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Merced-Nieves FM, Eitenbichler S, Goldson B, Zhang X, Klein DN, Bosquet Enlow M, Curtin P, Wright RO, Wright RJ. Associations between a metal mixture and infant negative affectivity: Effect modification by prenatal cortisol and infant sex. Child Dev 2024; 95:e47-e59. [PMID: 37610319 PMCID: PMC10840921 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
In-utero exposures interact in complex ways that influence neurodevelopment. Animal research demonstrates that fetal sex moderates the impact of joint exposure to metals and prenatal stress measures, including cortisol, on offspring socioemotional outcomes. Further research is needed in humans. We evaluated the joint association of prenatal exposures to a metal mixture and cortisol with infant negative affectivity, considering sex differences. Analyses included 226 (29% White, Non-Hispanic) mother-infant pairs with data on exposures and negative affectivity assessed using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised in 6-month-olds. Results showed that girls whose mothers had higher cortisol had significantly higher scores of Fear and Sadness with greater exposure to the mixture. Examining higher-order interactions may better elucidate the effects of prenatal exposure to metals and cortisol on socioemotional functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francheska M Merced-Nieves
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Brandon Goldson
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Xueying Zhang
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Daniel N Klein
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Michelle Bosquet Enlow
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Paul Curtin
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Institute for Exposomic Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Robert O Wright
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Institute for Exposomic Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Rosalind J Wright
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Institute for Exposomic Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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Lonstein JS, Vitale EM, Olekanma D, McLocklin A, Pence N, Bredewold R, Veenema AH, Johnson AW, Burt SA. Anxiety, aggression, reward sensitivity, and forebrain dopamine receptor expression in a laboratory rat model of early-life disadvantage. Dev Psychobiol 2023; 65:e22421. [PMID: 37860907 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22421] [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: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Despite early-life disadvantage (ELD) in humans being a highly heterogenous construct, it consistently predicts negative neurobehavioral outcomes. The numerous environmental contributors and neural mechanisms underlying ELD remain unclear, though. We used a laboratory rat model to evaluate the effects of limited resources and/or heavy metal exposure on mothers and their adult male and female offspring. Dams and litters were chronically exposed to restricted (1-cm deep) or ample (4-cm deep) home cage bedding postpartum, with or without lead acetate (0.1%) in their drinking water from insemination through 1-week postweaning. Restricted-bedding mothers showed more pup-directed behaviors and behavioral fragmentation, while lead-exposed mothers showed more nestbuilding. Restricted bedding-raised male offspring showed higher anxiety and aggression. Either restricted bedding or lead exposure impaired goal-directed performance in a reinforcer devaluation task in females, whereas restricted bedding alone disrupted it in males. Lead exposure, but not limited bedding, also reduced sucrose reward sensitivity in a progressive ratio task in females. D1 and D2 receptor mRNA in the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens (NAc) were each affected by the early-life treatments and differently between the sexes. Most notably, adult males (but not females) exposed to both early-life treatments had greatly increased D1 receptor mRNA in the NAc core. These results illuminate neural mechanisms through which ELD threatens neurobehavioral development and highlight forebrain dopamine as a factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph S Lonstein
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Erika M Vitale
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Doris Olekanma
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Andrew McLocklin
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Nathan Pence
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Remco Bredewold
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Alexa H Veenema
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Alexander W Johnson
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - S Alexandra Burt
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
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3
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Zhang J, Yang Y, Liu W, Schlenk D, Liu J. Glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors and corticosteroid homeostasis are potential targets for endocrine-disrupting chemicals. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2019; 133:105133. [PMID: 31520960 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have received significant concern, since they ubiquitously exist in the environment and are able to induce adverse health effects on human and wildlife. Increasing evidence shows that the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), members of the steroid receptor subfamily, are potential targets for EDCs. GR and MR mediate the actions of glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids, respectively, which are two main classes of corticosteroids involved in many physiological processes. The effects of EDCs on the homeostasis of these two classes of corticosteroids have also gained more attention recently. This review summarized the effects of environmental GR/MR ligands on receptor activity, and disruption of corticosteroid homeostasis. More than 130 chemicals classified into 7 main categories