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Kosmer K, Kulesza R. Cortical dysmorphology and reduced cortico-collicular projections in an animal model of autism spectrum disorder. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:146-160. [PMID: 38696608 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad501] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disability that includes sensory disturbances. Hearing is frequently affected and ranges from deafness to hypersensitivity. In utero exposure to the antiepileptic valproic acid is associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder in humans and timed valproic acid exposure is a biologically relevant and validated animal model of autism spectrum disorder. Valproic acid-exposed rats have fewer neurons in their auditory brainstem and thalamus, fewer calbindin-positive neurons, reduced ascending projections to the midbrain and thalamus, elevated thresholds, and delayed auditory brainstem responses. Additionally, in the auditory cortex, valproic acid exposure results in abnormal responses, decreased phase-locking, elevated thresholds, and abnormal tonotopic maps. We therefore hypothesized that in utero, valproic acid exposure would result in fewer neurons in auditory cortex, neuronal dysmorphology, fewer calbindin-positive neurons, and reduced connectivity. We approached this hypothesis using morphometric analyses, immunohistochemistry, and retrograde tract tracing. We found thinner cortical layers but no changes in the density of neurons, smaller pyramidal and non-pyramidal neurons in several regions, fewer neurons immunoreactive for calbindin-positive, and fewer cortical neurons projecting to the inferior colliculus. These results support the widespread impact of the auditory system in autism spectrum disorder and valproic acid-exposed animals and emphasize the utility of simple, noninvasive auditory screening for autism spectrum disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara Kosmer
- RWJBH Monmouth Medical CenterLong Branch, NJ 07740, United States
| | - Randy Kulesza
- Department of Anatomy, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA 16509, United States
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Jia G, Sun Y, An P, Wu W, Shen Y, Liu H, Shan Y, Wang J, Lai CSW, Schreiner CE, He H, Zhou X. Auditory training remodels hippocampus-related memory in adult rats. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae045. [PMID: 38367612 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae045] [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: 12/09/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Consequences of perceptual training, such as improvements in discriminative ability, are highly stimulus and task specific. Therefore, most studies on auditory training-induced plasticity in adult brain have focused on the sensory aspects, particularly on functional and structural effects in the auditory cortex. Auditory training often involves, other than auditory demands, significant cognitive components. Yet, how auditory training affects cognition-related brain regions, such as the hippocampus, remains unclear. Here, we found in female rats that auditory cue-based go/no-go training significantly improved the memory-guided behaviors associated with hippocampus. The long-term potentiations of the trained rats recorded in vivo in the hippocampus were also enhanced compared with the naïve rats. In parallel, the phosphorylation level of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and the expression of parvalbumin-positive interneurons in the hippocampus were both upregulated. These findings demonstrate that auditory training substantially remodels the processing and function of brain regions beyond the auditory system, which are associated with task demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoqiang Jia
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
- New York University-East China Normal University (NYU-ECNU) Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, NYU Shanghai, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Yutian Sun
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
- New York University-East China Normal University (NYU-ECNU) Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, NYU Shanghai, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Pengying An
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
- New York University-East China Normal University (NYU-ECNU) Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, NYU Shanghai, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Weiwei Wu
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
- New York University-East China Normal University (NYU-ECNU) Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, NYU Shanghai, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Yang Shen
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
- New York University-East China Normal University (NYU-ECNU) Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, NYU Shanghai, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Hui Liu
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
- New York University-East China Normal University (NYU-ECNU) Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, NYU Shanghai, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Ye Shan
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Jie Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Wuhu Hospital, East China Normal University, 259 Middle Jiuhua Road, Wuhu 241000, China
| | - Cora Sau Wan Lai
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Christoph E Schreiner
- Coleman Memorial Laboratory, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States
| | - Hua He
- Department of Neurosurgery, Third Affiliated Hospital, Naval Medical University, 225 Changhai Road, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Xiaoming Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
- New York University-East China Normal University (NYU-ECNU) Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, NYU Shanghai, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
