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Ju LS, Zhu J, Morey TE, Gravenstein N, Seubert CN, Setlow B, Martynyuk AE. Neurobehavioral Abnormalities in Offspring of Young Adult Male Rats With a History of Traumatic Brain Injury. J Neurotrauma 2024; 41:969-984. [PMID: 38279844 PMCID: PMC11005382 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2023.0364] [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] [Indexed: 01/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Children of parents with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are more likely to develop psychiatric disorders. This association is usually attributed to TBI-induced changes in parents' personality and families' social environment. We tested the hypothesis that offspring of young adult male rats with TBI develop neurodevelopmental abnormalities in the absence of direct social contact with sires. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (F0 generation) in the TBI group underwent moderate TBI via a midline fluid percussion injury that involved craniectomy under sevoflurane (SEVO) anesthesia for 40 min on post-natal Day 60 (P60), while F0 rats in the control group were placed in a new cage, one per cage, for the equivalent time duration. A subset of F0 rats was sacrificed on P66 to assess acute changes in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and inflammation markers. The remaining F0 males were mated with naive females on P90 to generate offspring (F1 generation). The F0 males and F1 males and females were sequentially evaluated in the elevated plus maze, for pre-pulse inhibition of acoustic startle, in the Morris water maze, and for resting and stress levels of serum corticosterone starting on ∼P105 (F0) and ∼P60 (F1), followed by tissue collection for further analyses. Acutely, the F0 TBI males had messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts altered to support an increased hypothalamic and hippocampal Na+-K+-Cl- (Slc12a2) Cl- importer / K+-2Cl- (Slc12a5) Cl- exporter ratio and decreased hippocampal glucocorticoid receptors (Nr3c1), as well as increased serum levels of corticosterone, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and biomarkers of activated hippocampal microglia and astrocytes. Long-term, F0 TBI rats exhibited increased corticosterone concentrations at rest and under stress, anxiety-like behavior, impaired sensory-motor gating, and impaired spatial memory. These abnormalities were underpinned by reduced mRNA levels of hypothalamic and hippocampal mineralocorticoid receptors (Nr3c2), hippocampal Nr3c1, and hypothalamic brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf), as well as elevated serum levels of IL-1β, and biomarkers of activated hippocampal microglia and astrocytes. F1 male offspring of TBI sires exhibited abnormalities in all behavioral tests, while their F1 female counterparts had abnormal pre-pulse inhibition responses only. F1 male offspring of TBI sires also had reduced mRNA levels of hippocampal Nr3c1 and Nr3c2, as well as hypothalamic and hippocampal Bdnf, whereas increases in inflammatory markers were more profound in F1 females. These findings suggest that offspring of sires with a history of a moderate TBI that involved craniectomy under SEVO anesthesia for 40 min, develop sex-dependent neurobehavioral abnormalities in the absence of direct social interaction between the sire and the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Sha Ju
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Jiepei Zhu
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Timothy E. Morey
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Nikolaus Gravenstein
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Christoph N. Seubert
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Barry Setlow
- McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Anatoly E. Martynyuk
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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Taylor MA, Kokiko-Cochran ON. Context is key: glucocorticoid receptor and corticosteroid therapeutics in outcomes after traumatic brain injury. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1351685. [PMID: 38529007 PMCID: PMC10961349 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1351685] [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: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a global health burden, and survivors suffer functional and psychiatric consequences that can persist long after injury. TBI induces a physiological stress response by activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, but the effects of injury on the stress response become more complex in the long term. Clinical and experimental evidence suggests long lasting dysfunction of the stress response after TBI. Additionally, pre- and post-injury stress both have negative impacts on outcome following TBI. This bidirectional relationship between stress and injury impedes recovery and exacerbates TBI-induced psychiatric and cognitive dysfunction. Previous clinical and experimental studies have explored the use of synthetic glucocorticoids as a therapeutic for stress-related TBI outcomes, but these have yielded mixed results. Furthermore, long-term steroid treatment is associated with multiple negative side effects. There is a pressing need for alternative approaches that improve stress functionality after TBI. