaiah
- Biochemistry Department, Science College, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mona A Alonazi
- Biochemistry Department, Science College, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abeer M Al-Dbass
- Biochemistry Department, Science College, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad T Almnaizel
- Prince Naif for Health Research Center, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Alahmed
- Prince Naif for Health Research Center, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dina A Soliman
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, Science College, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Afaf El-Ansary
- Central Laboratory, Female Campus, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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29
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Makris G, Agorastos A, Chrousos GP, Pervanidou P. Stress System Activation in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Neurosci 2022; 15:756628. [PMID: 35095389 PMCID: PMC8793840 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.756628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The mission of the human stress system is the maintenance of homeostasis in the presence of real or perceived, acute or chronic stressors. The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and the autonomic nervous system (ANS) are the stress system-related neuroendocrine pathways. There is abundant evidence that children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may exhibit atypical function within the HPA axis and the ANS both at the resting state and during the presence of social and/or non-social stressors. The aim of this review is to provide an up-to-date summary of the findings regarding stress system alterations in children and adolescents with ASD. We focus on the variations of stress hormones circadian rhythms, specifically cortisol and alpha-amylase (i.e., a surrogate index of epinephrine/norepinephrine secretion), and on the alterations of stress system responsivity to different stressors. Also, we present imaging and immunological findings that have been associated with stress system dysregulation in children and adolescents with ASD. Finally, we review the pivotal role of HPA axis-ANS coordination, the developmental trajectory of the stress system in ASD, and the possible role of early life stress in the dysregulation of the stress system demonstrated in children and adolescents with ASD. This synthesis will hopefully provide researchers with a foundation for an integrated approach to future research into stress system variations in children and adolescents with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerasimos Makris
- Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, “Aghia Sophia” Children’s Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- *Correspondence: Gerasimos Makris,
| | - Agorastos Agorastos
- Department of Psychiatry II, Division of Neurosciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - George P. Chrousos
- University Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health and Precision Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Panagiota Pervanidou
- Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, “Aghia Sophia” Children’s Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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30
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Liu J, Wang H, Sun W, Liu Y. Prioritizing Autism Risk Genes using Personalized Graphical Models Estimated from Single Cell RNA-seq Data. J Am Stat Assoc 2022; 117:38-51. [PMID: 35529781 PMCID: PMC9070996 DOI: 10.1080/01621459.2021.1933495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Hundreds of autism risk genes have been reported recently, mainly based on genetic studies where these risk genes have more de novo mutations in autism subjects than healthy controls. However, as a complex disease, autism is likely associated with more risk genes and many of them may not be identifiable through de novo mutations. We hypothesize that more autism risk genes can be identified through their connections with known autism risk genes in personalized gene-gene interaction graphs. We estimate such personalized graphs using single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) while appropriately modeling the cell dependence and possible zero-inflation in the scRNA-seq data. The sample size, which is the number of cells per individual, ranges from 891 to 1,241 in our case study using scRNA-seq data in autism subjects and controls. We consider 1,500 genes in our analysis. Since the number of genes is larger or comparable to the sample size, we perform penalized estimation. We score each gene's relevance by applying a simple graph kernel smoothing method to each personalized graph. The molecular functions of the top-scored genes are related to autism diseases. For example, a candidate gene RYR2 that encodes protein ryanodine receptor 2 is involved in neurotransmission, a process that is impaired in ASD patients. While our method provides a systemic and unbiased approach to prioritize autism risk genes, the relevance of these genes needs to be further validated in functional studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianyu Liu
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
| | - Haodong Wang
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
| | - Wei Sun
- Biostatistics Program, Public Health Sciences Division Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington
| | - Yufeng Liu
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,Department of Genetics, Department of Biostatistics, Carolina Center for Genome Science, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,
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Guerrin CGJ, Doorduin J, Sommer IE, de Vries EFJ. The dual hit hypothesis of schizophrenia: Evidence from animal models. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 131:1150-1168. [PMID: 34715148 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous psychiatric disorder, which can severely impact social and professional functioning. Epidemiological and clinical studies show that schizophrenia has a multifactorial aetiology comprising genetic and environmental risk factors. Although several risk factors have been identified, it is still not clear how they result in schizophrenia. This knowledge gap, however, can be investigated in animal studies. In this review, we summarise animal studies regarding molecular and cellular mechanisms through which genetic and environmental factors may affect brain development, ultimately causing schizophrenia. Preclinical studies suggest that early environmental risk factors can affect the immune, GABAergic, glutamatergic, or dopaminergic system and thus increase the susceptibility to another risk factor later in life. A second insult, like social isolation, stress, or drug abuse, can further disrupt these systems and the interactions between them, leading to behavioural abnormalities. Surprisingly, first insults like maternal infection and early maternal separation can also have protective effects. Single gene mutations associated with schizophrenia did not have a major impact on the susceptibility to subsequent environmental hits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyprien G J Guerrin
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713, GZ, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Janine Doorduin
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713, GZ, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Iris E Sommer
- Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713, GZ, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Erik F J de Vries
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713, GZ, Groningen, the Netherlands.