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Tamaoki Y, Pasapula V, Chandler C, Borland MS, Olajubutu OI, Tharakan LS, Engineer CT. Degraded inferior colliculus responses to complex sounds in prenatally exposed VPA rats. J Neurodev Disord 2024; 16:2. [PMID: 38166599 PMCID: PMC10759431 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-023-09514-9] [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: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often exhibit altered sensory processing and deficits in language development. Prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA) increases the risk for ASD and impairs both receptive and expressive language. Like individuals with ASD, rodents prenatally exposed to VPA exhibit degraded auditory cortical processing and abnormal neural activity to sounds. Disrupted neuronal morphology has been documented in earlier processing areas of the auditory pathway in VPA-exposed rodents, but there are no studies documenting early auditory pathway physiology. Therefore, the objective of this study is to characterize inferior colliculus (IC) responses to different sounds in rats prenatally exposed to VPA compared to saline-exposed rats. METHODS In vivo extracellular multiunit recordings from the inferior colliculus were collected in response to tones, speech sounds, and noise burst trains. RESULTS Our results indicate that the overall response to speech sounds was degraded in VPA-exposed rats compared to saline-exposed controls, but responses to tones and noise burst trains were unaltered. CONCLUSIONS These results are consistent with observations in individuals with autism that neural responses to complex sounds, like speech, are often altered, and lays the foundation for future studies of potential therapeutics to improve auditory processing in the VPA rat model of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuko Tamaoki
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road BSB11, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA.
- The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road BSB11, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA.
| | - Varun Pasapula
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road BSB11, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA
- The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road BSB11, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA
| | - Collin Chandler
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road BSB11, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA
- The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road BSB11, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA
| | - Michael S Borland
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road BSB11, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA
- The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road BSB11, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA
| | - Olayinka I Olajubutu
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road BSB11, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA
- The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road BSB11, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA
| | - Liza S Tharakan
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road BSB11, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA
- The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road BSB11, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA
| | - Crystal T Engineer
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road BSB11, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA
- The University of Texas at Dallas, Texas Biomedical Device Center, 800 West Campbell Road BSB11, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA
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Dean B, Scarr E. Common changes in rat cortical gene expression after valproate or lithium treatment particularly affect pre- and post-synaptic pathways that regulate four neurotransmitters systems. World J Biol Psychiatry 2024; 25:54-64. [PMID: 37722808 DOI: 10.1080/15622975.2023.2258972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We have postulated that common changes in gene expression after treatment with different therapeutic classes of psychotropic drugs contribute to their common therapeutic mechanisms of action. METHODS To test this hypothesis, we measured levels of cortical coding and non-coding RNA using GeneChip® Rat Exon 1.0 ST Array after treatment with vehicle (chow only), chow containing 1.8 g lithium carbonate/kg (n = 10) or chow containing 12 g sodium valproate/kg (n = 10) for 28 days. Differences in levels of RNA were identified using JMP Genomics 13 and the Panther Gene Ontology Classification System was used to identify potential consequences of RNA. RESULTS Compared to vehicle treatment, levels of cortical RNA for 543 and 583 coding and non-coding RNAs were different after treatment with valproate and lithium, respectively. Moreover, levels of 323 coding and non-coding RNAs were altered in a highly correlated way by treatment with valproate and lithium, changes that would impact on cholinergic, glutamatergic, serotonergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission as well as on voltage gated ion channels. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that treating with mood stabilisers cause many common changes in levels of RNA which will impact on CNS function, particularly affecting post-synaptic muscarinic receptor functioning and the release of multiple neurotransmitters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Dean
- The Molecular Psychiatry Laboratory, The Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Australia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Elizabeth Scarr
