1
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Joëls M, Karst H, Tasker JG. The emerging role of rapid corticosteroid actions on excitatory and inhibitory synaptic signaling in the brain. Front Neuroendocrinol 2024; 74:101146. [PMID: 39004314 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2024.101146] [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: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Over the past two decades, there has been increasing evidence for the importance of rapid-onset actions of corticosteroid hormones in the brain. Here, we highlight the distinct rapid corticosteroid actions that regulate excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission in the hypothalamus, the hippocampus, basolateral amygdala, and prefrontal cortex. The receptors that mediate rapid corticosteroid actions are located at or close to the plasma membrane, though many of the receptor characteristics remain unresolved. Rapid-onset corticosteroid effects play a role in fast neuroendocrine feedback as well as in higher brain functions, including increased aggression and anxiety, and impaired memory retrieval. The rapid non-genomic corticosteroid actions precede and complement slow-onset, long-lasting transcriptional actions of the steroids. Both rapid and slow corticosteroid actions appear to be indispensable to adapt to a continuously changing environment, and their imbalance can increase an individual's susceptibility to psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marian Joëls
- University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, the Netherlands; University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
| | - Henk Karst
- University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, the Netherlands; SILS-CNS. University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Jeffrey G Tasker
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, and Southeast Louisiana Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, New Orleans, USA.
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2
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Granja-Galeano G, Dominguez-Rubio AP, Zappia CD, Wolfson M, Sanz-Blasco S, Aisemberg J, Zorrilla-Zubilete M, Fernandez N, Franchi A, Fitzsimons CP, Monczor F. CB1 receptor expression and signaling are required for dexamethasone-induced aversive memory consolidation. Neuropharmacology 2023; 239:109674. [PMID: 37541383 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109674] [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: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
The molecular processes that underlie long-term memory formation involve signaling pathway activation by neurotransmitter release, which induces the expression of immediate early genes, such as Zif268, having a key role in memory formation. In this work, we show that the cannabinoid CB1 receptor signaling is necessary for the effects of dexamethasone on the behavioral response in an inhibitory avoidance task, on dexamethasone-induced ERK phosphorylation, and on dexamethasone-dependent Zif268 expression. Furthermore, we provide primary evidence for the mechanism responsible for this crosstalk between cannabinoid and glucocorticoid-mediated signaling pathways, showing that dexamethasone regulates endocannabinoid metabolism by inhibiting the activity of the Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), an integral membrane enzyme that hydrolyzes endocannabinoids and related amidated signaling lipids. Our results provide novel evidence regarding the role of the endocannabinoid system, and in particular of the CB1 receptor, as a mediator of the effects of glucocorticoids on the consolidation of aversive memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Granja-Galeano
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (ININFA), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina
| | - Ana Paula Dominguez-Rubio
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de la Preñez y el Parto, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFyBO-UBA/CONICET). Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - C Daniel Zappia
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (ININFA), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina
| | - Manuel Wolfson
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de la Preñez y el Parto, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFyBO-UBA/CONICET). Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sara Sanz-Blasco
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (ININFA), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina
| | - Julieta Aisemberg
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de la Preñez y el Parto, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFyBO-UBA/CONICET). Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maria Zorrilla-Zubilete
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de la Preñez y el Parto, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFyBO-UBA/CONICET). Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Natalia Fernandez
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (ININFA), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina
| | - Ana Franchi
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de la Preñez y el Parto, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFyBO-UBA/CONICET). Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Carlos P Fitzsimons
- Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Science, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Federico Monczor
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (ININFA), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina.
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3
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Nazari M, Rashidy-Pour A, Ali Vafaei A, Raise-Abdullahi P. Systemic corticosterone administration impairs the late fear memory reconsolidation via basolateral amygdala glucocorticoid receptors: dependence on the time window and memory age. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023:107797. [PMID: 37385522 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107797] [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: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
Glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) play an important role in memory reconsolidation. The present study investigated the role of the BLA GRs in the late reconsolidation of fear memory using an inhibitory avoidance (IA) task in male Wistar rats. Stainless steel cannulae were implanted bilaterally into the BLA of the rats. After 7 days of recovery, the animals were trained in a one-trial IA task (1mA, 3s). In Experiment one, 48h after the training session, the animals received 3 systemic doses of corticosterone (CORT; 1, 3, or 10 mg/kg, i.p.) followed by an intra-BLA microinjection of the vehicle (0.3µl/side) at different time points (immediately, 12, or 24h) after memory reactivation. Memory reactivation was performed by returning the animals to the light compartment while the sliding door was open. No shock was delivered during memory reactivation. CORT (10 mg/kg) injection 12h after memory reactivation most effectively impaired the late memory reconsolidation (LMR). In the second part of Experiment one, immediately, 12, or 24h after memory reactivation, GR antagonist RU38486 (RU; 1ng/0.3µl/side) was injected into BLA following a systemic injection of CORT (10 mg/kg) to examine whether it would block the CORT effect. RU inhibited the impairing effects of CORT on LMR. In Experiment two, the animals received CORT (10 mg/kg) with time windows immediately, 3, 6, 12, and 24h after memory reactivation. Again, CORT (10 mg/kg) injection 12h after MR impaired LMR. Memory reactivation was performed in the third Experiment, 7, 14, 28, or 56 days after the training session. Injection of CORT (10 mg/kg) 12h later had no significant effect on the LMR. The impairing effect of CORT was seen only in 2-day-old but not 7, 14, 28, and 56-day-old memories. GRs located in BLA seem to play an important role in the LMR of young memory, as with increasing the age of memories, they become less sensitive to manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Nazari
- Research Center of Physiology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Ali Rashidy-Pour
- Research Center of Physiology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran; Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Abbas Ali Vafaei
- Research Center of Physiology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran; Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
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4
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Skupio U, Welte J, Serrat R, Eraso-Pichot A, Julio-Kalajzić F, Gisquet D, Cannich A, Delcasso S, Matias I, Fundazuri UB, Pouvreau S, Pagano Zottola AC, Lavanco G, Drago F, Ruiz de Azua I, Lutz B, Bellocchio L, Busquets-Garcia A, Chaouloff F, Marsicano G. Mitochondrial cannabinoid receptors gate corticosterone impact on novel object recognition. Neuron 2023; 111:1887-1897.e6. [PMID: 37098353 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.04.001] [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: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/27/2023]
Abstract
Corticosteroid-mediated stress responses require the activation of complex brain circuits involving mitochondrial activity, but the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms are scantly known. The endocannabinoid system is implicated in stress coping, and it can directly regulate brain mitochondrial functions via type 1 cannabinoid (CB1) receptors associated with mitochondrial membranes (mtCB1). In this study, we show that the impairing effect of corticosterone in the novel object recognition (NOR) task in mice requires mtCB1 receptors and the regulation of mitochondrial calcium levels in neurons. Different brain circuits are modulated by this mechanism to mediate the impact of corticosterone during specific phases of the task. Thus, whereas corticosterone recruits mtCB1 receptors in noradrenergic neurons to impair NOR consolidation, mtCB1 receptors in local hippocampal GABAergic interneurons are required to inhibit NOR retrieval. These data reveal unforeseen mechanisms mediating the effects of corticosteroids during different phases of NOR, involving mitochondrial calcium alterations in different brain circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urszula Skupio
- INSERM, U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux 33077, France; University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux 33077, France
| | - Julia Welte
- INSERM, U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux 33077, France; University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux 33077, France
| | - Roman Serrat
- INSERM, U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux 33077, France; University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux 33077, France
| | - Abel Eraso-Pichot
- INSERM, U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux 33077, France; University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux 33077, France
| | - Francisca Julio-Kalajzić
- INSERM, U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux 33077, France; University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux 33077, France
| | - Doriane Gisquet
- INSERM, U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux 33077, France; University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux 33077, France
| | - Astrid Cannich
- INSERM, U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux 33077, France; University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux 33077, France
| | | | - Isabelle Matias
- INSERM, U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux 33077, France; University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux 33077, France
| | - Unai B Fundazuri
- INSERM, U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux 33077, France; University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux 33077, France
| | - Sandrine Pouvreau
- INSERM, U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux 33077, France; University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux 33077, France
| | - Antonio C Pagano Zottola
- INSERM, U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux 33077, France; University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux 33077, France; Institute for Cellular Biochemistry and Genetics, UMR 5095, Bordeaux 33077, France
| | - Gianluca Lavanco
- INSERM, U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux 33077, France; University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux 33077, France
| | - Filippo Drago
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Biomedicine, Section of Pharmacology and Biochemistry, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Inigo Ruiz de Azua
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center, Mainz 55131 Germany; Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Mainz 55122, Germany
| | - Beat Lutz
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center, Mainz 55131 Germany; Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), Mainz 55122, Germany
| | - Luigi Bellocchio
- INSERM, U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux 33077, France; University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux 33077, France
| | - Arnau Busquets-Garcia
- Cell-Type Mechanisms in Normal and Pathological Behavior Research Group, Neuroscience Program, IMIM Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Francis Chaouloff
- INSERM, U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux 33077, France; University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux 33077, France
| | - Giovanni Marsicano
- INSERM, U1215 NeuroCentre Magendie, Bordeaux 33077, France; University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux 33077, France.
