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Daniels M, Margolis LM, Rood JC, Lieberman HR, Pasiakos SM, Karl JP. Comparative analysis of circulating metabolomic profiles identifies shared metabolic alterations across distinct multistressor military training exercises. Physiol Genomics 2024; 56:457-468. [PMID: 38738316 DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00008.2024] [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: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Military training provides insight into metabolic responses under unique physiological demands that can be comprehensively characterized by global metabolomic profiling to identify potential strategies for improving performance. This study identified shared changes in metabolomic profiles across three distinct military training exercises, varying in magnitude and type of stress. Blood samples collected before and after three real or simulated military training exercises were analyzed using the same untargeted metabolomic profiling platform. Exercises included a 2-wk survival training course (ST, n = 36), a 4-day cross-country ski march arctic training (AT, n = 24), and a 28-day controlled diet- and exercise-induced energy deficit (CED, n = 26). Log2-fold changes of greater than ±1 in 191, 121, and 64 metabolites were identified in the ST, AT, and CED datasets, respectively. Most metabolite changes were within the lipid (57-63%) and amino acid metabolism (18-19%) pathways and changes in 87 were shared across studies. The largest and most consistent increases in shared metabolites were found in the acylcarnitine, fatty acid, ketone, and glutathione metabolism pathways, whereas the largest decreases were in the diacylglycerol and urea cycle metabolism pathways. Multiple shared metabolites were consistently correlated with biomarkers of inflammation, tissue damage, and anabolic hormones across studies. These three studies of real and simulated military training revealed overlapping alterations in metabolomic profiles despite differences in environment and the stressors involved. Consistent changes in metabolites related to lipid metabolism, ketogenesis, and oxidative stress suggest a potential common metabolomic signature associated with inflammation, tissue damage, and suppression of anabolic signaling that may characterize the unique physiological demands of military training.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The extent to which metabolomic responses are shared across diverse military training environments is unknown. Global metabolomic profiling across three distinct military training exercises identified shared metabolic responses with the largest changes observed for metabolites related to fatty acids, acylcarnitines, ketone metabolism, and oxidative stress. These changes also correlated with alterations in markers of tissue damage, inflammation, and anabolic signaling and comprise a potential common metabolomic signature underlying the unique physiological demands of military training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Daniels
- Military Nutrition Division, United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, United States
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States
| | - Lee M Margolis
- Military Nutrition Division, United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Jennifer C Rood
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States
| | - Harris R Lieberman
- Military Nutrition Division, United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Stefan M Pasiakos
- Military Nutrition Division, United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, United States
- Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
| | - J Philip Karl
- Military Nutrition Division, United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, United States
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Lieberman HR, Caldwell JA, Vartanian O, Carmichael OT, Karl JP, Berryman CE, Gadde KM, Niro PJ, Harris MN, Rood JC, Pasiakos SM. Effects of testosterone enanthate on aggression, risk-taking, competition, mood, and other cognitive domains during 28 days of severe energy deprivation. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024; 241:461-478. [PMID: 38038817 PMCID: PMC10884082 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06502-8] [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] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Behavioral effects of testosterone depend on dose, acute versus sustained formulation, duration of administration, personality, genetics, and endogenous levels of testosterone. There are also considerable differences between effects of endogenous and exogenous testosterone. OBJECTIVES This study was the secondary behavioral arm of a registered clinical trial designed to determine if testosterone protects against loss of lean body mass and lower-body muscle function induced by a severe energy deficit typical of sustained military operations. METHODS Behavioral effects of repeated doses of testosterone on healthy young men whose testosterone was reduced by severe energy deficit were examined. This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-group study. Effects of four weekly intramuscular injections of testosterone enanthate (200 mg/week, N = 24) or matching placebo (N = 26) were evaluated. Determination of sample size was based on changes in lean body mass. Tasks assessing aggression, risk-taking, competition, social cognition, vigilance, memory, executive function, and mood were repeatedly administered. RESULTS During a period of artificially induced, low testosterone levels, consistent behavioral effects of administration of exogenous testosterone were not observed. CONCLUSIONS Exogeneous testosterone enanthate (200 mg/week) during severe energy restriction did not reliably alter the measures of cognition. Study limitations include the relatively small sample size compared to many studies of acute testosterone administration. The findings are specific to healthy males experiencing severe energy deficit and should not be generalized to effects of other doses, formulations, or acute administration of endogenous testosterone or studies conducted with larger samples using tests of cognitive function designed to detect specific effects of testosterone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harris R Lieberman
- Military Nutrition Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), Natick, MA, 01760-5007, USA.