were reviewed, including metals, metalloids, pesticides, bisphenol analogues, flame retardants, other industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals. The mechanisms by which EDCs interfere with GR/MR activity are primarily involved in ligand-receptor binding, nuclear translocation of the receptor complex, DNA-receptor binding, and changes in the expression of endogenous GR/MR genes. Besides directly interfering with receptors, enzyme-catalyzed synthesis and prereceptor regulation pathways of corticosteroids are also important targets for EDCs. The collected evidence suggests that corticosteroids and their receptors should be considered as potential targets for safety assessment of EDCs. The recognition of relevant xenobiotics and their underlying mechanisms of action is still a challenge in this emerging field of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianyun Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China
| | - Ye Yang
- Institute of Hygiene, Zhejiang Academy of Medical Sciences, Hangzhou 310013, China
| | - Weiping Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Daniel Schlenk
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, United States
| | - Jing Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
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Akinyemi AJ, Miah MR, Ijomone OM, Tsatsakis A, Soares FAA, Tinkov AA, Skalny AV, Venkataramani V, Aschner M. Lead (Pb) exposure induces dopaminergic neurotoxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans: Involvement of the dopamine transporter. Toxicol Rep 2019; 6:833-840. [PMID: 31463204 PMCID: PMC6709386 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2019.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Lead (Pb) is an environmental neurotoxicant, and has been implicated in several neurological disorders of dopaminergic dysfunction; however, the molecular mechanism of its toxicity has yet to be fully understood. This study investigated the effect of Pb exposure on dopaminergic neurodegeneration and function, as well as expression level of several dopaminergic signaling genes in wild type (N2) and protein kinase C (pkc) mutant Caenorhabditis elegans. Both N2 and pkc mutant worms were exposed to Pb2+ for 1 h. Thereafter, dopaminergic (DAergic) neurodegeneration, behavior and gene expression levels were assessed. The results revealed that Pb2+ treatment affects dopaminergic cell morphology and structure in worms expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) under a DAergic cell specific promoter. Also, there was a significant impairment in dopaminergic neuronal function as tested by basal slowing response (BSR) in wild-type, N2 worms, but no effect was observed in pkc mutant worms. Furthermore, Pb2+ exposure increased dat-1 gene expression level when compared with N2 worms, but no alteration was observed in the pkc mutant strains. LC–MS analysis revealed a significant decrease in dopamine content in worms treated with Pb2+ when compared with controls. In summary, our results revealed that Pb2+ exposure induced dopaminergic dysfunction in C. elegans by altering dat-1 gene levels, but pkc mutants showed significant resistance to Pb2+ toxicity. We conclude that PKC activation is directly involved in the neurotoxicity of Pb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayodele Jacob Akinyemi
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States
| | - Mahfuzur R Miah
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States
| | - Omamuyovwi M Ijomone
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States.,Department of Anatomy, School of Health and Health Technology, Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Nigeria
| | - Aristidis Tsatsakis
- Laboratory of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences, Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Félix Alexandre Antunes Soares
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States.,Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Anatoly V Skalny
- Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Moscow, Russian Federation.,I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Vivek Venkataramani
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), Göttingen, Germany.,Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), Göttingen, Germany
| | - Michael Aschner
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States
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Methods for Evaluating the Combined Effects of Chemical and Nonchemical Exposures for Cumulative Environmental Health Risk Assessment. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 15:ijerph15122797. [PMID: 30544651 PMCID: PMC6313653 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15122797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Revised: 12/01/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Cumulative risk assessment (CRA) has been proposed as a means of evaluating possible additive and synergistic effects of multiple chemical, physical and social stressors on human health, with the goal of informing policy and decision-making, and protecting public health. Routine application of CRA to environmental regulatory and policy decision making, however, has been limited due to a perceived lack of appropriate quantitative approaches for assessing combined effects of chemical and nonchemical exposures. Seven research projects, which represented a variety of disciplines, including population health science, laboratory science, social sciences, geography, statistics and mathematics, were funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help address this knowledge gap. We synthesize key insights from these unique studies to determine the implications for CRA practice and priorities for further research. Our analyses of these seven projects demonstrate that the necessary analytical methods to support CRA are available but are ultimately context-dependent. These projects collectively provided advancements for CRA in the areas of community engagement, characterization of exposures to nonchemical stressors, and assessment of health effects associated with joint exposures to chemical and psychosocial stressors.