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5
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On making (and turning adaptive to) maladaptive aversive memories in laboratory rodents. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 147:105101. [PMID: 36804263 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
Fear conditioning and avoidance tasks usually elicit adaptive aversive memories. Traumatic memories are more intense, generalized, inflexible, and resistant to attenuation via extinction- and reconsolidation-based strategies. Inducing and assessing these dysfunctional, maladaptive features in the laboratory are crucial to interrogating posttraumatic stress disorder's neurobiology and exploring innovative treatments. Here we analyze over 350 studies addressing this question in adult rats and mice. There is a growing interest in modeling several qualitative and quantitative memory changes by exposing already stressed animals to freezing- and avoidance-related tests or using a relatively high aversive training magnitude. Other options combine aversive/fearful tasks with post-acquisition or post-retrieval administration of one or more drugs provoking neurochemical or epigenetic alterations reported in the trauma aftermath. It is potentially instructive to integrate these procedures and incorporate the measurement of autonomic and endocrine parameters. Factors to consider when defining the organismic and procedural variables, partially neglected aspects (sex-dependent differences and recent vs. remote data comparison) and suggestions for future research (identifying reliable individual risk and treatment-response predictors) are discussed.
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6
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Habets PC, Kalafatakis K, Dzyubachyk O, van der Werff SJ, Keo A, Thakrar J, Mahfouz A, Pereira AM, Russell GM, Lightman SL, Meijer OC. Transcriptional and cell type profiles of cortical brain regions showing ultradian cortisol rhythm dependent responses to emotional face stimulation. Neurobiol Stress 2023; 22:100514. [PMID: 36660181 PMCID: PMC9842700 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The characteristic endogenous circadian rhythm of plasma glucocorticoid concentrations is made up from an underlying ultradian pulsatile secretory pattern. Recent evidence has indicated that this ultradian cortisol pulsatility is crucial for normal emotional response in man. In this study, we investigate the anatomical transcriptional and cell type signature of brain regions sensitive to a loss of ultradian rhythmicity in the context of emotional processing. We combine human cell type and transcriptomic atlas data of high spatial resolution with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. We show that the loss of cortisol ultradian rhythm alters emotional processing response in cortical brain areas that are characterized by transcriptional and cellular profiles of GABAergic function. We find that two previously identified key components of rapid non-genomic GC signaling - the ANXA1 gene and retrograde endocannabinoid signaling - show most significant differential expression (q = 3.99e-10) and enrichment (fold enrichment = 5.56, q = 9.09e-4). Our results further indicate that specific cell types, including a specific NPY-expressing GABAergic neuronal cell type, and specific G protein signaling cascades underly the cerebral effects of a loss of ultradian cortisol rhythm. Our results provide a biological mechanistic underpinning of our fMRI findings, indicating specific cell types and cascades as a target for manipulation in future experimental studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe C. Habets
- Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, 2300 RC Leiden, the Netherlands,Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Department of Psychiatry, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, 1081 HZ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands,Corresponding author. Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, 2300 RC Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Konstantinos Kalafatakis
- Henry Wellcome Laboratories of Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, BS1 3NY, Bristol, United Kingdom,Institute of Health Science Education, Barts and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London Malta Campus, VCT 2520, Victoria Gozo, Malta
| | - Oleh Dzyubachyk
- Department of Radiology, Division of Medical Image Processing, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA, Leiden, the Netherlands,Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Section Electron Microscopy, 2300 RC, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Steven J.A. van der Werff
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center LUMC, Leiden, the Netherlands,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Arlin Keo
- Leiden Computational Biology Center, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands,Delft Bioinformatics Lab, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Jamini Thakrar
- Henry Wellcome Laboratories of Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, BS1 3NY, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Ahmed Mahfouz
- Leiden Computational Biology Center, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands,Delft Bioinformatics Lab, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands,Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Alberto M. Pereira
- Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, 2300 RC Leiden, the Netherlands,Department of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Georgina M. Russell
- Henry Wellcome Laboratories of Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, BS1 3NY, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Stafford L. Lightman
- Henry Wellcome Laboratories of Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, BS1 3NY, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Onno C. Meijer
- Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, 2300 RC Leiden, the Netherlands,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
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7
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Harrison LM, Tasker JG. Multiplexed Membrane Signaling by Glucocorticoids. CURRENT OPINION IN ENDOCRINE AND METABOLIC RESEARCH 2022; 26:100390. [PMID: 38075196 PMCID: PMC10703063 DOI: 10.1016/j.coemr.2022.100390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids exert pleiotropic effects either by a relatively slow mechanism involving binding to cytosolic/nuclear receptors and regulation of gene expression or by rapid activation of a putative membrane receptor and membrane signal transduction. Rapid glucocorticoid actions are initiated at the membrane and recruit intracellular signaling pathways that engage multiple downstream cellular targets, including lipid and gas intercellular messengers, membrane neurotransmitter receptor trafficking, nuclear glucocorticoid receptor activation and trafficking, and more. Thus, membrane glucocorticoid signaling diverges into a multiplexed array of signaling pathways to simultaneously regulate highly diverse cellular functions, giving these steroid hormones a broad range of rapid regulatory capabilities. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the growing body of knowledge of the cell signaling mechanisms of rapid glucocorticoid actions in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Harrison
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118
| | - Jeffrey G Tasker
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118
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8
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Circadian regulation of memory under stress: Endocannabinoids matter. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 138:104712. [PMID: 35643119 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104712] [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: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Organisms ranging from plants to higher mammals have developed 24-hour oscillation rhythms to optimize physiology to environmental changes and regulate a plethora of neuroendocrine and behavioral processes, including neurotransmitter and hormone regulation, stress response and learning and memory function. Compelling evidence indicates that a wide array of memory processes is strongly influenced by stress- and emotional arousal-activated neurobiological systems, including the endocannabinoid system which has been extensively shown to play an integral role in mediating stress effects on memory. Here, we review findings showing how circadian rhythms and time-of-day influence stress systems and memory performance. We report evidence of circadian regulation of memory under stress, focusing on the role of the endocannabinoid system and highlighting its circadian rhythmicity. Our discussion illustrates how the endocannabinoid system mediates stress effects on memory in a circadian-dependent fashion. We suggest that endocannabinoids might regulate molecular mechanisms that control memory function under circadian and stress influence, with potential important clinical implications for both neurodevelopmental disorders and psychiatric conditions involving memory impairments.
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9
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Scienza-Martin K, Lotz FN, Zanona QK, Santana-Kragelund F, Crestani AP, Boos FZ, Calcagnotto ME, Quillfeldt JA. Memory consolidation depends on endogenous hippocampal levels of anandamide: CB1 and M4, but possibly not TRPV1 receptors mediate AM404 effects. Neuroscience 2022; 497:53-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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10
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Ney LJ, Crombie KM, Mayo LM, Felmingham KL, Bowser T, Matthews A. Translation of animal endocannabinoid models of PTSD mechanisms to humans: Where to next? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 132:76-91. [PMID: 34838529 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.11.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2021] [Revised: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The endocannabinoid system is known to be involved in mechanisms relevant to PTSD aetiology and maintenance, though this understanding is mostly based on animal models of the disorder. Here we review how human paradigms can successfully translate animal findings to human subjects, with the view that substantially increased insight into the effect of endocannabinoid signalling on stress responding, emotional and intrusive memories, and fear extinction can be gained using modern paradigms and methods for assessing the state of the endocannabinoid system in PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke J Ney
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Australia; School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
| | - Kevin M Crombie
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, United States
| | - Leah M Mayo
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science, Linköping University, Sweden
| | - Kim L Felmingham
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Allison Matthews
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Australia
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11
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Gazarini L, Stern CA, Takahashi RN, Bertoglio LJ. Interactions of Noradrenergic, Glucocorticoid and Endocannabinoid Systems Intensify and Generalize Fear Memory Traces. Neuroscience 2021; 497:118-133. [PMID: 34560200 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Systemic administration of drugs that activate the noradrenergic or glucocorticoid system potentiates aversive memory consolidation and reconsolidation. The opposite happens with the stimulation of endocannabinoid signaling under certain conditions. An unbalance of these interacting neurotransmitters can lead to the formation and maintenance of traumatic memories, whose strength and specificity attributes are often maladaptive. Here we aimed to investigate whether originally low-intensity and precise contextual fear memories would turn similar to traumatic ones in rats systemically administered with adrenaline, corticosterone, and/or the cannabinoid type-1 receptor antagonist/inverse agonist AM251 during consolidation or reconsolidation. The high dose of each pharmacological agent evaluated significantly increased freezing times at test in the conditioning context one and nine days later when given alone post-acquisition or post-retrieval. Their respective low dose produced no relative changes when given separately, but co-treatment of adrenaline with corticosterone or AM251 and the three drugs combined, but not corticosterone with AM251, produced results equivalent to those mentioned initially. Neither the high nor the low dose of adrenaline, corticosterone, or AM251 altered freezing times at test in a novel, neutral context two and ten days later. In contrast, animals receiving the association of their low dose exhibited significantly higher freezing times than controls. Together, the results indicate that newly acquired and destabilized threat memory traces become more intense and generalized after a combined interference acting synergistically and mimicking that reported in patients presenting stress-related psychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Gazarini
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Três Lagoas, MS, Brazil.