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Scott JT, Bourne JA. Modelling behaviors relevant to brain disorders in the nonhuman primate: Are we there yet? Prog Neurobiol 2021; 208:102183. [PMID: 34728308 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2021.102183] [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: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent years have seen a profound resurgence of activity with nonhuman primates (NHPs) to model human brain disorders. From marmosets to macaques, the study of NHP species offers a unique window into the function of primate-specific neural circuits that are impossible to examine in other models. Examining how these circuits manifest into the complex behaviors of primates, such as advanced cognitive and social functions, has provided enormous insights to date into the mechanisms underlying symptoms of numerous neurological and neuropsychiatric illnesses. With the recent optimization of modern techniques to manipulate and measure neural activity in vivo, such as optogenetics and calcium imaging, NHP research is more well-equipped than ever to probe the neural mechanisms underlying pathological behavior. However, methods for behavioral experimentation and analysis in NHPs have noticeably failed to keep pace with these advances. As behavior ultimately lies at the junction between preclinical findings and its translation to clinical outcomes for brain disorders, approaches to improve the integrity, reproducibility, and translatability of behavioral experiments in NHPs requires critical evaluation. In this review, we provide a unifying account of existing brain disorder models using NHPs, and provide insights into the present and emerging contributions of behavioral studies to the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack T Scott
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - James A Bourne
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
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Chauhan P, Kaur G, Prasad R, Singh H. Pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia: immunological aspects and potential role of immunotherapy. Expert Rev Neurother 2021; 21:1441-1453. [PMID: 34654348 DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2021.1994857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Schizophrenia is a complex disorder owing to diversity in clinical phenotypes, overlapping symptoms, and heterogeneous clinical presentation. Even after decades of research, the exact causative mechanisms of schizophrenia are not completely known. Recent evidence indicates the role of immune dysfunction in schizophrenia pathogenesis as observed from alteration in immune cells, increased activity of complement cascade, and development of autoantibodies against neurotransmitter receptors. Immunotherapy involving immunosuppressants and cytokine-targeting drugs, have shown promising results in several clinical studies and it demands further research in this area. AREAS COVERED Here, the authors review the immunopathogenesis of schizophrenia, limitations of conventional, and atypical antipsychotic drugs and the potential role and limitations of immunotherapeutic drugs in schizophrenia management. EXPERT OPINION Schizophrenia is a complex disorder and poses a challenge to the currently available treatment approaches. Nearly 30% schizophrenia patients exhibit minimal response toward conventional and atypical antipsychotic drugs. Immune system dysfunction plays an important part of schizophrenia pathophysiology and existing monoclonal antibody (mAb) drugs targeting specific components of the immune system are being repositioned in schizophrenia. The authors call upon public and private funders to facilitate urgent and rigorous research efforts in exploring potential role of immunotherapy in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prerna Chauhan
- Multidisciplinary Research Unit, Government Medical College & Hospital, Chandigarh, India
| | - Gurjit Kaur
- Department of Physiology, Government Medical College & Hospital, Chandigarh, India
| | - Rajendra Prasad
- Department of Biochemistry, Maharishi Markandeshwar Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Ambala, Haryana, India
| | - Harmanjit Singh
- Department of Pharmacology, Government Medical College & Hospital, Chandigarh, India
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Couch ACM, Berger T, Hanger B, Matuleviciute R, Srivastava DP, Thuret S, Vernon AC. Maternal immune activation primes deficiencies in adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Brain Behav Immun 2021; 97:410-422. [PMID: 34352366 PMCID: PMC8478664 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2021.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurogenesis, the process in which new neurons are generated, occurs throughout life in the mammalian hippocampus. Decreased adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) is a common feature across psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, depression- and anxiety-related behaviours, and is highly regulated by environmental influences. Epidemiological studies have consistently implicated maternal immune activation (MIA) during neurodevelopment as a risk factor for psychiatric disorders in adulthood. The extent to which the reduction of hippocampal neurogenesis in adulthood may be driven by early life exposures, such as MIA, is however unclear. We therefore reviewed the literature for evidence of the involvement of MIA in disrupting AHN. Consistent with our hypothesis, data from both in vivo murine and in vitro human models of AHN provide evidence for key roles of specific cytokines induced by MIA in the foetal brain in disrupting hippocampal neural progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation early in development. The precise molecular mechanisms however remain unclear. Nonetheless, these data suggest a potential latent vulnerability mechanism, whereby MIA primes dysfunction in the unique hippocampal pool of neural stem/progenitor cells. This renders offspring potentially more susceptible to additional environmental exposures later in life, such as chronic stress, resulting in the unmasking of psychopathology. We highlight the need for studies to test this hypothesis using validated animal models of MIA, but also to test the relevance of such data for human pathology at a molecular basis through the use of patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) differentiated into hippocampal progenitor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amalie C M Couch
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Thomas Berger
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Bjørn Hanger
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Deepak P Srivastava
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Sandrine Thuret
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Anthony C Vernon
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK.