- The Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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Tamaoki Y, Pasapula V, Chandler C, Borland MS, Olajubutu OI, Tharakan LS, Engineer CT. Degraded inferior colliculus responses to complex sounds in prenatally exposed VPA rats. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3168097. [PMID: 37577524 PMCID: PMC10418539 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3168097/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Background Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often exhibit altered sensory processing and deficits in language development. Prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA) increases the risk for ASD and impairs both receptive and expressive language. Like individuals with ASD, rodents prenatally exposed to VPA exhibit degraded auditory cortical processing and abnormal neural activity to sounds. Disrupted neuronal morphology has been documented in earlier processing areas of the auditory pathway in VPA-exposed rodents, but there are no studies documenting early auditory pathway physiology. Therefore, the objective of this study is to characterize inferior colliculus (IC) responses to different sounds in rats prenatally exposed to VPA compared to saline-exposed rats. Methods Neural recordings from the inferior colliculus were collected in response to tones, speech sounds, and noise burst trains. Results Our results indicate that the overall response to speech sounds was degraded in VPA-exposed rats compared saline-exposed controls, but responses to tones and noise burst trains were unaltered. Conclusions These results are consistent with observations in individuals with autism that neural responses to complex sounds, like speech, are often altered, and lays the foundation for future studies of potential therapeutics to improve auditory processing in the VPA rat model of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuko Tamaoki
- The University of Texas at Dallas School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
| | - Varun Pasapula
- The University of Texas at Dallas School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
| | - Collin Chandler
- The University of Texas at Dallas School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
| | - Michael S Borland
- The University of Texas at Dallas School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
| | | | - Liza S Tharakan
- The University of Texas at Dallas School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
| | - Crystal T Engineer
- The University of Texas at Dallas School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
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Cheng Y, Chen R, Su B, Zhang G, Sun Y, An P, Fang Y, Zhang Y, Shan Y, de Villers-Sidani É, Wang Y, Zhou X. Pairing with Enriched Sound Exposure Restores Auditory Processing Degraded by an Antidepressant. J Neurosci 2023; 43:2850-2859. [PMID: 36948582 PMCID: PMC10124948 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2027-22.2023] [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: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Antidepressants, while effective in treating depression and anxiety disorders, also induce deficits in sensory (particularly auditory) processing, which in turn may exacerbate psychiatric symptoms. How antidepressants cause auditory signature deficits remains largely unknown. Here, we found that fluoxetine-treated adult female rats were significantly less accurate when performing a tone-frequency discrimination task compared with age-matched control rats. Their cortical neurons also responded less selectively to sound frequencies. The degraded behavioral and cortical processing was accompanied by decreased cortical perineuronal nets, particularly those wrapped around parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory interneurons. Furthermore, fluoxetine induced critical period-like plasticity in their already mature auditory cortices; therefore, a brief rearing of these drug-treated rats under an enriched acoustic environment renormalized auditory processing degraded by fluoxetine. The altered cortical expression of perineuronal nets was also reversed as a result of enriched sound exposure. These findings suggest that the adverse effects of antidepressants on auditory processing, possibly because of a reduction in intracortical inhibition, can be substantially alleviated by simply pairing drug treatment with passive, enriched sound exposure. They have important implications for understanding the neurobiological basis of antidepressant effects on hearing and for designing novel pharmacological treatment strategies for psychiatric disorders.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Clinical experience suggests that antidepressants adversely affect sensory (particularly auditory) processing, which can exacerbate patients' psychiatric symptoms. Here, we show that the antidepressant fluoxetine reduces cortical inhibition in adult rats, leading to degraded behavioral and cortical spectral processing of sound. Importantly, fluoxetine induces a critical period-like state of plasticity in the mature cortex; therefore, a brief rearing under an enriched acoustic environment is sufficient to reverse the changes in auditory processing caused by the administration of fluoxetine. These results provide a putative neurobiological basis for the effects of antidepressants on hearing and indicate that antidepressant treatment combined with enriched sensory experiences could optimize clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China
- New York University-East China Normal University Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Ruru Chen
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China
- New York University-East China Normal University Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Bowen Su
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China
- New York University-East China Normal University Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Guimin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China
- New York University-East China Normal University Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Yutian Sun
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China
- New York University-East China Normal University Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Pengying An
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China
- New York University-East China Normal University Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Yue Fang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China