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Cory-Slechta DA, Allen JL, Conrad K, Marvin E, Sobolewski M. Developmental exposure to low level ambient ultrafine particle air pollution and cognitive dysfunction. Neurotoxicology 2018; 69:217-231. [PMID: 29247674 PMCID: PMC5999548 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2017.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Revised: 12/08/2017] [Accepted: 12/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Developmental exposures to ambient ultrafine particles (UFPs) can produce multiple neuropathological and neurochemical changes that might contribute to persistent alterations in cognitive-type functions. The objective of the current study was to test the hypothesis that developmental UFP exposure produced impairments in learning, memory and impulsive-like behaviors and to determine whether these were selective and thus independent of deficits in other behavioral domains such as motor activity or motivation. Performance on measures of learning (repeated learning), memory (novel object recognition, NOR), impulsive-like behavior (differential reinforcement of low rate (DRL), schedule of reward and delay of reward (DOR)), motor activity (locomotor behavior) and motivation (progressive ratio schedule) were examined in adult mice that had been exposed to concentrated (10-20x) ambient ultrafine particles (CAPS) averaging approximately 45 ug/m3 particle mass concentrations from postnatal day (PND) 4-7 and 10-13 for 4 h/day. Given the number of behavioral tests, animals were tested in different groups. Results showed male-specific alterations in learning and memory functions (repeated learning, NOR and DRL) specifically during transitions in reinforcement contingencies (changes in rules governing behavior) that did not appear to be related to alterations in locomotor function or motivation. Females did not exhibit cognitive-like deficits at these exposure concentrations, but displayed behaviors consistent with altered motivation, including increases in response rates during repeated learning, significantly increased latencies to respond on the delay of reward paradigm, and reductions in the progressive ratio break point. Consistent with our prior findings, male-specific learning and memory-related deficits were seen and occurred even at relatively low level developmental UFP exposures, while females show alterations in motivational behaviors but not final performance. These findings add to the evidence suggesting the need to regulate UFP levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- D A Cory-Slechta
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, United States.
| | - J L Allen
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, United States
| | - K Conrad
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, United States
| | - E Marvin
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, United States
| | - M Sobolewski
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, United States
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Prenatal lead exposure modifies the association of maternal self-esteem with child adaptive ability. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2018; 222:68-75. [PMID: 30146178 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2018.08.005] [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: 12/11/2017] [Revised: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A child's adaptive ability is important for personal career and social development. Maternal self-esteem may help shape a child's behavior. This study aims to investigate whether maternal self-esteem measured when their children were toddlers predicts their children's adaptive skills at school age, and whether prenatal lead exposure modifies such a relationship. METHODS We assessed prenatal lead exposure using cord blood lead and maternal bone lead around delivery (tibia and patella lead measured in vivo by K-x-ray-fluorescence) among 192 mother-child pairs investigated in Mexico from 1994 to 2011. Maternal self-esteem was measured using the Coopersmith-Self-esteem-Inventory when children were 2 years old. When children were 7-to-15 years old, we measured children's blood lead levels and administered the 2nd edition of Behavior-Assessment-System-for-Children (BASC-2) parent-rating-scales (PRS) and Self-Reports of Personality (SRP) to evaluate children's adaptive skills. RESULTS Median (P25, P75) values for maternal patella and tibia lead, cord blood lead and children's current blood lead levels were 12.6 (3.2, 21.7) μg/g, 10.2 (4.1, 16.0) μg/g, 5.5 (3.5, 8.1) μg/dL and 2.7 (2.0, 4.0) μg/dL, respectively. In adjusted models, increased maternal self-esteem was associated with increased adaptive T-scores on the BASC-2 PRS and SRP scales. This relationship was weaker in high prenatal lead-exposure groups (high cord blood lead or patella lead groups, P25P100) compared with low prenatal lead-exposure (low cord blood lead or patella lead groups, P1P25) groups (P-interaction values < 0.10). No significant interactions between maternal tibia lead and self-esteem on children's adaptive T-scores were observed (P-interaction values > 0.10). CONCLUSIONS Toddlers of mothers with high (vs. low) self-esteem have better adaptive abilities when they are of school-age. Prenatal lead exposure may attenuate or eliminate this positive association.