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35
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Simone M, Margari L, Pompamea F, De Giacomo A, Gabellone A, Marzulli L, Palumbi R. Autism Spectrum Disorder and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Clinical Case on the Potential Role of the Dystrophin in Autism Neurobiology. J Clin Med 2021; 10:jcm10194370. [PMID: 34640386 PMCID: PMC8509154 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10194370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
A diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is reported in up to 19% of dystrophinopathies. However, over the last ten years, only a few papers have been published on this topic. Therefore, further studies are required to analyze this association in depth and ultimately to understand the role of the brain dystrophin isoform in the pathogenesis of ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders. In this paper, we report a clinical case of a patient affected by ASD and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, who carries a large deletion of the dystrophin gene. Then we present a brief overview of the literature about similar cases and about the potential role of the dystrophin protein in the neurobiology of autism spectrum disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Simone
- Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology Department, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70124 Bari, Italy; (M.S.); (F.P.); (A.G.); (L.M.)
| | - Lucia Margari
- Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology Department, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70124 Bari, Italy; (M.S.); (F.P.); (A.G.); (L.M.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Francesco Pompamea
- Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology Department, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70124 Bari, Italy; (M.S.); (F.P.); (A.G.); (L.M.)
| | - Andrea De Giacomo
- Basic Medical Sciences, Neurosciences, and Sensory Organs Department, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70124 Bari, Italy; (A.D.G.); (R.P.)
| | - Alessandra Gabellone
- Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology Department, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70124 Bari, Italy; (M.S.); (F.P.); (A.G.); (L.M.)
| | - Lucia Marzulli
- Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology Department, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70124 Bari, Italy; (M.S.); (F.P.); (A.G.); (L.M.)
| | - Roberto Palumbi
- Basic Medical Sciences, Neurosciences, and Sensory Organs Department, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70124 Bari, Italy; (A.D.G.); (R.P.)
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Oxidative Stress as a Common Key Event in Developmental Neurotoxicity. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2021; 2021:6685204. [PMID: 34336113 PMCID: PMC8315852 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6685204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The developing brain is extremely sensitive to many chemicals. Perinatal exposure to neurotoxicants has been implicated in several neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactive disorder, and schizophrenia. Studies of the molecular and cellular events related to developmental neurotoxicity have identified a number of “adverse outcome pathways,” many of which share oxidative stress as a key event. Oxidative stress occurs when the balance between the production of free oxygen radicals and the activity of the cellular antioxidant system is dysregulated. In this review, we describe some of the developmental neurotoxins that target the antioxidant system and the mechanisms by which they elicit stress, including oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria and plasma membrane redox system in rodent models. We also discuss future directions for identifying adverse outcome pathways related to oxidative stress and developmental neurotoxicity, with the goal of improving our ability to quickly and accurately screen chemicals for their potential developmental neurotoxicity.