| | - Cristina A Stern
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Reinaldo N Takahashi
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Leandro J Bertoglio
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
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12
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Higginbotham JA, Jones NM, Wang R, Christian RJ, Ritchie JL, McLaughlin RJ, Fuchs RA. Basolateral amygdala CB1 receptors gate HPA axis activation and context-cocaine memory strength during reconsolidation. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1554-1564. [PMID: 33452429 PMCID: PMC8280224 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00919-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 10/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Re-exposure to a cocaine-associated context triggers craving and relapse through the retrieval of salient context-drug memories. Upon retrieval, context-drug memories become labile and temporarily sensitive to modification before they are reconsolidated into long-term memory stores. The effects of systemic cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1R) antagonism indicate that CB1R signaling is necessary for cocaine-memory reconsolidation and associated glutamatergic plasticity in the basolateral amygdala (BLA); however, the contribution of BLA CB1R signaling to cocaine-memory reconsolidation is unknown. Here, we assessed whether intra-BLA CB1R manipulations immediately after cocaine-memory retrieval alter cocaine-memory strength indexed by subsequent drug context-induced cocaine-seeking behavior in an instrumental rodent model of drug relapse. Administration of the CB1R antagonist, AM251 (0.3 µg/hemisphere) into the BLA increased subsequent drug context-induced cocaine-seeking behavior in a memory retrieval-dependent and anatomically selective manner. Conversely, the CB1R agonist, WIN55,212-2 (0.5 or 5 µg/hemisphere) failed to alter this behavior. In follow-up experiments, cocaine-memory retrieval elicited robust hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation, as indicated by a rise in serum corticosterone concentrations. Intra-BLA AM251 administration during memory reconsolidation selectively increased this cocaine-memory retrieval-induced corticosterone response. Intra-BLA corticosterone administration (3 or 10 ng/hemisphere) during memory reconsolidation did not augment subsequent cocaine-seeking behavior, suggesting that CB1R-dependent effects of corticosterone on memory strength, if any, are mediated outside of the BLA. Together, these findings suggest that CB1R signaling in the BLA gates cocaine-memory strength, possibly by diminishing the impact of cue-induced arousal on the integrity of the reconsolidating memory trace or on the efficacy of the memory reconsolidation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A. Higginbotham
- grid.30064.310000 0001 2157 6568Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA USA
| | - Nicole M. Jones
- grid.30064.310000 0001 2157 6568Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA USA
| | - Rong Wang
- grid.30064.310000 0001 2157 6568Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA USA
| | - Robert J. Christian
- grid.30064.310000 0001 2157 6568Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA USA
| | - Jobe L. Ritchie
- grid.30064.310000 0001 2157 6568Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA USA
| | - Ryan J. McLaughlin
- grid.30064.310000 0001 2157 6568Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA USA ,grid.30064.310000 0001 2157 6568Washington State University Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Program, Pullman, WA USA ,grid.30064.310000 0001 2157 6568Translational Addiction Research Collaborative, Washington State University, Pullman, WA USA
| | - Rita A. Fuchs
- grid.30064.310000 0001 2157 6568Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA USA ,grid.30064.310000 0001 2157 6568Washington State University Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Program, Pullman, WA USA ,grid.30064.310000 0001 2157 6568Translational Addiction Research Collaborative, Washington State University, Pullman, WA USA
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13
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Allostatic load and the cannabinoid system: implications for the treatment of physiological abnormalities in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). CNS Spectr 2020; 25:743-749. [PMID: 31303187 PMCID: PMC6960358 DOI: 10.1017/s1092852919001093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
It is becoming clear that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not simply a psychiatric disorder, but one that involves pervasive physiological impairments as well. These physiological disturbances deserve attention in any attempt at integrative treatment of PTSD that requires a focus beyond the PTSD symptoms themselves. The physiological disturbances in PTSD range over many systems, but a common thread thought to underlie them is that the chronic effects of PTSD involve problems with allostatic control mechanisms that result in an excess in what has been termed "allostatic load" (AL). A pharmacological approach to reducing AL would be valuable, but, because of the large range of physiological issues involved - including metabolic, inflammatory, and cardiovascular systems - it is unclear whether there exists a simple comprehensive way to address the AL landscape. In this paper, we propose that the cannabinoid system may offer just such an approach, and we outline evidence for the potential utility of cannabinoids in reducing many of the chronic physiological abnormalities seen in PTSD which are thought to be related to excess AL.
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Vaseghi S, Nasehi M, Zarrindast MR. How do stupendous cannabinoids modulate memory processing via affecting neurotransmitter systems? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 120:173-221. [PMID: 33171142 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, we wanted to review the role of cannabinoids in learning and memory in animal models, with respect to their interaction effects with six principal neurotransmitters involved in learning and memory including dopamine, glutamate, GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid), serotonin, acetylcholine, and noradrenaline. Cannabinoids induce a wide-range of unpredictable effects on cognitive functions, while their mechanisms are not fully understood. Cannabinoids in different brain regions and in interaction with different neurotransmitters, show diverse responses. Previous findings have shown that cannabinoids agonists and antagonists induce various unpredictable effects such as similar effect, paradoxical effect, or dualistic effect. It should not be forgotten that brain neurotransmitter systems can also play unpredictable roles in mediating cognitive functions. Thus, we aimed to review and discuss the effect of cannabinoids in interaction with neurotransmitters on learning and memory. In addition, we mentioned to the type of interactions between cannabinoids and neurotransmitter systems. We suggested that investigating the type of interactions is a critical neuropharmacological issue that should be considered in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salar Vaseghi
- Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Center (CNRC), Amir-Almomenin Hospital, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute for Cognitive Science Studies (ICSS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Nasehi
- Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Center (CNRC), Amir-Almomenin Hospital, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mohammad-Reza Zarrindast
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute for Cognitive Science Studies (ICSS), Tehran, Iran; Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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15
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Castro-Vale I, Carvalho D. The Pathways between Cortisol-Related Regulation Genes and PTSD Psychotherapy. Healthcare (Basel) 2020; 8:healthcare8040376. [PMID: 33019527 PMCID: PMC7712185 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare8040376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) only develops after exposure to a traumatic event in some individuals. PTSD can be chronic and debilitating, and is associated with co-morbidities such as depression, substance use, and cardiometabolic disorders. One of the most important pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the development of PTSD and its subsequent maintenance is a dysfunctional hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The corticotrophin-releasing hormone, cortisol, glucocorticoid receptor (GR), and their respective genes are some of the mediators of PTSD's pathophysiology. Several treatments are available, including medication and psychotherapies, although their success rate is limited. Some pharmacological therapies based on the HPA axis are currently being tested in clinical trials and changes in HPA axis biomarkers have been found to occur in response not only to pharmacological treatments, but also to psychotherapy-including the epigenetic modification of the GR gene. Psychotherapies are considered to be the first line treatments for PTSD in some guidelines, even though they are effective for some, but not for all patients with PTSD. This review aims to address how knowledge of the HPA axis-related genetic makeup can inform and predict the outcomes of psychotherapeutic treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivone Castro-Vale
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Al. Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- i3S-Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence:
| | - Davide Carvalho
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, São João Hospital University Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Al. Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal;
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16
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Rezaie M, Nasehi M, Vaseghi S, Alimohammadzadeh K, Islami Vaghar M, Mohammadi-Mahdiabadi-Hasani MH, Zarrindast MR. The interaction effect of sleep deprivation and cannabinoid type 1 receptor in the CA1 hippocampal region on passive avoidance memory, depressive-like behavior and locomotor activity in rats. Behav Brain Res 2020; 396:112901. [PMID: 32920013 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Increasing evidence shows the interaction effect of cannabinoids and sleep on cognitive functions. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the interaction effect of cannabinoids type 1 receptor (CB1r) in the CA1 hippocampal region and sleep deprivation (SD) on passive avoidance memory and depressive-like behavior in male Wistar rats. We used water box apparatus to induce total SD (TSD) for 24 h. The shuttle-box was applied to assess passive avoidance memory and locomotion apparatus was applied to assess locomotor activity. Forced swim test (FST) was used to evaluate rat's behavior. ACPA (CB1r agonist) at the doses of 0.01, 0.001 and 0.0001 μg/rat, and AM251 (CB1r antagonist) at the doses of 100, 10 and 1 ng/rat were injected intra-CA1, five minutes after training via stereotaxic surgery. Results showed SD impaired memory. ACPA at the doses of 0.01 and 0.001 μg/rat impaired memory and at all doses did not alter the effect of SD on memory. AM251 by itself did not alter memory, while at lowest dose (1 ng/rat) restored SD-induced memory deficit. Both drugs induced depressive-like behavior in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, both drugs decreased swimming at some doses (ACPA at 0.0001 μg/rat, AM251 at 0.001 and 0.01 ng/rat). Also, ACPA at the highest dose increased climbing of SD rats. In conclusion, we suggest CB1r may interact with the effect of SD on memory. Additionally, cannabinoids may show a dose-dependent manner in modulating mood and behavior. Interestingly, CB1r agonists and antagonists may exhibit a similar effect in some behavioral assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maede Rezaie
- Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Center (CNRC), Amir-Almomenin Hospital, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Nasehi
- Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Center (CNRC), Amir-Almomenin Hospital, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Salar Vaseghi
- Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Center (CNRC), Amir-Almomenin Hospital, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute for Cognitive Science Studies (ICSS), Tehran, Iran.