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Sprowles JLN, Amos-Kroohs RM, Braun AA, Sugimoto C, Vorhees CV, Williams MT. Developmental manganese, lead, and barren cage exposure have adverse long-term neurocognitive, behavioral and monoamine effects in Sprague-Dawley rats. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2018; 67:50-64. [PMID: 29631003 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2018.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2017] [Revised: 03/30/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Developmental stress, including low socioeconomic status (SES), can induce dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and result in long-term changes in stress reactivity. Children in lower SES households experience more stress and are more likely to be exposed to environmental neurotoxins such as lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn) than children in higher SES households. Co-exposure to stress, Pb, and Mn during early development may increase the risk of central nervous system dysfunction compared with unexposed children. To investigate the potential interaction of these factors, Sprague-Dawley rats were bred, and litters born in-house were culled on postnatal day (P)1 to 6 males and 6 females. One male and female within each litter were assigned to one of the following groups: 0 (vehicle), 10 mg/kg Pb, 100 mg/kg Mn, or 10 mg/kg Pb + 100 mg/kg Mn (PbMn), water gavage, and handled only from P4-28 with half the litters reared in cages with standard bedding (29 litters) and half with no bedding (Barren; 27 litters). Mn and PbMn groups had decreased anxiety, reduced acoustic startle, initial open-field hypoactivity, increased activity following (+)-methamphetamine, deficits in egocentric learning in the Cincinnati water maze (CWM), and deficits in latent inhibition conditioning. Pb increased anxiety and reduced open-field activity. Barren-reared rats had decreased anxiety, CWM deficits, increased startle, and initial open-field hyperactivity. Mn, PbMn, Pb Barren-reared groups had impaired Morris water maze performance. Pb altered neostriatal serotonin and norepinephrine, Mn increased hippocampal serotonin in males, Mn + Barren-rearing increased neostriatal serotonin, and Barren-rearing decreased neostriatal dopamine in males. At the doses used here, most effects were in the Mn and PbMn groups. Few interactions between Mn, Pb, and rearing stress were found, indicating that the interaction of these three variables is not as impactful as hypothesized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna L N Sprowles
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, Cincinnati, OH 45229, United States; Rhodes College, Department of Psychology, 2000 North Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112, United States.
| | - Robyn M Amos-Kroohs
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, Cincinnati, OH 45229, United States; Virginia Department of Forensic Science, 700 North Fifth St, Richmond, VA 23219, United States
| | - Amanda A Braun
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, Cincinnati, OH 45229, United States
| | - Chiho Sugimoto
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, Cincinnati, OH 45229, United States.
| | - Charles V Vorhees
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, Cincinnati, OH 45229, United States.
| | - Michael T Williams
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, Cincinnati, OH 45229, United States.
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Tamayo Y Ortiz M, Téllez-Rojo MM, Trejo-Valdivia B, Schnaas L, Osorio-Valencia E, Coull B, Bellinger D, Wright RJ, Wright RO. Maternal stress modifies the effect of exposure to lead during pregnancy and 24-month old children's neurodevelopment. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2017; 98:191-197. [PMID: 27865525 PMCID: PMC5221478 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2016.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2016] [Revised: 10/12/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lead and psychosocial stress disrupt similar but not completely overlapping mechanisms. Exposure during the prenatal period to each of these insults singularly has been found to alter normal neurodevelopment; however, longitudinal associations with stress modifying the effect of lead have not been sufficiently analyzed in epidemiologic studies. OBJECTIVE To evaluate prenatal stress as an effect modifier of gestational lead neurotoxicity. METHODS We used a structural equations modeling approach with a trivariate response to evaluate cognitive, language and motor scores of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-III in 24month-old children (n=360). Maternal blood lead levels were measured at the 2nd and 3rd trimester and psychosocial stress during pregnancy was assessed using a negative life events (NLE) scale derived from the CRYSIS questionnaire. RESULTS 3rd trimester lead (mean 3.9±3.0 SDμg/dL) and stress (median=3 NLE) were negatively associated with Bayley III scores. Using the model's results we generated profiles for 0, 2, 4 and 6 NLE across lead levels (up to 10μg/dL) and observed a dose-response for the developmental scores when lead levels were below 2μg/dL. Each NLE curve had a different shape across increasing lead levels. Higher stress (NLE=6) resulted in lower cognitive scores for both sexes, in lower language scores in girls but not boys. In the absence of stress we saw a negative association with lead for all scores, however for language and motor scores, higher stress seemed to mask this association. CONCLUSIONS Our work examined and confirmed prenatal stress exposure as a modifier of the well-known neurotoxic effects of prenatal lead. It adds to the existing evidence pointing at the importance of studying the co-exposure of chemical and non-chemical exposures, specifically of considering the emotional environment of children at early developmental stages of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Tamayo Y Ortiz
- National Council of Science and Technology, Avenida Insurgentes Sur 1582, Benito Juárez, Crédito Constructor, 03940 Ciudad de México, D.F., México.