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37
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Jin C, Chen M, Lin D, Sun W. Cell type-aware analysis of RNA-seq data. NATURE COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE 2021; 1:253-261. [PMID: 34957416 PMCID: PMC8697413 DOI: 10.1038/s43588-021-00055-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Most tissue samples are composed of different cell types. Differential expression analysis without accounting for cell type composition cannot separate the changes due to cell type composition or cell type-specific expression. We propose a computational framework to address these limitations: Cell Type Aware analysis of RNA-seq (CARseq). CARseq employs a negative binomial distribution that appropriately models the count data from RNA-seq experiments. Simulation studies show that CARseq has substantially higher power than a linear model-based approach and it also provides more accurate estimate of the rankings of differentially expressed genes. We have applied CARseq to compare gene expression of schizophrenia/autism subjects versus controls, and identified the cell types underlying the difference and similarities of these two neuron-developmental diseases. Our results are consistent with the results from differential expression analysis using single cell RNA-seq data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chong Jin
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | | | - Danyu Lin
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Wei Sun
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Public Health Science Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington
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38
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Buss C. Maternal oxidative stress during pregnancy and offspring neurodevelopment. Brain Behav Immun 2021; 93:6-7. [PMID: 33454300 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2021.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Buss
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Institute of Medical Psychology, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92617, USA; Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California, Irvine, CA 92617, USA.
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Neonatal Rotenone Administration Induces Psychiatric Disorder-Like Behavior and Changes in Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Synaptic Proteins in Adulthood. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 58:3015-3030. [PMID: 33608825 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-021-02317-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Since psychiatric disorders are associated with changes in the development of the nervous system, an energy-dependent mechanism, we investigated whether mitochondrial inhibition during the critical neurodevelopment window in rodents would be able to induce metabolic alterations culminating in psychiatric-like behavior. We treated male Wistar rat puppies (P) with rotenone (Rot), an inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I, from postnatal days 5 to 11 (P5-P11). We demonstrated that at P60 and P120, Rot-treated animals showed hyperlocomotion and deficits in social interaction and aversive contextual memory, features observed in animal models of schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. During adulthood, Rot-treated rodents also presented modifications in CBP and CREB levels in addition to a decrease in mitochondrial biogenesis and Nrf1 expression. Additionally, NFE2L2-activation was not altered in Rot-treated P60 and P120 animals; an upregulation of pNFE2L2/ NFE2L2 was only observed in P12 cortices. Curiously, ATP/ADP levels did not change in all ages evaluated. Rot administration in newborn rodents also promoted modification in Rest and Mecp2 expression, and in synaptic protein levels, named PSD-95, Synaptotagmin-1, and Synaptophysin in the adult rats. Altogether, our data indicate that behavioral abnormalities and changes in synaptic proteins in adulthood induced by neonatal Rot administration might be a result of adjustments in CREB pathways and alterations in mitochondrial biogenesis and Nrf1 expression, rather than a direct deficiency of energy supply, as previously speculated. Consequently, Rot-induced psychiatric-like behavior would be an outcome of alterations in neuronal paths due to mitochondrial deregulation.
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Paquin V, Lapierre M, Veru F, King S. Early Environmental Upheaval and the Risk for Schizophrenia. Annu Rev Clin Psychol 2021; 17:285-311. [PMID: 33544627 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-081219-103805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Why does prenatal exposure to wars, natural disasters, urbanicity, or winter increase the risk for schizophrenia? Research from the last two decades has provided rich insight about the underlying chains of causation at play during environmental upheaval, from conception to early infancy. In this review, we appraise the evidence linking schizophrenia spectrum disorder to prenatal maternal stress, obstetric complications, early infections, and maternal nutrition and other lifestyle factors. We discuss putative mechanisms, including the maternal stress system, perinatal hypoxia, and maternal-offspring immune activation. We propose that gene-environment interactions, timing during development, and sex differentiate the neuropsychiatric outcomes. Future research should pursue the translation of animal studies to humans and the longitudinal associations between early exposures, intermediate phenotypes, and psychiatric disorders. Finally, to paint a comprehensive model of risk and to harness targets for prevention, we argue that risk factors should be situated within the individual's personal ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Paquin
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 1A1, Canada; .,Douglas Research Centre, Montréal, Québec H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Mylène Lapierre
- Douglas Research Centre, Montréal, Québec H4H 1R3, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H2V 2S9, Canada
| | - Franz Veru
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 1A1, Canada; .,Douglas Research Centre, Montréal, Québec H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Suzanne King
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3A 1A1, Canada; .,Douglas Research Centre, Montréal, Québec H4H 1R3, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H2V 2S9, Canada
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41
