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Becegato M, Silva RH. Female rodents in behavioral neuroscience: Narrative review on the methodological pitfalls. Physiol Behav 2024; 284:114645. [PMID: 39047942 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114645] [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: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Since the NIH 'Sex as biological variable' policy, the percentage of studies including female subjects have increased largely. Nonetheless, many researchers fail to adequate their protocols to include females. In this narrative review, we aim to discuss the methodological pitfalls of the inclusion of female rodents in behavioral neuroscience. We address three points to consider in studies: the manipulations conducted only in female animals (such as estrous cycle monitoring, ovariectomy, and hormone replacement), the consideration of males as the standard, and biases related to interpretation and publication of the results. In addition, we suggest guidelines and perspectives for the inclusion of females in preclinical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Becegato
- Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Regina H Silva
- Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; MaternaCiência, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Campbell HM, Guo JD, Kuhn CM. Applying the Research Domain Criteria to Rodent Studies of Sex Differences in Chronic Stress Susceptibility. Biol Psychiatry 2024:S0006-3223(24)01351-9. [PMID: 38821193 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
Women have a 2-fold increased rate of stress-associated psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety, but the mechanisms that underlie this increased susceptibility remain incompletely understood. Historically, female subjects were excluded from preclinical studies and clinical trials. Additionally, chronic stress paradigms used to study psychiatric pathology in animal models were developed for use in males. However, recent changes in National Institutes of Health policy encourage inclusion of female subjects, and considerable work has been performed in recent years to understand biological sex differences that may underlie differences in susceptibility to chronic stress-associated psychiatric conditions. Here, we review the utility as well as current challenges of using the framework of the National Institute of Mental Health's Research Domain Criteria as a transdiagnostic approach to study sex differences in rodent models of chronic stress including recent progress in the study of sex differences in the neurobehavioral domains of negative valence, positive valence, cognition, social processes, and arousal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah M Campbell
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Jessica D Guo
- Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Cynthia M Kuhn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina; Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
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Costa A, Ducourneau E, Curti L, Masi A, Mannaioni G, Hardt L, Biyong EF, Potier M, Blandina P, Trifilieff P, Provensi G, Ferreira G, Passani MB. Chemogenetic activation or inhibition of histaminergic neurons bidirectionally modulates recognition memory formation and retrieval in male and female mice. Sci Rep 2024; 14:11283. [PMID: 38760416 PMCID: PMC11101472 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61998-0] [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: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Several lines of evidence demonstrate that the brain histaminergic system is fundamental for cognitive processes and the expression of memories. Here, we investigated the effect of acute silencing or activation of histaminergic neurons in the hypothalamic tuberomamillary nucleus (TMNHA neurons) in vivo in both sexes in an attempt to provide direct and causal evidence of the necessary role of these neurons in recognition memory formation and retrieval. To this end, we compared the performance of mice in two non-aversive and non-rewarded memory tests, the social and object recognition memory tasks, which are known to recruit different brain circuitries. To directly establish the impact of inactivation or activation of TMNHA neurons, we examined the effect of specific chemogenetic manipulations during the formation (acquisition/consolidation) or retrieval of recognition memories. We consistently found that acute chemogenetic silencing of TMNHA neurons disrupts the formation or retrieval of both social and object recognition memory in males and females. Conversely, acute chemogenetic activation of TMNHA neurons during training or retrieval extended social memory in both sexes and object memory in a sex-specific fashion. These results suggest that the formation or retrieval of recognition memory requires the tonic activity of histaminergic neurons and strengthen the concept that boosting the brain histaminergic system can promote the retrieval of apparently lost memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Costa
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Eva Ducourneau
- INRAE, Bordeaux INP, Nutrition and Integrative Neurobiology, UMR 1286, University of Bordeaux, 33077, Bordeaux, France
| | - Lorenzo Curti
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Alessio Masi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Guido Mannaioni
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Lola Hardt
- INRAE, Bordeaux INP, Nutrition and Integrative Neurobiology, UMR 1286, University of Bordeaux, 33077, Bordeaux, France
| | - Essi F Biyong
- INRAE, Bordeaux INP, Nutrition and Integrative Neurobiology, UMR 1286, University of Bordeaux, 33077, Bordeaux, France
| | - Mylène Potier
- INRAE, Bordeaux INP, Nutrition and Integrative Neurobiology, UMR 1286, University of Bordeaux, 33077, Bordeaux, France
| | - Patrizio Blandina
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Pierre Trifilieff
- INRAE, Bordeaux INP, Nutrition and Integrative Neurobiology, UMR 1286, University of Bordeaux, 33077, Bordeaux, France
| | - Gustavo Provensi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
| | - Guillaume Ferreira
- INRAE, Bordeaux INP, Nutrition and Integrative Neurobiology, UMR 1286, University of Bordeaux, 33077, Bordeaux, France.