| | - Martha María Téllez-Rojo
- National Institute of Public Health, Universidad No. 655 Colonia Santa María, Ahuacatitlán, Cerrada Los Pinos y Caminera, C.P. 62100, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
| | - Belem Trejo-Valdivia
- National Institute of Public Health, Universidad No. 655 Colonia Santa María, Ahuacatitlán, Cerrada Los Pinos y Caminera, C.P. 62100, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
| | - Lourdes Schnaas
- National Institute of Perinatology, Calle Montes Urales #800, Miguel Hidalgo, Lomas Virreyes, 11000 Ciudad de México, D.F., México.
| | - Erika Osorio-Valencia
- National Institute of Perinatology, Calle Montes Urales #800, Miguel Hidalgo, Lomas Virreyes, 11000 Ciudad de México, D.F., México.
| | - Brent Coull
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, United States.
| | - David Bellinger
- Department Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, United States.
| | - Rosalind J Wright
- Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1428 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10029, United States.
| | - Robert O Wright
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1428 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10029, United States.
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Schneider JS, Anderson DW, Kidd SK, Sobolewski M, Cory-Slechta DA. Sex-dependent effects of lead and prenatal stress on post-translational histone modifications in frontal cortex and hippocampus in the early postnatal brain. Neurotoxicology 2016; 54:65-71. [PMID: 27018513 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2016.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Revised: 02/18/2016] [Accepted: 03/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Environmental lead (Pb) exposure and prenatal stress (PS) are co-occurring risk factors for impaired cognition and other disorders/diseases in adulthood and target common biological substrates in the brain. Sex-dependent differences characterize the neurochemical and behavioral responses of the brain to Pb and PS and sexually dimorphic histone modifications have been reported to occur in at-risk brain regions (cortex and hippocampus) during development. The present study sought to examine levels and developmental timing of sexually dimorphic histone modifications (i.e., H3K9/14Ac and H3K9Me3) and the extent to which they may be altered by Pb±PS. Female C57/Bl6 mice were randomly assigned to receive distilled deionized drinking water containing 0 or 100ppm Pb acetate for 2 months prior to breeding and throughout lactation. Half of the dams in each group were exposed to restraint stress (PS, three restraint sessions in plastic cylindrical devices 3×/day at for 30min/day (1000, 1300, and 1600h)) from gestational day 11-19 or no stress (NS). At delivery (PND0) and postnatal day 6 (PND6), pups were euthanized and frontal cortex and hippocampus were removed, homogenized, and assayed for levels of H3K9/14Ac and H3K9Me3. Sex-dependent differences in both levels of histone modifications as well as the developmental trajectory of changes in these levels were observed in both structures and these parameters were differentially affected by Pb±PS in a sex and brain-region-dependent manner. Disruptions of these epigenetic processes by developmental Pb±PS may underlie some of the sex-dependent neurobehavioral differences previously observed in these animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay S Schneider
- Thomas Jefferson University, Dept. of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - David W Anderson
- Thomas Jefferson University, Dept. of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sarah K Kidd
- Thomas Jefferson University, Dept. of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Marissa Sobolewski
- Dept. of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Deborah A Cory-Slechta
- Dept. of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, NY, USA
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Amos-Kroohs RM, Graham DL, Grace CE, Braun AA, Schaefer TL, Skelton MR, Vorhees CV, Williams MT. Developmental stress and lead (Pb): Effects of maternal separation and/or Pb on corticosterone, monoamines, and blood Pb in rats. Neurotoxicology 2016; 54:22-33. [PMID: 26943976 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2016.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2015] [Revised: 02/17/2016] [Accepted: 02/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The level of lead (Pb) exposure in children has decreased dramatically since restrictions on its use were implemented. However, even with restrictions, children are exposed to Pb and still present with cognitive and behavioral deficits. One prominent aspect of the exposome of these children is that many come from low social economic status (SES) conditions, and low SES is associated with stress. In order to compare the combined effects of early stress and Pb, Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to vehicle or Pb either alone or in combination with maternal separation stress during brain development (i.e., postnatal day (P)4-P11, P19, or P28). Maternally separated/isolated pups had lower body and thymus weights during exposure and had increased levels of blood Pb compared with vehicle controls. Isolation, but not Pb, affected the response to an acute stressor (standing in shallow water) when assessed on P19 and P29, but not earlier on P11. Interactions of Pb and isolation were found on monoamines in the neostriatum, hippocampus, and hypothalamus on turnover but not on levels, and most changes were on dopamine turnover. Isolation had greater short-term effects than Pb. Interactions were dependent on age, sex, and acute stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn M Amos-Kroohs
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Linden Dr., Madison, WI 53706, United States.