| | - Khalil Alimohammadzadeh
- Department of Health Services Management, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Health Economics Policy Research Center, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Islami Vaghar
- Department of Nursing, Faculity of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Mohammad-Reza Zarrindast
- Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Center (CNRC), Amir-Almomenin Hospital, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute for Cognitive Science Studies (ICSS), Tehran, Iran; Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Neuroendocrinology, Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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17
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Ross JA, Van Bockstaele EJ. The role of catecholamines in modulating responses to stress: Sex-specific patterns, implications, and therapeutic potential for post-traumatic stress disorder and opiate withdrawal. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 52:2429-2465. [PMID: 32125035 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Emotional arousal is one of several factors that determine the strength of a memory and how efficiently it may be retrieved. The systems at play are multifaceted; on one hand, the dopaminergic mesocorticolimbic system evaluates the rewarding or reinforcing potential of a stimulus, while on the other, the noradrenergic stress response system evaluates the risk of threat, commanding attention, and engaging emotional and physical behavioral responses. Sex-specific patterns in the anatomy and function of the arousal system suggest that sexually divergent therapeutic approaches may be advantageous for neurological disorders involving arousal, learning, and memory. From the lens of the triple network model of psychopathology, we argue that post-traumatic stress disorder and opiate substance use disorder arise from maladaptive learning responses that are perpetuated by hyperarousal of the salience network. We present evidence that catecholamine-modulated learning and stress-responsive circuitry exerts substantial influence over the salience network and its dysfunction in stress-related psychiatric disorders, and between the sexes. We discuss the therapeutic potential of targeting the endogenous cannabinoid system; a ubiquitous neuromodulator that influences learning, memory, and responsivity to stress by influencing catecholamine, excitatory, and inhibitory synaptic transmission. Relevant preclinical data in male and female rodents are integrated with clinical data in men and women in an effort to understand how ideal treatment modalities between the sexes may be different.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Ross
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Elisabeth J Van Bockstaele
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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18
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Mamelak M. Nightmares and the Cannabinoids. Curr Neuropharmacol 2020; 18:754-768. [PMID: 31934840 PMCID: PMC7536831 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x18666200114142321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2019] [Revised: 12/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The cannabinoids, Δ9 tetrahydrocannabinol and its analogue, nabilone, have been found to reliably attenuate the intensity and frequency of post-traumatic nightmares. This essay examines how a traumatic event is captured in the mind, after just a single exposure, and repeatedly replicated during the nights that follow. The adaptive neurophysiological, endocrine and inflammatory changes that are triggered by the trauma and that alter personality and behavior are surveyed. These adaptive changes, once established, can be difficult to reverse. But cannabinoids, uniquely, have been shown to interfere with all of these post-traumatic somatic adaptations. While cannabinoids can suppress nightmares and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, they are not a cure. There may be no cure. The cannabinoids may best be employed, alone, but more likely in conjunction with other agents, in the immediate aftermath of a trauma to mitigate or even abort the metabolic changes which are set in motion by the trauma and which may permanently alter the reactivity of the nervous system. Steps in this direction have already been taken.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mortimer Mamelak
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Baycrest Hospital, Permanent Address: 19 Tumbleweed Road, Toronto, OntarioM2J 2N2, Canada
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19
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Rivi V, Benatti C, Colliva C, Radighieri G, Brunello N, Tascedda F, Blom JMC. Lymnaea stagnalis as model for translational neuroscience research: From pond to bench. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 108:602-616. [PMID: 31786320 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to illustrate how a reductionistic, but sophisticated, approach based on the use of a simple model system such as the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis (L. stagnalis), might be useful to address fundamental questions in learning and memory. L. stagnalis, as a model, provides an interesting platform to investigate the dialog between the synapse and the nucleus and vice versa during memory and learning. More importantly, the "molecular actors" of the memory dialogue are well-conserved both across phylogenetic groups and learning paradigms, involving single- or multi-trials, aversion or reward, operant or classical conditioning. At the same time, this model could help to study how, where and when the memory dialog is impaired in stressful conditions and during aging and neurodegeneration in humans and thus offers new insights and targets in order to develop innovative therapies and technology for the treatment of a range of neurological and neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Rivi
- Dept. of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - C Benatti
- Dept. of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; Centre of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - C Colliva
- Dept. of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; Centre of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - G Radighieri
- Dept. of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - N Brunello
- Dept. of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - F Tascedda
- Dept. of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; Centre of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - J M C Blom
- Dept. of Education and Human Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; Centre of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
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20
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Santori A, Colucci P, Mancini GF, Morena M, Palmery M, Trezza V, Puglisi-Allegra S, Hill MN, Campolongo P. Anandamide modulation of circadian- and stress-dependent effects on rat short-term memory. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 108:155-162. [PMID: 31302498 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2018] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The endocannabinoid system plays a key role in the control of emotional responses to environmental challenges. CB1 receptors are highly expressed within cortico-limbic brain areas, where they modulate stress effects on memory processes. Glucocorticoid and endocannabinoid release is influenced by circadian rhythm. Here, we investigated how different stress intensities immediately after encoding influence rat short-term memory in an object recognition task, whether the effects depend on circadian rhythm and if exogenous augmentation of anandamide levels could restore any observed impairment. Two separate cohorts of male adult Sprague-Dawley rats were tested at two different times of the day, morning (inactivity phase) or afternoon (before the onset of the activity phase) in an object recognition task. The anandamide hydrolysis inhibitor URB597 was intraperitoneally administered immediately after the training trial. Rats were thereafter subjected to a forced swim stress under low or high stress conditions and tested 1 h after training. Control rats underwent the same experimental procedure except for the forced swim stress (no stress). We further investigated whether URB597 administration might modulate corticosterone release in rats subjected to the different stress conditions, both in the morning or afternoon. The low stressor elevated plasma corticosterone levels and impaired 1 h recognition memory performance when animals were tested in the morning. Exposure to the higher stress condition elevated plasma corticosterone levels and impaired memory performance, independently of the testing time. These findings show that stress impairing effects on short-term recognition memory are dependent on the intensity of stress and circadian rhythm. URB597 (0.3 mg kg-1) rescued the altered memory performance and decreased corticosterone levels in all the impaired groups yet leaving memory unaltered in the non-impaired groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Santori
- Dept. of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Colucci
- Dept. of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Maria Morena
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Depts. of Cell Biology and Anatomy &Psychiatry, University of Calgary, T2N 4N1, Calgary, Canada
| | - Maura Palmery
- Dept. of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Viviana Trezza
- Dept. of Science, Section of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, University Roma Tre, 00146, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Matthew N Hill
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Depts. of Cell Biology and Anatomy &Psychiatry, University of Calgary, T2N 4N1, Calgary, Canada
| | - Patrizia Campolongo
- Dept. of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy; Neurobiology of Behavior Laboratory, Santa Lucia Foundation, 00143, Rome, Italy.