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - John A Caldwell
- Military Nutrition Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), Natick, MA, 01760-5007, USA
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Laulima Government Solutions, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Oshin Vartanian
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Owen T Carmichael
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - J Philip Karl
- Military Nutrition Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), Natick, MA, 01760-5007, USA
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Claire E Berryman
- Military Nutrition Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), Natick, MA, 01760-5007, USA
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Kishore M Gadde
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
- Department of Surgery, University of California Irvine, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Philip J Niro
- Military Nutrition Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), Natick, MA, 01760-5007, USA
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Melissa N Harris
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Jennifer C Rood
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Stefan M Pasiakos
- Military Nutrition Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), Natick, MA, 01760-5007, USA
- University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Coolen RL, Cambier JC, van Asselt E, Blok BFM. Androgen receptors in the forebrain: A study in adult male cats. J Morphol 2023; 284:e21553. [PMID: 36601705 PMCID: PMC10107852 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21553] [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: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Androgens and their receptors are present throughout the body. Various structures such as muscles, genitals, and prostate express androgen receptors. The central nervous system also expresses androgen receptors. Androgens cross the blood-brain barrier to reach these central areas. In the central nervous system, androgens are involved in multiple functions. The current study investigated in which forebrain areas androgens are expressed in the male cat. Androgen receptor immunoreactive (AR-IR) nuclei were plotted and the results were quantified with a Heidelberg Topaz II + scanner and Linocolor 5.0 software. The density and intensity of the labeled cells were the main outcomes of interest. The analysis revealed a dense distribution of AR-IR nuclei in the preoptic area, periventricular complex of the hypothalamus, posterior hypothalamic area, ventromedial hypothalamic, parvocellular hypothalamic, infundibular, and supramammillary nucleus. Numerous AR-IR cells were also observed in the dorsal division of the anterior olfactory nucleus, lateral septal nucleus, medial and lateral divisions of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, lateral olfactory tract nucleus, anterior amygdaloid area, and the central and medial amygdaloid nuclei. AR-IR nuclei were predominantly observed in areas involved in autonomic and neuroendocrinergic responses which are important for many physiological processes and behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa L Coolen
- Department of Urology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Els van Asselt
- Department of Urology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Bertil F M Blok
- Department of Urology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Vartanian O, Lam TK, Mandel DR, Ann Saint S, Navarrete G, Carmichael OT, Murray K, Pillai SR, Shankapal P, Caldwell J, Berryman CE, Karl JP, Harris M, Rood JC, Pasiakos SM, Rice E, Duncan M, Lieberman HR. Effect of exogenous testosterone in the context of energy deficit on risky choice: Behavioural and neural evidence from males. Biol Psychol 2023; 176:108468. [PMID: 36481265 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108468] [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: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Previous research has shown greater risk aversion when people make choices about lives than cash. We tested the hypothesis that compared to placebo, exogenous testosterone administration would lead to riskier choices about cash than lives, given testosterone's association with financial risk-taking and reward sensitivity. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial was conducted to test this hypothesis (Clinical Trials Registry: NCT02734238, www.clinicaltrials.gov). We collected functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 50 non-obese males before and shortly after 28 days of severe exercise-and-diet-induced energy deficit, during which testosterone (200 mg testosterone enanthate per week in sesame oil) or placebo (sesame seed oil only) was administered. Because we expected circulating testosterone levels to be reduced due to severe energy deficit, testosterone administration served a restorative function to mitigate the impact of energy deficit on testosterone levels. The fMRI task involved making choices under uncertainty for lives and cash. We also manipulated whether the outcomes were presented as gains or losses. Consistent with prospect theory, we observed the reflection effect such that participants were more risk averse when outcomes were presented as gains than losses. Brain activation in the thalamus covaried with individual differences in exhibiting the reflection effect. Testosterone did not impact choice, but it increased sensitivity to negative feedback following risky choices. These results suggest that exogenous testosterone administration in the context of energy deficit can impact some aspects of risky choice, and that individual differences in the reflection effect engage a brain structure involved in processing emotion, reward and risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oshin Vartanian
- Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada; University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Timothy K Lam
- Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - David R Mandel
- Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sidney Ann Saint
- Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada; University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Gorka Navarrete
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile
| | | | - Kori Murray
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | | | | | - John Caldwell
- Alaka'ina, Frederick, MD, USA; Military Nutrition Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), Natick, MA, USA
| | - Claire E Berryman
- Military Nutrition Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), Natick, MA, USA
| | - J Philip Karl
- Military Nutrition Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), Natick, MA, USA
| | - Melissa Harris
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | | | - Stefan M Pasiakos
- Military Nutrition Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), Natick, MA, USA
| | - Emma Rice
- Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada; University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Matthew Duncan
- Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Harris R Lieberman
- Military Nutrition Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM), Natick, MA, USA
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Tcherni-Buzzeo M. Dietary interventions, the gut microbiome, and aggressive behavior: Review of research evidence and potential next steps. Aggress Behav 2023; 49:15-32. [PMID: 35997420 DOI: 10.1002/ab.22050] [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: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Research in biosocial criminology and other related disciplines has established links between nutrition and aggressive behavior. In addition to observational studies, randomized trials of nutritional supplements like vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and folic acid provide evidence of the dietary impact on aggression. However, the exact mechanism of the diet-aggression link is not well understood. The current article proposes that the gut microbiome plays an important role in the process, with the microbiota-gut-brain axis serving as such a mediating mechanism between diet and behavior. Based on animal and human studies, this review synthesizes a wide array of research across several academic fields: from the effects of dietary interventions on aggression, to the results of microbiota transplantation on socioemotional and behavioral outcomes, to the connections between early adversity, stress, microbiome, and aggression. Possibilities for integrating the microbiotic perspective with the more traditional, sociologically oriented theories in criminology are discussed, using social disorganization and self-control theories as examples. To extend the existing lines of research further, the article considers harnessing the experimental potential of noninvasive and low-cost dietary interventions to help establish the causal impact of the gut microbiome on aggressive behavior, while adhering to the high ethical standards and modern research requirements. Implications of this research for criminal justice policy and practice are essential: not only can it help determine whether the improved gut microbiome functioning moderates aggressive and violent behavior but also provide ways to prevent and reduce such behavior, alone or in combination with other crime prevention programs.
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