| | - M Beatrice Passani
- Department of Health Sciences, Clinical Pharmacology and Oncology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
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Mair A, Bisazza A, Dadda M, Santacà M. Shortest path choice in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Behav Processes 2024; 214:104983. [PMID: 38081441 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104983] [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: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Many animals regularly move between different locations within their home range. During these journeys, individuals are expected to use the shortest path, because this strategy minimizes energy expenditure and reduces exposure to adverse conditions, such as predation. The ability to find the shortest distance route has been demonstrated in ants, migrating birds and a few mammals. We investigated whether a freshwater fish, Danio rerio, exhibits this ability. Small groups of zebrafish were allowed to move between the two compartments of their tank using two paths differing in length. They developed a preference for the shorter path gradually over the six days of the experiment. Subjects' accuracy in choosing the shorter path varied from below 60%, with a 20% length disparity, to 80% when one path was twice as long as the other. In a second experiment, zebrafish were initially allowed to practice in groups and then tested individually. We found evidence of individual and sex differences in performance, with males performing more accurately than females. However, due to our experimental design, we cannot conclusively determine whether these differences are indeed cognitive or influenced by confounding factors during the group phase of the experiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Mair
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Angelo Bisazza
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Marco Dadda
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Maria Santacà
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
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Labusek N, Ghari P, Mouloud Y, Köster C, Diesterbeck E, Hadamitzky M, Felderhoff-Müser U, Bendix I, Giebel B, Herz J. Hypothermia combined with extracellular vesicles from clonally expanded immortalized mesenchymal stromal cells improves neurodevelopmental impairment in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. J Neuroinflammation 2023; 20:280. [PMID: 38012640 PMCID: PMC10680187 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-023-02961-0] [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: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neonatal encephalopathy following hypoxia-ischemia (HI) is a leading cause of childhood death and morbidity. Hypothermia (HT), the only available but obligatory therapy is limited due to a short therapeutic window and limited efficacy. An adjuvant therapy overcoming limitations of HT is still missing. Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have shown promising therapeutic effects in various brain injury models. Challenges associated with MSCs' heterogeneity and senescence can be mitigated by the use of EVs from clonally expanded immortalized MSCs (ciMSCs). In the present study, we hypothesized that intranasal ciMSC-EV delivery overcomes limitations of HT. METHODS Nine-day-old C57BL/6 mice were exposed to HI by occlusion of the right common carotid artery followed by 1 h hypoxia (10% oxygen). HT was initiated immediately after insult for 4 h. Control animals were kept at physiological body core temperatures. ciMSC-EVs or vehicle were administered intranasally 1, 3 and 5 days post HI/HT. Neuronal cell loss, inflammatory and regenerative responses were assessed via immunohistochemistry, western blot and real-time PCR 7 days after insult. Long-term neurodevelopmental outcome was evaluated by analyses of cognitive function, activity and anxiety-related behavior 5 weeks after HI/HT. RESULTS In contrast to HT monotherapy, the additional intranasal therapy with ciMSC-EVs prevented HI-induced cognitive deficits, hyperactivity and alterations of anxiety-related behavior at adolescence. This was preceded by reduction of striatal neuronal loss, decreased endothelial, microglia and astrocyte activation; reduced expression of pro-inflammatory and increased expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, the combination of HT with intranasal ciMSC-EV delivery promoted regenerative and neurodevelopmental processes, including endothelial proliferation, neurotrophic growth factor expression and oligodendrocyte maturation, which were not altered by HT monotherapy. CONCLUSION Intranasal delivery of ciMSC-EVs represents a novel adjunct therapy, overcoming limitations of acute HT thereby offering new possibilities for improving long-term outcomes in neonates with HI-induced brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Labusek
- Department of Pediatrics I, Neonatology and Experimental Perinatal Neurosciences, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Parnian Ghari
- Department of Pediatrics I, Neonatology and Experimental Perinatal Neurosciences, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Yanis Mouloud
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Christian Köster
- Department of Pediatrics I, Neonatology and Experimental Perinatal Neurosciences, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Eva Diesterbeck
- Department of Pediatrics I, Neonatology and Experimental Perinatal Neurosciences, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Martin Hadamitzky
- Institute for Medical Psychology and Behavioral Immunobiology, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Ursula Felderhoff-Müser
- Department of Pediatrics I, Neonatology and Experimental Perinatal Neurosciences, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Ivo Bendix
- Department of Pediatrics I, Neonatology and Experimental Perinatal Neurosciences, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Bernd Giebel
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Josephine Herz
- Department of Pediatrics I, Neonatology and Experimental Perinatal Neurosciences, Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
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Qin Y, Chen J, Li J, Wu N. Relationship between hippocampal gene expression and cognitive performance differences in visual discrimination learning task of male rats. Behav Brain Res 2023; 454:114659. [PMID: 37690703 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114659] [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: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Learning to discriminate between environmental visual stimuli is essential to make right decisions and guide appropriate behaviors. Moreover, impairments in visual discrimination learning are observed in several neuropsychiatric disorders. Visual discrimination learning requires perception and memory processing, in which the hippocampus critically involved. To understand the molecular mechanisms underpinning hippocampus function in visual discrimination learning, we examined the hippocampal gene expression profiles of Sprague-Dawley rats with different cognitive performance (high cognition group vs. low cognition group) in the modified visual discrimination learning task, using high-throughput RNA sequencing technology. Compared with the low cognition group, bioinformatics analysis indicated that 319 genes were differentially expressed in the high cognition group with statistical significance, of which 253 genes were down-regulated and 66 genes were up-regulated. The functional enrichment analysis showed that protein translation and energy metabolism were up-regulated pathways, while transforming growth factor beta receptor signaling pathway, bone morphogenetic protein signaling pathway, apoptosis, inflammation response, transport, and glycosaminoglycan metabolism were down-regulated pathways, which were related to good cognitive performance in the visual discrimination learning task. Taken together, our finding reveals the differential gene expression and enrichment biological pathways related to cognitive performance differences in visual discrimination learning of rats, which provides us direct insight into the molecular mechanisms of hippocampus function in visual discrimination learning and may contribute to developing potential treatment strategies for neuropsychiatric disorders accompanied with cognitive impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihan Qin
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27th Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Jianmin Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27th Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Jin Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27th Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, China.
| | - Ning Wu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27th Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, China.
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