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Loss CM, Teodoro L, Rodrigues GD, Moreira LR, Peres FF, Zuardi AW, Crippa JA, Hallak JEC, Abílio VC. Is Cannabidiol During Neurodevelopment a Promising Therapy for Schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum Disorders? Front Pharmacol 2021; 11:635763. [PMID: 33613289 PMCID: PMC7890086 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.635763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are psychiatric neurodevelopmental disorders that cause high levels of functional disabilities. Also, the currently available therapies for these disorders are limited. Therefore, the search for treatments that could be beneficial for the altered course of the neurodevelopment associated with these disorders is paramount. Preclinical and clinical evidence points to cannabidiol (CBD) as a promising strategy. In this review, we discuss clinical and preclinical studies on schizophrenia and ASD investigating the behavioral, molecular, and functional effects of chronic treatment with CBD (and with cannabidivarin for ASD) during neurodevelopment. In summary, the results point to CBD's beneficial potential for the progression of these disorders supporting further investigations to strengthen its use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cássio Morais Loss
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,National Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM), National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq/CAPES/FAPESP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Lucas Teodoro
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Doná Rodrigues
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lucas Roberto Moreira
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Fiel Peres
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,National Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM), National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq/CAPES/FAPESP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Antonio Waldo Zuardi
- National Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM), National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq/CAPES/FAPESP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - José Alexandre Crippa
- National Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM), National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq/CAPES/FAPESP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Jaime Eduardo Cecilio Hallak
- National Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM), National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq/CAPES/FAPESP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Costhek Abílio
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,National Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM), National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq/CAPES/FAPESP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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Cattane N, Räikkönen K, Anniverno R, Mencacci C, Riva MA, Pariante CM, Cattaneo A. Depression, obesity and their comorbidity during pregnancy: effects on the offspring's mental and physical health. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:462-481. [PMID: 32632208 PMCID: PMC7850968 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-0813-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Depression and obesity represent two of the most common complications during pregnancy and are associated with severe health risks for both the mother and the child. Although several studies have analysed the individual effects of depression or obesity on the mothers and their children, the effects associated with the co-occurrence of both disorders have so far been poorly investigated. The relationship between depression and obesity is very complex and it is still unclear whether maternal depression leads to obesity or vice versa. It is well known that the intrauterine environment plays an important role in mediating the effects of both depression and obesity in the mother on the fetal programming, increasing the child's risk to develop negative outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Cattane
- Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Katri Räikkönen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Roberta Anniverno
- Department of Neuroscience, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudio Mencacci
- Department of Neuroscience, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco A Riva
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Carmine M Pariante
- Stress, Psychiatry and Immunology Laboratory, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, UK
| | - Annamaria Cattaneo
- Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy.
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Clark DF, Schmelz R, Rogers N, Smith NE, Shorter KR. Acute high folic acid treatment in SH-SY5Y cells with and without MTHFR function leads to gene expression changes in epigenetic modifying enzymes, changes in epigenetic marks, and changes in dendritic spine densities. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245005. [PMID: 33411826 PMCID: PMC7790414 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetics are known to be involved in various disorders, including neurobiological disorders like autism. Dietary factors such as folic acid can affect epigenetic marks using methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) to metabolize folic acid to a one-carbon methyl group. As MTHFR mutations are frequent, it is curious as to whether excess folic acid, with or without functioning MTHFR, could affect gene expression, epigenetics, and neuromorphology. Here, we investigated gene expression and activity of epigenetic modifying enzymes, genome-wide DNA methylation, histone 3 modifications, and dendritic spine densities in SH-SY5Y cells with or without a knockdown of MTHFR and with or without an excess of folic acid. We found alterations to gene expression of epigenetic modifying enzymes, including those associated with disorders like autism. Grouping the epigenetic modifying enzymes by function indicated that gene expression was widely affected for genes that code for enzymes affecting DNA methylation, histone acetylation, histone methylation, histone phosphorylation, and histone ubiquitination when excess folic acid treatment occurred with or without the knockdown of MTHFR. MTHFR was significantly reduced upon excess folic acid treatment whether MTHFR was knocked-down or not. Further, methyl-CpG binding protein 2 expression was significantly decreased with excess folic acid treatment with and without proper MTHFR expression. Global DNA methylation decreased due to the knockdown alone while global hydroxymethylated DNA increased due to the knockdown alone. TET2 expression significantly increased with the MTHFR knockdown alone. Excess folic acid alone induced a decrease in TET3 expression. Excess folic acid induced an increase in dendritic spines without the MTHFR knockdown, but folic acid induced a decrease in dendritic spines when MTHFR was knocked-down. The knockdown alone also increased the dendritic spines significantly. Histone 3 acetylation at lysine 18 was significantly increased when excess folic acid was applied to cells with the MTHFR knockdown, as was histone 3 phosphorylation at serine 10. Broadly, our results indicate that excess folic acid, even with functioning MTHFR, could have detrimental effects on cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel F. Clark