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21
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Cuttler C, Spradlin A, Nusbaum AT, Whitney P, Hinson JM, McLaughlin RJ. Joint effects of stress and chronic cannabis use on prospective memory. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:1973-1983. [PMID: 30762090 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-019-5184-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Prospective memory pervades our daily lives and failures can have detrimental consequences. This ability to execute delayed intentions may be impacted by stress, yet few studies have examined these effects. Moreover, as many cannabis users report using cannabis to cope with stress, it is important to understand how stress impacts memory in cannabis users. OBJECTIVES We assessed the effects of acute and chronic stress on prospective memory to examine whether stress differentially impacts prospective memory in cannabis users vs. non-users. METHODS Forty cannabis users and 42 non-users were assigned an episodic and a habitual prospective memory test before completing either the stress or no stress condition of the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST). Participants were instructed to execute the habitual test during the MAST and the episodic test shortly after the MAST. Chronic stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale, and acute stress was measured using subjective ratings and cortisol. RESULTS There was a main effect of acute stress indicating that stress detrimentally impacted habitual prospective memory performance. Although there was not a significant stress x cannabis interaction, further planned comparisons indicated the habitual prospective memory impairment was selective to cannabis users. There were also significant negative correlations between (i) episodic prospective memory and both subjective stress as well as chronic stress, and (ii) habitual prospective memory and change in subjective stress. CONCLUSIONS This study is the first to reveal detrimental effects of acute stress on prospective memory performance, which may be exacerbated in cannabis users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie Cuttler
- Department of Psychology, Washington State University, PO Box 644820, Pullman, WA, 99164-4820, USA. .,Translational Addiction Research Center, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
| | - Alexander Spradlin
- Department of Psychology, Washington State University, PO Box 644820, Pullman, WA, 99164-4820, USA
| | - Amy T Nusbaum
- Department of Psychology, Washington State University, PO Box 644820, Pullman, WA, 99164-4820, USA
| | - Paul Whitney
- Department of Psychology, Washington State University, PO Box 644820, Pullman, WA, 99164-4820, USA
| | - John M Hinson
- Department of Psychology, Washington State University, PO Box 644820, Pullman, WA, 99164-4820, USA
| | - Ryan J McLaughlin
- Department of Psychology, Washington State University, PO Box 644820, Pullman, WA, 99164-4820, USA.,Translational Addiction Research Center, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.,Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-7620, USA
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Wirz L, Reuter M, Felten A, Schwabe L. An endocannabinoid receptor polymorphism modulates affective processing under stress. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2019; 13:1177-1189. [PMID: 30239920 PMCID: PMC6234318 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsy083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress has a critical impact on affective and cognitive processing. Based on rodent data suggesting that endocannabinoid signaling via CB1 receptors serves as an emotional buffer, we hypothesized that a common variant of the gene coding for the CB1 receptor modulates affective processing under stress (CNR1; rs1049353 A vs G allele). Therefore, 139 participants, genotyped for this polymorphism, underwent a stress or control manipulation before they viewed emotionally neutral and negative pictures in a magnetic resonance imaging scanner. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex, known for its crucial role in emotion regulation, was significantly more activated in AA/AG vs GG genotype carriers when viewing negative pictures after stress. Under no-stress conditions, AA/AG genotype carriers showed enhanced crosstalk between the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. We further assessed participants' 24 h-delayed memory for the presented pictures and found that memory performance correlated with amygdala and hippocampus activity and connectivity in stressed carriers of the AA/AG but not the GG genotype. These findings underline the modulatory role of the endocannabinoid system in stress effects on emotion and cognition and provide insights into the neural mechanisms that may contribute to the suggested protective effect of the AA/AG genotype of the CB1 receptor polymorphism against stress-related psychopathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Wirz
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg Germany
| | - Martin Reuter
- Department of Differential and Biological Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Andrea Felten
- Department of Differential and Biological Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg Germany
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23
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Glucocorticoid-induced enhancement of extinction-from animal models to clinical trials. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:183-199. [PMID: 30610352 PMCID: PMC6373196 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5116-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Extensive evidence from both animal model and human research indicates that glucocorticoid hormones are crucially involved in modulating memory performance. Glucocorticoids, which are released during stressful or emotionally arousing experiences, enhance the consolidation of new memories, including extinction memory, but reduce the retrieval of previously stored memories. These memory-modulating properties of glucocorticoids have recently received considerable interest for translational purposes because strong aversive memories lie at the core of several fear-related disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder and phobias. Moreover, exposure-based psychological treatment of these disorders relies on successful fear extinction. In this review, we argue that glucocorticoid-based interventions facilitate fear extinction by reducing the retrieval of aversive memories and enhancing the consolidation of extinction memories. Several clinical trials have already indicated that glucocorticoids might be indeed helpful in the treatment of fear-related disorders.
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24
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Corticosterone impairs flexible adjustment of spatial navigation in an associative place–reward learning task. Behav Pharmacol 2018; 29:351-364. [DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Atsak P, Morena M, Schoenmaker C, Tabak E, Oomen CA, Jamil S, Hill MN, Roozendaal B. Glucocorticoid-endocannabinoid uncoupling mediates fear suppression deficits after early - Life stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2018. [PMID: 29524763 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Early-life stress (ELS) creates life-long vulnerability to stress-related anxiety disorders through altering stress and fear systems in the brain. The endocannabinoid system has emerged as an important regulator of the stress response through a crosstalk with the glucocorticoid system, yet whether it plays a role in the persistent effects of ELS remains unanswered. By combining, behavioral, pharmacological and biochemical approaches in adult male rats, we examined the impact of ELS on the regulation of endocannabinoid function by stress and glucocorticoids. We employed a postnatal limited-nesting/bedding induced ELS between postnatal days 2-9 in rats. Exposure to postnatal ELS compromised the ability of both acute stress and glucocorticoid administration to mobilize the endocannabinoid ligand 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) in the hippocampus of adult male rats. These findings suggest that ELS compromises the coupling of the glucocorticoid and endocannabinoid systems in the hippocampus. Since 2-AG signaling is essential in mediating glucocorticoid-induced suppression of fear recall, we further examined the impact of ELS on the ability of glucocorticoids to suppress fear memory recall. While ELS did not affect normative fear recall, it impaired the ability of glucocorticoids to dampen fear recall. Notably, bypassing glucocorticoids and directly amplifying hippocampal 2-AG signaling with a monoacyl glycerol lipase inhibitor produced a suppression of fear memory recall in animals exposed to ELS. These findings suggest that ELS results in an uncoupling of glucocorticoid-endocannabinoid signaling in the hippocampus, which, in turn, relates to alterations in stress regulation of memory recall. These data provide compelling evidence that ELS-induced deficits in the glucocorticoid-endocannabinoid coupling following stress could predispose susceptibility to stress-related psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piray Atsak
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Maria Morena
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Chantal Schoenmaker
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Emma Tabak
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Charlotte A Oomen
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Sara Jamil
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Matthew N Hill
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Benno Roozendaal
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Sunada H, Watanabe T, Hatakeyama D, Lee S, Forest J, Sakakibara M, Ito E, Lukowiak K. Pharmacological effects of cannabinoids on learning and memory in Lymnaea. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 220:3026-3038. [PMID: 28855319 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.159038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 06/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Cannabinoids are hypothesized to play an important role in modulating learning and memory formation. Here, we identified mRNAs expressed in Lymnaeastagnalis central nervous system that encode two G-protein-coupled receptors (Lymnaea CBr-like 1 and 2) that structurally resemble mammalian cannabinoid receptors (CBrs). We found that injection of a mammalian CBr agonist WIN 55,212-2 (WIN 55) into the snail before operant conditioning obstructed learning and memory formation. This effect of WIN 55 injection persisted for at least 4 days following its injection. A similar obstruction of learning and memory occurred when a severe traumatic stimulus was delivered to L. stagnalis In contrast, injection of a mammalian CBr antagonist AM 251 enhanced long-term memory formation in snails and reduced the duration of the effects of the severe traumatic stressor on learning and memory. Neither WIN 55 nor AM 251 altered normal homeostatic aerial respiratory behaviour elicited in hypoxic conditions. Our results suggest that putative cannabinoid receptors mediate stressful stimuli that alter learning and memory formation in Lymnaea This is also the first demonstration that putative CBrs are present in Lymnaea and play a key role in learning and memory formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Sunada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1.,Kagawa School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokushima Bunri University, Sanuki, Kagawa 769-2193, Japan
| | - Takayuki Watanabe
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0811, Japan
| | - Dai Hatakeyama
- Kagawa School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokushima Bunri University, Sanuki, Kagawa 769-2193, Japan
| | - Sangmin Lee
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1
| | - Jeremy Forest
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1
| | - Manabu Sakakibara
- School of High-Technology for Human Welfare, Tokai University, Numazu, Shizuoka 410-0321, Japan
| | - Etsuro Ito
- Kagawa School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokushima Bunri University, Sanuki, Kagawa 769-2193, Japan .,Department of Biology, Waseda University, Shinjuku, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan
| | - Ken Lukowiak
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1
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Balsevich G, Petrie GN, Hill MN. Endocannabinoids: Effectors of glucocorticoid signaling. Front Neuroendocrinol 2017; 47:86-108. [PMID: 28739508 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2017.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Revised: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
For decades, there has been speculation regarding the interaction of cannabinoids with glucocorticoid systems. Given the functional redundancy between many of the physiological effects of glucocorticoids and cannabinoids, it was originally speculated that the biological mechanisms of cannabinoids were mediated by direct interactions with glucocorticoid systems. With the discovery of the endocannabinoid system, additional research demonstrated that it was actually the opposite; glucocorticoids recruit endocannabinoid signaling, and that the engagement of endocannabinoid signaling mediated many of the neurobiological and physiological effects of glucocorticoids. With the development of advances in pharmacology and genetics, significant advances in this area have been made, and it is now clear that functional interactions between these systems are critical for a wide array of physiological processes. The current review acts a comprehensive summary of the contemporary state of knowledge regarding the biological interactions between glucocorticoids and endocannabinoids, and their potential role in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia Balsevich
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Gavin N Petrie
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Matthew N Hill
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; Departments of Cell Biology and Anatomy and Psychiatry, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
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Extinction of avoidance behavior by safety learning depends on endocannabinoid signaling in the hippocampus. J Psychiatr Res 2017; 90:46-59. [PMID: 28222356 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2017.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Revised: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The development of exaggerated avoidance behavior is largely responsible for the decreased quality of life in patients suffering from anxiety disorders. Studies using animal models have contributed to the understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the acquisition of avoidance responses. However, much less is known about its extinction. Here we provide evidence in mice that learning about the safety of an environment (i.e., safety learning) rather than repeated execution of the avoided response in absence of negative consequences (i.e., response extinction) allowed the animals to overcome their avoidance behavior in a step-down avoidance task. This process was context-dependent and could be blocked by pharmacological (3 mg/kg, s.c.; SR141716) or genetic (lack of cannabinoid CB1 receptors in neurons expressing dopamine D1 receptors) inactivation of CB1 receptors. In turn, the endocannabinoid reuptake inhibitor AM404 (3 mg/kg, i.p.) facilitated safety learning in a CB1-dependent manner and attenuated the relapse of avoidance behavior 28 days after conditioning. Safety learning crucially depended on endocannabinoid signaling at level of the hippocampus, since intrahippocampal SR141716 treatment impaired, whereas AM404 facilitated safety learning. Other than AM404, treatment with diazepam (1 mg/kg, i.p.) impaired safety learning. Drug effects on behavior were directly mirrored by drug effects on evoked activity propagation through the hippocampal trisynaptic circuit in brain slices: As revealed by voltage-sensitive dye imaging, diazepam impaired whereas AM404 facilitated activity propagation to CA1 in a CB1-dependent manner. In line with this, systemic AM404 enhanced safety learning-induced expression of Egr1 at level of CA1. Together, our data render it likely that AM404 promotes safety learning by enhancing information flow through the trisynaptic circuit to CA1.