- New York University-East China Normal University Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Yifan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China
- New York University-East China Normal University Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Ye Shan
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Étienne de Villers-Sidani
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec Canada
| | - Yunfeng Wang
- ENT institute and Department of Otorhinolaryngology of Eye & ENT Hospital, NHC Key Laboratory of Hearing Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Xiaoming Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China
- New York University-East China Normal University Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, 200062, China
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Wilde M, Constantin L, Thorne PR, Montgomery JM, Scott EK, Cheyne JE. Auditory processing in rodent models of autism: a systematic review. J Neurodev Disord 2022; 14:48. [PMID: 36042393 PMCID: PMC9429780 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-022-09458-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism is a complex condition with many traits, including differences in auditory sensitivity. Studies in human autism are plagued by the difficulty of controlling for aetiology, whereas studies in individual rodent models cannot represent the full spectrum of human autism. This systematic review compares results in auditory studies across a wide range of established rodent models of autism to mimic the wide range of aetiologies in the human population. A search was conducted in the PubMed and Web of Science databases to find primary research articles in mouse or rat models of autism which investigate central auditory processing. A total of 88 studies were included. These used non-invasive measures of auditory function, such as auditory brainstem response recordings, cortical event-related potentials, electroencephalography, and behavioural tests, which are translatable to human studies. They also included invasive measures, such as electrophysiology and histology, which shed insight on the origins of the phenotypes found in the non-invasive studies. The most consistent results across these studies were increased latency of the N1 peak of event-related potentials, decreased power and coherence of gamma activity in the auditory cortex, and increased auditory startle responses to high sound levels. Invasive studies indicated loss of subcortical inhibitory neurons, hyperactivity in the lateral superior olive and auditory thalamus, and reduced specificity of responses in the auditory cortex. This review compares the auditory phenotypes across rodent models and highlights those that mimic findings in human studies, providing a framework and avenues for future studies to inform understanding of the auditory system in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Wilde
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Lena Constantin
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Peter R Thorne
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Section of Audiology, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Johanna M Montgomery
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Ethan K Scott
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Department of Anatomy and Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Juliette E Cheyne
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
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A CCR5 antagonist, maraviroc, alleviates neural circuit dysfunction and behavioral disorders induced by prenatal valproate exposure. J Neuroinflammation 2022; 19:195. [PMID: 35906621 PMCID: PMC9335995 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-022-02559-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Valproic acid (VPA) is a clinically used antiepileptic drug, but it is associated with a significant risk of a low verbal intelligence quotient (IQ) score, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder in children when it is administered during pregnancy. Prenatal VPA exposure has been reported to affect neurogenesis and neuronal migration and differentiation. In addition, growing evidence has shown that microglia and brain immune cells are activated by VPA treatment. However, the role of VPA-activated microglia remains unclear. METHODS Pregnant female mice received sodium valproate on E11.5. A microglial activation inhibitor, minocycline or a CCR5 antagonist, maraviroc was dissolved in drinking water and administered to dams from P1 to P21. Measurement of microglial activity, evaluation of neural circuit function and expression analysis were performed on P10. Behavioral tests were performed in the order of open field test, Y-maze test, social affiliation test and marble burying test from the age of 6 weeks. RESULTS Prenatal exposure of mice to VPA induced microglial activation and neural circuit dysfunction in the CA1 region of the hippocampus during the early postnatal periods and post-developmental defects in working memory and social interaction and repetitive behaviors. Minocycline, a microglial activation inhibitor, clearly suppressed the above effects, suggesting that microglia elicit neural dysfunction and behavioral disorders. Next-generation sequencing analysis revealed that the expression of a chemokine, C-C motif chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3), was upregulated in the hippocampi of VPA-treated mice. CCL3 expression increased in microglia during the early postnatal periods via an epigenetic mechanism. The CCR5 antagonist maraviroc significantly suppressed neural circuit dysfunction and post-developmental behavioral disorders induced by prenatal VPA exposure. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that microglial CCL3 might act during development to contribute to VPA-induced post-developmental behavioral abnormalities. CCR5-targeting compounds such as maraviroc might alleviate behavioral disorders when administered early.
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