- Division of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Rachael Schmelz
- Division of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Nicole Rogers
- Division of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Nuri E. Smith
- Division of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Kimberly R. Shorter
- Division of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Gatta E, Saudagar V, Drnevich J, Forrest MP, Auta J, Clark LV, Sershen H, Smith RC, Grayson DR, Davis JM, Guidotti A. Concordance of Immune-Related Markers in Lymphocytes and Prefrontal Cortex in Schizophrenia. SCHIZOPHRENIA BULLETIN OPEN 2021; 2:sgab002. [PMID: 33585819 PMCID: PMC7865130 DOI: 10.1093/schizbullopen/sgab002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder associated with a wide array of transcriptomic and neurobiochemical changes. Genome-wide transcriptomic profiling conducted in postmortem brain have provided novel insights into the pathophysiology of this disorder, and identified biological processes including immune/inflammatory-related responses, metabolic, endocrine, and synaptic function. However, few studies have investigated whether similar changes are present in peripheral tissue. Here, we used RNA-sequencing to characterize transcriptomic profiles of lymphocytes in 18 nonpsychotic controls and 19 individuals with schizophrenia. We identified 2819 differentially expressed transcripts (P nominal < .05) in the schizophrenia group when compared to controls. Bioinformatic analyses conducted on a subset of 293 genes (P nominal < .01 and |log2 FC| > 0.5) highlighted immune/inflammatory responses as key biological processes in our dataset. Differentially expressed genes in lymphocytes were highly enriched in gene expression profiles associated with cortex layer 5a and immune cells. Thus, we investigated whether the changes in transcripts levels observed in lymphocytes could also be detected in the prefrontal cortex (PFC, BA10) in a second replication cohort of schizophrenia subjects. Remarkably, mRNA levels detected in the PFC and lymphocytes were in strong agreement, and measurements obtained using RNA-sequencing positively correlated with data obtained by reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Collectively, our work supports a role for immune dysfunction in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and suggests that peripheral markers can be used as accessible surrogates to investigate putative central nervous system disruptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Gatta
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Vikram Saudagar
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Jenny Drnevich
- High-Performance Biological Computing, Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL
| | - Marc P Forrest
- Department of Physiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
| | - James Auta
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Lindsay V Clark
- High-Performance Biological Computing, Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL
| | - Henry Sershen
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY
- Department of Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Robert C Smith
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY
- Department of Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Dennis R Grayson
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - John M Davis
- Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Alessandro Guidotti
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
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Rommel AS, Milne GL, Barrett ES, Bush NR, Nguyen R, Sathyanarayana S, Swan SH, Ferguson KK. Associations between urinary biomarkers of oxidative stress in the third trimester of pregnancy and behavioral outcomes in the child at 4 years of age. Brain Behav Immun 2020; 90:272-278. [PMID: 32905853 PMCID: PMC7544682 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.08.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Sophie Rommel
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Ginger L Milne
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Emily S Barrett
- Department of Epidemiology, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Nicole R Bush
- Department of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ruby Nguyen
- Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Shanna H Swan
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kelly K Ferguson
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
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Immune activity at birth and later psychopathology in childhood. Brain Behav Immun Health 2020; 8:100141. [PMID: 34589885 PMCID: PMC8474670 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2020.100141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Disruption of neurodevelopmental trajectories can alter brain circuitry and increase the risk of psychopathology later in life. While preclinical studies have demonstrated that the immune system and cytokines influence neurodevelopment, whether immune activity and in particular which cytokines at birth are associated with psychopathology remains poorly explored in children. We used data and biological samples from 869 mother-child pairs participating in the French mother-child cohort EDEN. As proxies for immune activity at birth, we measured the levels of 27 cytokines in umbilical cord blood sera (CBS). We then explored the association between CBS cytokine levels and five psychopathological dimensions assessed in 5-year-old children using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Five cytokines were positively associated with psychopathology: C-X-C motif chemokine Ligand (CXCL)10, interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-12p40 with emotional symptoms, C–C motif chemokine Ligand (CCL)11 with conduct problems, and CCL11, and IL-17A with peer relationships problems. In contrast, seven cytokines were negatively associated with psychopathology: IL-7, IL-15 and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-β with emotional symptoms, CCL4 and IL-6 with conduct problems, CCL26 and IL-15 with peer relationships problems, and CCL26, IL-7, IL-15, and TNF-α with abnormal prosocial behavior. Without implying causation, these associations support the notion that cytokines influence neurodevelopment in humans and the risk of psychopathology later in life. Twelve cytokines at birth are associated with psychopathology in 5-year-old children. IL-7, IL-10, IL-12p40, IL-15, TNF-β and CXCL10 are associated with emotional symptoms. IL-6, CCL4 and CCL11 are associated with conduct problems. IL-15, IL-17A, CCL11 and CCL26 are associated with peer relationship problems. IL-7, IL-15, TNF-α and CCL26 are associated with prosocial behavior.