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Endocannabinoid System: the Direct and Indirect Involvement in the Memory and Learning Processes-a Short Review. Mol Neurobiol 2016; 54:8332-8347. [PMID: 27924524 PMCID: PMC5684264 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-016-0313-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The endocannabinoid system via cannabinoid (CB: CB1 and CB2) receptors and their endogenous ligands is directly and indirectly involved in many physiological functions, especially in memory and learning processes. Extensive studies reported that this system strictly modulates cognition-related processes evaluated in various animal models. However, the effects of cannabinoids on the cognition have been contradictory. The cannabinoid compounds were able to both impair or improve different phases of memory processes through direct (receptor related) or indirect (non-receptor related) mechanism. The memory-related effects induced by the cannabinoids can be depended on the kind of cannabinoid compound used, dosage, and route of administration as well as on the memory task chosen. Therefore, the objectives of this paper are to review and summarize the results describing the role of endocannabinoid system in cognition, including various stages of memory.
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Schwabe L. Memory under stress: from single systems to network changes. Eur J Neurosci 2016; 45:478-489. [PMID: 27862513 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Revised: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Stressful events have profound effects on learning and memory. These effects are mainly mediated by catecholamines and glucocorticoid hormones released from the adrenals during stressful encounters. It has been known for long that both catecholamines and glucocorticoids influence the functioning of the hippocampus, a critical hub for episodic memory. However, areas implicated in other forms of memory, such as the insula or the dorsal striatum, can be affected by stress as well. Beyond changes in single memory systems, acute stress triggers the reconfiguration of large scale neural networks which sets the stage for a shift from thoughtful, 'cognitive' control of learning and memory toward more reflexive, 'habitual' processes. Stress-related alterations in amygdala connectivity with the hippocampus, dorsal striatum, and prefrontal cortex seem to play a key role in this shift. The bias toward systems proficient in threat processing and the implementation of well-established routines may facilitate coping with an acute stressor. Overreliance on these reflexive systems or the inability to shift flexibly between them, however, may represent a risk factor for psychopathology in the long-run.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
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Kelmendi B, Adams TG, Yarnell S, Southwick S, Abdallah CG, Krystal JH. PTSD: from neurobiology to pharmacological treatments. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2016; 7:31858. [PMID: 27837583 PMCID: PMC5106865 DOI: 10.3402/ejpt.v7.31858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Revised: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic debilitating psychiatric disorder characterized by symptoms of re-experience, avoidance, and hyperarousal that can arise immediately or many years after exposure to a traumatic event and injury. Although extensive research has been done over the past 30 years, the etiology of PTSD remains largely unknown. Several neurobiological systems have been implicated in the pathophysiology and vulnerability for developing PTSD; however, first-line pharmacotherapies are limited. Less than 30% achieve full remission, and even then, approved pharmacological treatments often take weeks for therapeutic effect. This article aims to review the pathophysiology of PTSD within multiple neurobiological systems and how these mechanisms are used as pharmacologic targets of treatment, as well as their potential for future targets of intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Kelmendi
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT;
| | - Thomas G Adams
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT
| | - Stephanie Yarnell
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Steven Southwick
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT
| | - Chadi G Abdallah
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT
- Abraham Ribicoff Research Facilities, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT
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32
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Cannabinoids and post-traumatic stress disorder: clinical and preclinical evidence for treatment and prevention. Behav Pharmacol 2016; 27:561-9. [DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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Wolf OT, Atsak P, de Quervain DJ, Roozendaal B, Wingenfeld K. Stress and Memory: A Selective Review on Recent Developments in the Understanding of Stress Hormone Effects on Memory and Their Clinical Relevance. J Neuroendocrinol 2016; 28. [PMID: 26708929 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2015] [Revised: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Stress causes a neuroendocrine response cascade, leading to the release of catecholamines and glucocorticoids (GCs). GCs influence learning and memory by acting on mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors. Typically, GCs enhance the consolidation of memory processing at the same time as impairing the retrieval of memory of emotionally arousing experiences. The present selective review addresses four recent developments in this area. First, the role of the endocannabinoid system in mediating the rapid, nongenomic effects of GCs on memory is illustrated in rodents. Subsequently, studies on the impact of the selective stimulation of MRs on different memory processes in humans are summarised. Next, a series of human experiments on the impact of stress or GC treatment on fear extinction and fear reconsolidation is presented. Finally, the clinical relevance of the effects of exogenous GC administration is highlighted by the description of patients with anxiety disorders who demonstrate an enhancement of extinction-based therapies by GC treatment. The review highlights the substantial progress made in our mechanistic understanding of the memory-modulating properties of GCs, as well as their clinical potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- O T Wolf
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - P Atsak
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - D J de Quervain
- Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychology, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - B Roozendaal
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - K Wingenfeld
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Mwanza C, Chen Z, Zhang Q, Chen S, Wang W, Deng H. Simultaneous HPLC-APCI-MS/MS quantification of endogenous cannabinoids and glucocorticoids in hair. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2016; 1028:1-10. [PMID: 27318292 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2016.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2016] [Revised: 05/30/2016] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Hair matrix could retrospectively record association of endogenous cannabinoids (e.g. 2-arachidonoyl glycerol, 2-AG and N-arachidonoyl-ethanolamine, AEA) and glucocorticoids (e.g. cortisol and cortisone) in a myriad of physiological functions. However, depending on the extraction conditions, the spontaneous isomerization of 2-AG to 1-arachidonoylglycerol (1-AG) and the possible rearrangement of O-arachidonoyl ethanolamine (OAEA) to AEA in various sample matrices could be major obstacles encountered in the detection of both 2-AG and AEA. This study aimed to develop a novel method for simultaneous quantification of 2-AG, AEA, cortisol and cortisone in hair. Methanol was used as the incubation solution and an acidic mixture of deionized water and methanol were utilized as mobile phase in order to avert possible rearrangements of both OAEA and 2-AG. The analyses were performed on a high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometer with atmosphere pressure chemical ionization in positive mode. The method showed good linearity in the range of 3.0-250pg/mg for AEA, 15.0-1250pg/mg for 2-AG and 1-250pg/mg for cortisol and cortisone. Limit of detection was 1.5pg/mg for AEA, 6.0pg/mg for 2-AG and 0.5pg/mg for cortisol and cortisone. For all four analytes, intra and inter-day coefficients of variation were less than 20% and recovery above 90%. Population analyses in 473 hair samples established that 2-AG was significantly correlated with AEA. 2-AG was significantly and positively correlated with cortisol and cortisone. There was a significant positive correlation of AEA with cortisol, but not with cortisone. Obese participants showed a significantly higher concentration of cortisone and 2-AG. Males showed significantly higher 2-AG and cortisone levels but significantly lower AEA levels than females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Mwanza
- Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, and Institute of Child Development and Education, Research Center for Learning Science, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, The University of Zambia, Lusaka 10100, Zambia
| | - Zheng Chen
- Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, and Institute of Child Development and Education, Research Center for Learning Science, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Quan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, and Institute of Child Development and Education, Research Center for Learning Science, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Shenghuo Chen
- Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, and Institute of Child Development and Education, Research Center for Learning Science, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Weiwen Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Huihua Deng
- Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science (Southeast University), Ministry of Education, and Institute of Child Development and Education, Research Center for Learning Science, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100101, China.