| | - Devon L Graham
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, Cincinnati, OH, United States; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, United States.
| | - Curtis E Grace
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, Cincinnati, OH, United States; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, United States.
| | - Amanda A Braun
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, Cincinnati, OH, United States; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, United States.
| | - Tori L Schaefer
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, Cincinnati, OH, United States; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, United States.
| | - Matthew R Skelton
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, Cincinnati, OH, United States; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, United States.
| | - Charles V Vorhees
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, Cincinnati, OH, United States; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, United States.
| | - Michael T Williams
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, Cincinnati, OH, United States; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, United States.
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Clougherty JE, Shmool JLC, Kubzansky LD. The Role of Non-Chemical Stressors in Mediating Socioeconomic Susceptibility to Environmental Chemicals. Curr Environ Health Rep 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s40572-014-0031-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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13
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Sex-dependent impacts of low-level lead exposure and prenatal stress on impulsive choice behavior and associated biochemical and neurochemical manifestations. Neurotoxicology 2014; 44:169-83. [PMID: 25010656 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2014.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2014] [Revised: 06/23/2014] [Accepted: 06/27/2014] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
A prior study demonstrated increased overall response rates on a fixed interval (FI) schedule of reward in female offspring that had been subjected to maternal lead (Pb) exposure, prenatal stress (PS) and offspring stress challenge relative to control, prenatal stress alone, lead alone and lead+prenatal stress alone (Virgolini et al., 2008). Response rates on FI schedules have been shown to directly relate to measures of self-control (impulsivity) in children and in infants (Darcheville et al., 1992, 1993). The current study sought to determine whether enhanced effects of Pb±PS would therefore be seen in a more direct measure of impulsive choice behavior, i.e., a delay discounting paradigm. Offspring of dams exposed to 0 or 50ppm Pb acetate from 2 to 3 months prior to breeding through lactation, with or without immobilization restraint stress (PS) on gestational days 16 and 17, were trained on a delay discounting paradigm that offered a choice between a large reward (three 45mg food pellets) after a long delay or a small reward (one 45mg food pellet) after a short delay, with the long delay value increased from 0s to 30s across sessions. Alterations in extinction of this performance, and its subsequent re-acquisition after reinforcement delivery was reinstated were also examined. Brains of littermates of behaviorally-trained offspring were utilized to examine corresponding changes in monoamines and in levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), the serotonin transporter (SERT) and the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) 2A in brain regions associated with impulsive choice behavior. Results showed that Pb±PS-induced changes in delay discounting occurred almost exclusively in males. In addition to increasing percent long delay responding at the indifference point (i.e., reduced impulsive choice behavior), Pb±PS slowed acquisition of delayed discounting performance, and increased numbers of both failures to and latencies to initiate trials. Overall, the profile of these alterations were more consistent with impaired learning/behavioral flexibility and/or with enhanced sensitivity to the downshift in reward opportunities imposed by the transition from delay discounting training conditions to delay discounting choice response contingencies. Consistent with these behavioral changes, Pb±PS treated males also showed reductions in brain serotonin function in all mesocorticolimbic regions, broad monoamine changes in nucleus accumbens, and reductions in both BDNF and NMDAR 2A levels and increases in SERT in frontal cortex, i.e., in regions and neurotransmitter systems known to mediate learning/behavioral flexibility, and which were of greater impact in males. The current findings do not fully support a generality of the enhancement of Pb effects by PS, as previously seen with FI performance in females (Virgolini et al., 2008), and suggest a dissociation of the behaviors controlled by FI and delay discounting paradigms, at least in response to Pb±PS in rats. Collectively, however, the findings remain consistent with sex-dependent differences in the impacts of both Pb and PS and with the need to understand both the role of contingencies of reinforcement and underlying neurobiological effects in these sex differences.