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Krug A, Wöhr M, Seffer D, Rippberger H, Sungur AÖ, Dietsche B, Stein F, Sivalingam S, Forstner AJ, Witt SH, Dukal H, Streit F, Maaser A, Heilmann-Heimbach S, Andlauer TFM, Herms S, Hoffmann P, Rietschel M, Nöthen MM, Lackinger M, Schratt G, Koch M, Schwarting RKW, Kircher T. Advanced paternal age as a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders: a translational study. Mol Autism 2020; 11:54. [PMID: 32576230 PMCID: PMC7310295 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-00345-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Advanced paternal age (APA) is a risk factor for several neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and schizophrenia. The potential mechanisms conferring this risk are poorly understood. Here, we show that the personality traits schizotypy and neuroticism correlated with paternal age in healthy subjects (N = 677). Paternal age was further positively associated with gray matter volume (VBM, N = 342) in the right prefrontal and the right medial temporal cortex. The integrity of fiber tracts (DTI, N = 222) connecting these two areas correlated positively with paternal age. Genome-wide methylation analysis in humans showed differential methylation in APA individuals, linking APA to epigenetic mechanisms. A corresponding phenotype was obtained in our rat model. APA rats displayed social-communication deficits and emitted fewer pro-social ultrasonic vocalizations compared to controls. They further showed repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, together with higher anxiety during early development. At the neurobiological level, microRNAs miR-132 and miR-134 were both differentially regulated in rats and humans depending on APA. This study demonstrates associations between APA and social behaviors across species. They might be driven by changes in the expression of microRNAs and/or epigenetic changes regulating neuronal plasticity, leading to brain morphological changes and fronto-hippocampal connectivity, a network which has been implicated in social interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Krug
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, 35039, Marburg, Germany.
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Marburg, Germany.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Markus Wöhr
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Marburg, Germany
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Dominik Seffer
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Henrike Rippberger
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - A Özge Sungur
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Marburg, Germany
| | - Bruno Dietsche
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, 35039, Marburg, Germany
| | - Frederike Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, 35039, Marburg, Germany
| | - Sugirthan Sivalingam
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Andreas J Forstner
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Centre for Human Genetics, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry (UPK), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stephanie H Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Helene Dukal
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Fabian Streit
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Anna Maaser
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Stefanie Heilmann-Heimbach
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Till F M Andlauer
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Stefan Herms
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Centre for Human Genetics, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Per Hoffmann
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Centre for Human Genetics, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marcella Rietschel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Markus M Nöthen
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Centre for Human Genetics, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Martin Lackinger
- Biochemisch-Pharmakologisches Centrum, Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Philipps-University Marburg, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Gerhard Schratt
- Biochemisch-Pharmakologisches Centrum, Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Philipps-University Marburg, 35043, Marburg, Germany
- Lab of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Health Science and Technology, Institute for Neuroscience, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Koch
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Brain Research Institute, Centre for Cognitive Sciences, University of Bremen, 28334, Bremen, Germany
| | - Rainer K W Schwarting
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Marburg, Germany
| | - Tilo Kircher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, 35039, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Marburg, Germany