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Atsak P, Guenzel FM, Kantar-Gok D, Zalachoras I, Yargicoglu P, Meijer OC, Quirarte GL, Wolf OT, Schwabe L, Roozendaal B. Glucocorticoids mediate stress-induced impairment of retrieval of stimulus-response memory. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2016; 67:207-15. [PMID: 26923851 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2015] [Revised: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Acute stress and elevated glucocorticoid hormone levels are well known to impair the retrieval of hippocampus-dependent 'declarative' memory. Recent findings suggest that stress might also impair the retrieval of non-hippocampal memories. In particular, stress shortly before retention testing was shown to impair the retrieval of striatal stimulus-response associations in humans. However, the mechanism underlying this stress-induced retrieval impairment of non-hippocampal stimulus-response memory remains elusive. In the present study, we investigated whether an acute elevation in glucocorticoid levels mediates the impairing effects of stress on retrieval of stimulus-response memory. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained on a stimulus-response task in an eight-arm radial maze until they learned to associate a stimulus, i.e., cue, with a food reward in one of the arms. Twenty-four hours after successful acquisition, they received a systemic injection of vehicle, corticosterone (1mg/kg), the corticosterone-synthesis inhibitor metyrapone (35mg/kg) or were left untreated 1h before retention testing. We found that the corticosterone injection impaired the retrieval of stimulus-response memory. We further found that the systemic injection procedure per se was stressful as the vehicle administration also increased plasma corticosterone levels and impaired the retrieval of stimulus-response memory. However, memory retrieval was not impaired when rats were tested 2min after the systemic vehicle injection, before any stress-induced elevation in corticosterone levels had occurred. Moreover, metyrapone treatment blocked the effect of injection stress on both plasma corticosterone levels and memory retrieval impairment, indicating that the endogenous corticosterone response mediates the stress-induced memory retrieval impairment. None of the treatments affected rats' locomotor activity or motivation to search for the food reward within the maze. These findings show that stress may affect memory processes beyond the hippocampus and that these stress effects are due to the action of glucocorticoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piray Atsak
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EZ Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Friederike M Guenzel
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Deniz Kantar-Gok
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Arapsuyu, 07070 Antalya, Turkey
| | - Ioannis Zalachoras
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Piraye Yargicoglu
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Arapsuyu, 07070 Antalya, Turkey
| | - Onno C Meijer
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Gina L Quirarte
- Departamento de Neurobiología Conductual y Cognitiva, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, Querétaro 76230, Mexico
| | - Oliver T Wolf
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Benno Roozendaal
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EZ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Korem N, Zer-Aviv TM, Ganon-Elazar E, Abush H, Akirav I. Targeting the endocannabinoid system to treat anxiety-related disorders. J Basic Clin Physiol Pharmacol 2016; 27:193-202. [PMID: 26426887 DOI: 10.1515/jbcpp-2015-0058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The endocannabinoid system plays an important role in the control of emotions, and its dysregulation has been implicated in several psychiatric disorders. The most common self-reported reason for using cannabis is rooted in its ability to reduce feelings of stress, tension, and anxiety. Nevertheless, there are only few studies in controlled clinical settings that confirm that administration of cannabinoids can benefit patients with a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There are considerable encouraging preclinical data to suggest that endocannabinoid-targeted therapeutics for anxiety disorders should continue. In this review, we will describe data supporting a role for the endocannabinoid system in preventing and treating anxiety-like behavior in animal models and PTSD patients. Cannabinoids have shown beneficial outcomes in rat and mouse models of anxiety and PTSD, but they also may have untoward effects that discourage their chronic usage, including anxiogenic effects. Hence, clinical and preclinical research on the endocannabinoid system should further study the effects of cannabinoids on anxiety and help determine whether the benefits of using exogenous cannabinoids outweigh the risks. In general, this review suggests that targeting the endocannabinoid system represents an attractive and novel approach to the treatment of anxiety-related disorders and, in particular, PTSD.
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Castro-Vale I, van Rossum EF, Machado JC, Mota-Cardoso R, Carvalho D. Genetics of glucocorticoid regulation and posttraumatic stress disorder—What do we know? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 63:143-57. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2014] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 02/05/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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Social Stress and Psychosis Risk: Common Neurochemical Substrates? Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:666-74. [PMID: 26346639 PMCID: PMC4707841 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Revised: 08/25/2015] [Accepted: 08/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Environmental risk factors have been implicated in the etiology of psychotic disorders, with growing evidence showing the adverse effects of migration, social marginalization, urbanicity, childhood trauma, social defeat, and other adverse experiences on mental health in vulnerable populations. Collectively, social stress may be one mechanism that could link these environmental risk factors. The exact mechanism(s) by which social stress can affect brain function, and in particular the molecular targets involved in psychosis (such as the dopaminergic (DA) system), is (are) not fully understood. In this review, we will discuss the interplay between social environmental risk factors and molecular changes in the human brain; in particular, we will highlight the impact of social stress on three specific neurochemical systems: DA, neuroinflammation/immune, and endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling. We have chosen the latter two molecular pathways based on emerging evidence linking schizophrenia to altered neuroinflammatory processes and cannabis use. We further identify key developmental periods in which social stress interacts with these pathways, suggesting window(s) of opportunities for novel interventions. Taken together, we suggest that they may have a key role in the pathogenesis and disease progression, possibly provide novel treatment options for schizophrenia, and perhaps even prevent it.
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Morena M, Patel S, Bains JS, Hill MN. Neurobiological Interactions Between Stress and the Endocannabinoid System. Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:80-102. [PMID: 26068727 PMCID: PMC4677118 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 402] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2015] [Revised: 05/20/2015] [Accepted: 05/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Stress affects a constellation of physiological systems in the body and evokes a rapid shift in many neurobehavioral processes. A growing body of work indicates that the endocannabinoid (eCB) system is an integral regulator of the stress response. In the current review, we discuss the evidence to date that demonstrates stress-induced regulation of eCB signaling and the consequential role changes in eCB signaling have with respect to many of the effects of stress. Across a wide array of stress paradigms, studies have generally shown that stress evokes bidirectional changes in the two eCB molecules, anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG), with stress exposure reducing AEA levels and increasing 2-AG levels. Additionally, in almost every brain region examined, exposure to chronic stress reliably causes a downregulation or loss of cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptors. With respect to the functional role of changes in eCB signaling during stress, studies have demonstrated that the decline in AEA appears to contribute to the manifestation of the stress response, including activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and increases in anxiety behavior, while the increased 2-AG signaling contributes to termination and adaptation of the HPA axis, as well as potentially contributing to changes in pain perception, memory and synaptic plasticity. More so, translational studies have shown that eCB signaling in humans regulates many of the same domains and appears to be a critical component of stress regulation, and impairments in this system may be involved in the vulnerability to stress-related psychiatric conditions, such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Collectively, these data create a compelling argument that eCB signaling is an important regulatory system in the brain that largely functions to buffer against many of the effects of stress and that dynamic changes in this system contribute to different aspects of the stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Morena
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada,Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Sachin Patel
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and Psychiatry, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt-Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jaideep S Bains
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Matthew N Hill
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada,Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada,Departments of Cell Biology and Anatomy and Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada,Departments of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N4N1, Canada, Tel: +1 403 220 8466, Fax: +1 403 283 2700, E-mail:
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The learning of fear extinction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 47:670-83. [PMID: 25452113 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2014] [Revised: 10/19/2014] [Accepted: 10/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Recent work on the extinction of fear-motivated learning places emphasis on its putative circuitry and on its modulation. Extinction is the learned inhibition of retrieval of previously acquired responses. Fear extinction is used as a major component of exposure therapy in the treatment of fear memories such as those of the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is initiated and maintained by interactions between the hippocampus, basolateral amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which involve feedback regulation of the latter by the other two areas. Fear extinction depends on NMDA receptor activation. It is positively modulated by d-serine acting on the glycine site of NMDA receptors and blocked by AP5 (2-amino-5-phosphono propionate) in the three structures. In addition, histamine acting on H2 receptors and endocannabinoids acting on CB1 receptors in the three brain areas mentioned, and muscarinic cholinergic fibers from the medial septum to hippocampal CA1 positively modulate fear extinction. Importantly, fear extinction can be made state-dependent on circulating epinephrine, which may play a role in situations of stress. Exposure to a novel experience can strongly enhance the consolidation of fear extinction through a synaptic tagging and capture mechanism; this may be useful in the therapy of states caused by fear memory like PTSD.
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Goodman J, Packard MG. The influence of cannabinoids on learning and memory processes of the dorsal striatum. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2015; 125:1-14. [PMID: 26092091 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2015.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Revised: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 06/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Extensive evidence indicates that the mammalian endocannabinoid system plays an integral role in learning and memory. Our understanding of how cannabinoids influence memory comes predominantly from studies examining cognitive and emotional memory systems mediated by the hippocampus and amygdala, respectively. However, recent evidence suggests that cannabinoids also affect habit or stimulus-response (S-R) memory mediated by the dorsal striatum. Studies implementing a variety of maze tasks in rats indicate that systemic or intra-dorsolateral striatum infusions of cannabinoid receptor agonists or antagonists impair habit memory. In mice, cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptor knockdown can enhance or impair habit formation, whereas Δ(9)THC tolerance enhances habit formation. Studies in human cannabis users also suggest an enhancement of S-R/habit memory. A tentative conclusion based on the available data is that acute disruption of the endocannabinoid system with either agonists or antagonists impairs, whereas chronic cannabinoid exposure enhances, dorsal striatum-dependent S-R/habit memory. CB1 receptors are required for multiple forms of striatal synaptic plasticity implicated in memory, including short-term and long-term depression. Interactions with the hippocampus-dependent memory system may also have a role in some of the observed effects of cannabinoids on habit memory. The impairing effect often observed with acute cannabinoid administration argues for cannabinoid-based treatments for human psychopathologies associated with a dysfunctional habit memory system (e.g. post-traumatic stress disorder and drug addiction/relapse). In addition, the enhancing effect of repeated cannabinoid exposure on habit memory suggests a novel neurobehavioral mechanism for marijuana addiction involving the dorsal striatum-dependent memory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarid Goodman
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, United States
| | - Mark G Packard
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, United States.