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Cory-Slechta DA, Weston D, Liu S, Allen JL. Brain hemispheric differences in the neurochemical effects of lead, prenatal stress, and the combination and their amelioration by behavioral experience. Toxicol Sci 2013; 132:419-30. [PMID: 23358193 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kft015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain lateralization, critical to mediation of cognitive functions and to "multitasking," is disrupted in conditions such as attention deficit disorder and schizophrenia. Both low-level lead (Pb) exposure and prenatal stress (PS) have been associated with mesocorticolimbic system-mediated executive-function cognitive and attention deficits. Mesocorticolimbic systems demonstrate significant laterality. Thus, altered brain lateralization could play a role in this behavioral toxicity. This study examined laterality of mesocorticolimbic monoamines (frontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, striatum, midbrain) and amino acids (frontal cortex) in male and female rats subjected to lifetime Pb exposure (0 or 50 ppm in drinking water), PS (restraint stress on gestational days 16-17), or the combination with and without repeated learning behavioral experience. Control males exhibited prominent laterality, particularly in midbrain and also in frontal cortex and striatum; females exhibited less laterality, and this was primarily striatal. Lateralized Pb ± PS induced neurotransmitter changes were assessed only in males because of limited sample sizes of Pb + PS females. In males, Pb ± PS changes occurred in left hemisphere of frontal cortex and right hemisphere of midbrain. Behavioral experience modified the laterality of Pb ± PS-induced neurotransmitter changes in a region-dependent manner. Notably, behavioral experience eliminated Pb ± PS neurotransmitter changes in males. These findings underscore the critical need to evaluate both sexes and brain hemispheres for the mechanistic understanding of sex-dependent differences in neuro- and behavioral toxicity. Furthermore, assessment of central nervous system mechanisms in the absence of behavioral experience, shown here for males, may constitute less relevant models of human health effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah A Cory-Slechta
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York 14642, USA.
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Cory-Slechta DA, Merchant-Borna K, Allen JL, Liu S, Weston D, Conrad K. Variations in the nature of behavioral experience can differentially alter the consequences of developmental exposures to lead, prenatal stress, and the combination. Toxicol Sci 2012; 131:194-205. [PMID: 22930682 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfs260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral experience (BE) can critically influence later behavior and brain function, but the central nervous system (CNS) consequences of most developmental neurotoxicants are examined in the absence of any such context. We previously demonstrated marked differences in neurotransmitter changes produced by developmental lead (Pb) exposure ± prenatal stress (PS) depending upon whether or not rats had been given BE (Cory-Slechta, D. A., Virgolini, M. B., Rossi-George, A., Weston, D., and Thiruchelvam, M. (2009). The current study examined the hypothesis that the nature of the BE itself would be a critical determinant of outcome in mice that had been continually exposed to 0 or 100 ppm Pb acetate in drinking water alone or in combination with prenatal restraint stress. Half of the offspring in each of the four resulting groups/gender were exposed to positively reinforced (food-rewarded Fixed Interval schedule-controlled behavior) or negatively reinforced (inescapable forced swim) BE. Brain monoamines and amino acids differed significantly in relation to BE, even in control animals, as did the trajectory of effects of Pb ± PS, particularly in frontal cortex, hippocampus (both genders), and midbrain (males). In males, Pb ± PS-related changes in neurotransmitters correlated with behavioral performance. These findings suggest that CNS consequences of developmental toxicants studied in the absence of a broader spectrum of BEs may not necessarily be predictive of human outcomes. Evaluating the role of specific BEs as a modulator of neurodevelopmental insults offers the opportunity to determine what specific BEs may ameliorate the associated impacts and can assist in establishing underlying neurobiological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah A Cory-Slechta
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York 14642, USA.
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