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Mazzelli M, Maj C, Mariani N, Mora C, Begni V, Pariante CM, Riva MA, Cattaneo A, Cattane N. The Long-Term Effects of Early Life Stress on the Modulation of miR-19 Levels. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:389. [PMID: 32499725 PMCID: PMC7243913 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs), one of the major small non-coding RNA classes, have been proposed as regulatory molecules in neurodevelopment and stress response. Although alterations in miRNAs profiles have been implicated in several psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, the contribution of individual miRNAs in brain development and function is still unknown. Recent studies have identified miR-19 as a key regulator of brain trajectories, since it drives the differentiation of neural stem cells into mature neurons. However, no findings are available on how vulnerability factors for these disorders, such as early life stress (ELS), can modulate the expression of miR-19 and its target genes. To reach our aim, we investigated miR-19 modulation in human hippocampal progenitor stem cells (HPCs) treated with cortisol during 3 days of proliferation and harvested immediately after the end of the treatment or after 20 days of differentiation into mature neurons. We also analyzed the long-term expression changes of miR-19 and of its validated target genes, involved in neurodevelopment and inflammation, in the hippocampus of adult rats exposed or not to prenatal stress (PNS). Interestingly, we observed a significant downregulation of miR-19 levels both in proliferating (FC = −1.59, p-value = 0.022 for miR-19a; FC = −1.79, p-value = 0.016 for miR-19b) as well as differentiated HPCs (FC = −1.28, p-value = 0.065 for miR-19a; FC = −1.75, p-value = 0.047 for miR-19b) treated with cortisol. Similarly, we found a long-term decrease of miR-19 levels in the hippocampus of adult PNS rats (FC = −1.35, p-value = 0.025 for miR-19a; FC = −1.43, p-value = 0.032 for miR-19b). Among all the validated target genes, we observed a significant increase of NRCAM (FC = 1.20, p-value = 0.027), IL4R (FC = 1.26, p-value = 0.046), and RAPGEF2 (FC = 1.23, p-value = 0.020).We suggest that ELS can cause a long-term downregulation of miR-19 levels, which may be responsible of alterations in neurodevelopmental pathways and in immune/inflammatory processes, leading to an enhanced risk for mental disorders later in life. Intervention strategies targeting miR-19 may prevent alterations in these pathways, reducing the ELS-related effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Mazzelli
- Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Carlo Maj
- Institute for Genomic Statistics and Bioinformatics, University Hospital, Bonn, Germany
| | - Nicole Mariani
- Stress, Psychiatry and Immunology Laboratory, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Cristina Mora
- Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Veronica Begni
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Carmine M Pariante
- Stress, Psychiatry and Immunology Laboratory, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marco A Riva
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Annamaria Cattaneo
- Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Nadia Cattane
- Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
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49
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Blanc J, Rahill G, Spruill T, Jean-Louis G, Mouchenik Y. Association between prenatal exposure to the Haiti 2010 earthquake, consequent maternal PTSD and autistic symptoms in offspring. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF TRAUMA & DISSOCIATION 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejtd.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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50
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Dobrovolsky AP, Gedzun VR, Bogin VI, Ma D, Ichim TE, Sukhanova IA, Malyshev AV, Dubynin VA. Beneficial effects of xenon inhalation on behavioral changes in a valproic acid-induced model of autism in rats. J Transl Med 2019; 17:400. [PMID: 31796043 PMCID: PMC6891980 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-019-02161-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Xenon (Xe) is a noble gas that has been used for the last several decades as an anesthetic during surgery. Its antagonistic effect on glutamate subtype of NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors resulted in evaluation of this gas for treatment of CNS pathologies, including psychoemotional disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the behavioral effects of acute inhalation of subanesthetic concentrations of Xe and to study the outcomes of Xe exposure in valproic acid (VPA)-induced rodent model of autism. METHODS We have conducted two series of experiments with a battery of behavioral tests aimed to evaluate locomotion, anxiety- and depression-like behavior, and social behavior in healthy, VPA-treated and Xe-exposed young rats. RESULTS We have shown that in healthy animals Xe exposure resulted in acute and delayed decrease of exploratory motivation, partial decrease in risk-taking and depressive-like behavior as well as improved sensorimotor integration during the negative geotaxis test. Acute inhalations of Xe in VPA-exposed animals led to improvement in social behavior, decrease in exploratory motivation, and normalization of behavior in forced-swim test. CONCLUSION Behavioral modulatory effects of Xe are probably related to its generalized action on excitatory/inhibitory balance within the CNS. Our data suggest that subanesthetic short-term exposures to Xe have beneficial effect on several behavioral modalities and deserves further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A P Dobrovolsky
- Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Ostrovitianov str. 1, Moscow, 117997, Russia.
| | - V R Gedzun
- Department of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - V I Bogin
- Nobilis Therapeutics Inc, Portland, OR, USA
| | - D Ma
- Anaesthetics, Pain Medicine & Intensive Care, Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - T E Ichim
- Nobilis Therapeutics Inc, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Iu A Sukhanova
- Department of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - A V Malyshev
- Department of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - V A Dubynin
- Department of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
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