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42
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Colciago A, Casati L, Negri-Cesi P, Celotti F. Learning and memory: Steroids and epigenetics. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2015; 150:64-85. [PMID: 25766520 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2015.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2014] [Revised: 02/11/2015] [Accepted: 02/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Memory formation and utilization is a complex process involving several brain structures in conjunction as the hippocampus, the amygdala and the adjacent cortical areas, usually defined as medial temporal lobe structures (MTL). The memory processes depend on the formation and modulation of synaptic connectivity affecting synaptic strength, synaptic plasticity and synaptic consolidation. The basic neurocognitive mechanisms of learning and memory are shortly recalled in the initial section of this paper. The effect of sex hormones (estrogens, androgens and progesterone) and of adrenocortical steroids on several aspects of memory processes are then analyzed on the basis of animal and human studies. A specific attention has been devoted to the different types of steroid receptors (membrane or nuclear) involved and on local metabolic transformations when required. The review is concluded by a short excursus on the steroid activated epigenetic mechanisms involved in memory formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Colciago
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Section of Biomedicine and Endocrinology, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Lavinia Casati
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, Via Vanvitelli 32, 20129 Milano, Italy
| | - Paola Negri-Cesi
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Section of Biomedicine and Endocrinology, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Fabio Celotti
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Section of Biomedicine and Endocrinology, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy
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Atsak P, Hauer D, Campolongo P, Schelling G, Fornari RV, Roozendaal B. Endocannabinoid signaling within the basolateral amygdala integrates multiple stress hormone effects on memory consolidation. Neuropsychopharmacology 2015; 40:1485-94. [PMID: 25547713 PMCID: PMC4397407 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2014.334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2014] [Revised: 12/03/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoid hormones are known to act synergistically with other stress-activated neuromodulatory systems, such as norepinephrine and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), within the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) to induce optimal strengthening of the consolidation of long-term memory of emotionally arousing experiences. However, as the onset of these glucocorticoid actions appear often too rapid to be explained by genomic regulation, the neurobiological mechanism of how glucocorticoids could modify the memory-enhancing properties of norepinephrine and CRF remained elusive. Here, we show that the endocannabinoid system, a rapidly activated retrograde messenger system, is a primary route mediating the actions of glucocorticoids, via a glucocorticoid receptor on the cell surface, on BLA neural plasticity and memory consolidation. Furthermore, glucocorticoids recruit downstream endocannabinoid activity within the BLA to interact with both the norepinephrine and CRF systems in enhancing memory consolidation. These findings have important implications for understanding the fine-tuned crosstalk between multiple stress hormone systems in the coordination of (mal)adaptive stress and emotional arousal effects on neural plasticity and memory consolidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piray Atsak
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Daniela Hauer
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
| | - Patrizia Campolongo
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Gustav Schelling
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
| | - Raquel V Fornari
- Núcleo de Cognição e Sistemas Complexos, Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição, Universidade Federal do ABC, São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil
| | - Benno Roozendaal
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Abstract
Stress in life is unavoidable, affecting everyone on a daily basis. Psychological stress in mammals triggers a rapidly organized response for survival, but it may also cause a variety of behavioral disorders and damage cognitive function. Stress is associated with biases in cognitive processing; some of the most enduring memories are formed by traumatic events. Our understanding of how cognition is shaped by stress is still relatively primitive; however, evidence is rapidly accumulating that the 'mature' brain has a great capacity for plasticity and that there are numerous ways through which pharmacological therapeutics could rescue cognitive function and regain cognitive balance. In this review, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the interplay between stress and cognitive processes and potential therapeutic approaches to stress-related behavioral and cognitive disorders.
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Endogenous cannabinoid release within prefrontal-limbic pathways affects memory consolidation of emotional training. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:18333-8. [PMID: 25489086 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1420285111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have provided extensive evidence that administration of cannabinoid drugs after training modulates the consolidation of memory for an aversive experience. The present experiments investigated whether the memory consolidation is regulated by endogenously released cannabinoids. The experiments first examined whether the endocannabinoids anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) are released by aversive training. Inhibitory avoidance training with higher footshock intensity produced increased levels of AEA in the amygdala, hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) shortly after training in comparison with levels assessed in rats trained with lower footshock intensity or unshocked controls exposed only to the training apparatus. In contrast, 2-AG levels were not significantly elevated. The additional finding that posttraining infusions of the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor URB597, which selectively increases AEA levels at active synapses, administered into the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA), hippocampus, or mPFC enhanced memory strongly suggests that the endogenously released AEA modulates memory consolidation. Moreover, in support of the view that this emotional training-associated increase in endocannabinoid neurotransmission, and its effects on memory enhancement, depends on the integrity of functional interactions between these different brain regions, we found that disruption of BLA activity blocked the training-induced increases in AEA levels as well as the memory enhancement produced by URB597 administered into the hippocampus or mPFC. Thus, the findings provide evidence that emotionally arousing training increases AEA levels within prefrontal-limbic circuits and strongly suggest that this cannabinoid activation regulates emotional arousal effects on memory consolidation.
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Deppermann S, Storchak H, Fallgatter A, Ehlis AC. Stress-induced neuroplasticity: (Mal)adaptation to adverse life events in patients with PTSD – A critical overview. Neuroscience 2014; 283:166-77. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.08.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2014] [Revised: 08/21/2014] [Accepted: 08/23/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Korem N, Akirav I. Cannabinoids prevent the effects of a footshock followed by situational reminders on emotional processing. Neuropsychopharmacology 2014; 39:2709-22. [PMID: 24897957 PMCID: PMC4200492 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2014.132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2014] [Revised: 05/06/2014] [Accepted: 05/30/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop following exposure to a traumatic event. Hence, what we do in the first few hours after trauma exposure may alter the trajectory of PTSD. We examined whether cannabinoids can prevent the effects of a single footshock followed by situational reminders (SRs) on emotional processing. Rats were exposed to a footshock (1.5 mA, 10 s) on day 1 followed by exposure to SRs of the shock on days 3 and 5. The CB1/2 receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 or vehicle were injected intraperitoneally 2 h after the shock. After 1 week, PTSD-like symptoms were examined. Exposure to SRs exacerbated the effects of the shock as rats exposed to shock and SRs, but not shock alone, showed impaired extinction of the traumatic event, impaired plasticity in the hippocmapal-accumbens pathway, enhanced latency to startle, and altered expression of CB1 receptors (CB1r) and glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) in the CA1, basolateral amygdala (BLA) and prefrontal cortex (PFC). WIN55,212-2 prevented the effects of the shock and SRs on extinction, plasticity, and startle response. WIN55,212-2 normalized the shock/SR-induced upregulation in CB1r in the PFC, and CA1 and GRs in the CA1, with no effect on BLA downregulation of CB1r and GRs. Shock and SRs caused lasting (1 week) alterations in emotional processing associated with changes in GR and CB1r expression in brain areas related to PTSD. WIN55,212-2 administered after trauma exposure prevented these alterations via PFC- and CA1-CB1r and CA1-GRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nachshon Korem
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Irit Akirav
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel,Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel, Tel: +972 4 8288268, Fax: +972 4 8263157, E-mail:
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Corticosteroid-endocannabinoid loop supports decrease of fear-conditioned response in rats. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2014; 24:1091-102. [PMID: 24491954 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2014.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2013] [Revised: 12/14/2013] [Accepted: 01/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The endocannabinoid (eCB) and glucocorticoid systems contribute to the modulation of emotional states. Noteworthy, glucocorticoid hormones are released by adrenal glands during stressful events and endocannabinoids are released in the brain during fear-conditioned responses. Since it was already suggested that glucocorticoids may trigger the release of endocannabinoids in the brain, our objective was to investigate whether the interaction between these neuromodulatory systems contributes to the decrease of conditioned freezing behavior over successive 9-min exposures to the conditioning context. Present results suggest a bidirectional interdependence between glucocorticoid and endocannabinoid systems. CB1 receptors blockade prevents glucocorticoid-induced facilitation of conditioned freezing decrease and inhibition of glucocorticoid synthesis renders boosting of endocannabinoid signaling innocuous, while preserving the efficacy of direct CB1 receptors activation by an exogenous cannabinoid agonist. This suggests that CB1 receptors are somehow "downstream" to glucocorticoid release, which in its turn, is reduced by CB1 activation, contributing to the persistent reduction of conditioned freezing responses.
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49
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Modulation of the extinction of fear learning. Brain Res Bull 2014; 105:61-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2014.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2013] [Revised: 04/01/2014] [Accepted: 04/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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50
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Vilela FC, Giusti-Paiva A. Cannabinoid receptor agonist disrupts behavioral and neuroendocrine responses during lactation. Behav Brain Res 2014; 263:190-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.01.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2013] [Revised: 01/23/2014] [Accepted: 01/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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