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) has been identified as a fundamental link between stress and immune responses, and preclinical evidence suggests GR plays an important role in microglia-mediated outcomes after TBI and other neuroinflammatory conditions. In this review, we will summarize GR-mediated stress dysfunction after TBI, highlighting the role of microglia. We will discuss recent studies which target microglial GR in the context of stress and injury, and we suggest that cell-specific GR interventions may be a promising strategy for long-term TBI pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Olga N. Kokiko-Cochran
- Department of Neuroscience, Chronic Brain Injury Program, Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
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Thorne J, Hellewell SC, Cowen G, Ring A, Jefferson A, Chih H, Gozt AK, Buhagiar F, Thomas E, Papini M, Bynevelt M, Celenza A, Xu D, Honeybul S, Pestell CF, Fatovich D, Fitzgerald M. Symptoms Associated With Exercise Intolerance and Resting Heart Rate Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. J Head Trauma Rehabil 2024:00001199-990000000-00129. [PMID: 38453632 DOI: 10.1097/htr.0000000000000928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES People may experience a myriad of symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), but the relationship between symptoms and objective assessments is poorly characterized. This study sought to investigate the association between symptoms, resting heart rate (HR), and exercise tolerance in individuals following mTBI, with a secondary aim to examine the relationship between symptom-based clinical profiles and recovery. METHODS Prospective observational study of adults aged 18 to 65 years who had sustained mTBI within the previous 7 days. Symptoms were assessed using the Post-Concussion Symptom Scale, HR was measured at rest, and exercise tolerance was assessed using the Buffalo Concussion Bike Test. Symptom burden and symptom-based clinical profiles were examined with respect to exercise tolerance and resting HR. RESULTS Data from 32 participants were assessed (mean age 36.5 ± 12.6 years, 41% female, 5.7 ± 1.1 days since injury). Symptom burden (number of symptoms and symptom severity) was significantly associated with exercise intolerance (P = .002 and P = .025, respectively). Physiological and vestibular-ocular clinical profile composite groups were associated with exercise tolerance (P = .001 and P = .014, respectively), with individuals who were exercise intolerant having a higher mean number of symptoms in each profile than those who were exercise tolerant. Mood-related and autonomic clinical profiles were associated with a higher resting HR (>80 bpm) (P = .048 and P = .028, respectively), suggesting altered autonomic response for participants with symptoms relating to this profile. After adjusting for age and mechanism of injury (sports- or non-sports-related), having a higher mood-related clinical profile was associated with persisting symptoms at 3 months postinjury (adjusted odds ratio = 2.08; 95% CI, 1.11-3.90; P = .013). CONCLUSION Symptom-based clinical profiles, in conjunction with objective measures such as resting HR and exercise tolerance, are important components of clinical care for those having sustained mTBI. These results provide preliminary support for the concept that specific symptoms are indicative of autonomic dysfunction following mTBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacinta Thorne
- Author Affiliations: School of Allied Health (Ms Thorne and Mr Ring) and Curtin Medical School (Drs Cowen, Jefferson, and Xu), Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (Mss Thorne and Papini and Drs Hellewell, Cowen, Gozt, Pestell, and Fitzgerald), and School of Population Health (Drs Chih, Thomas, and Xu), Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia; Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, Western Australia (Mss Thorne and Papini and Drs Hellewell, Gozt, and Fitzgerald); Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia (Mr Ring); School of Psychological Science (Drs Buhagiar and Pestell) and Divisions of Surgery (Dr Thomas) and Emergency Medicine (Dr Celenza), School of Medicine, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia; Neurological Intervention & Imaging Service of Western Australia (Dr Bynevelt) and Emergency Department (Dr Celenza), Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia; The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China (Dr Xu); Sir Charles Gairdner, Royal Perth and Fiona Stanley Hospitals, Perth, Western Australia (Dr Honeybul); Emergency Medicine, Royal Perth Hospital, University of Western Australia (Dr Fatovich); and Centre for Clinical Research in Emergency Medicine, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Nedlands, Western Australia (Dr Fatovich)
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