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Mota B, Brás AR, Araújo-Andrade L, Silva A, Pereira PA, Madeira MD, Cardoso A. High-Caloric Diets in Adolescence Impair Specific GABAergic Subpopulations, Neurogenesis, and Alter Astrocyte Morphology. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5524. [PMID: 38791562 PMCID: PMC11122083 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25105524] [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: 04/10/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
We compared the effects of two different high-caloric diets administered to 4-week-old rats for 12 weeks: a diet rich in sugar (30% sucrose) and a cafeteria diet rich in sugar and high-fat foods. We focused on the hippocampus, particularly on the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic system, including the Ca2+-binding proteins parvalbumin (PV), calretinin (CR), calbindin (CB), and the neuropeptides somatostatin (SST) and neuropeptide Y (NPY). We also analyzed the density of cholinergic varicosities, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), reelin (RELN), and cyclin-dependent kinase-5 (CDK-5) mRNA levels, and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression. The cafeteria diet reduced PV-positive neurons in the granular layer, hilus, and CA1, as well as NPY-positive neurons in the hilus, without altering other GABAergic populations or overall GABA levels. The high-sugar diet induced a decrease in the number of PV-positive cells in CA3 and an increase in CB-positive cells in the hilus and CA1. No alterations were observed in the cholinergic varicosities. The cafeteria diet also reduced the relative mRNA expression of RELN without significant changes in BDNF and CDK5 levels. The cafeteria diet increased the number but reduced the length of the astrocyte processes. These data highlight the significance of determining the mechanisms mediating the observed effects of these diets and imply that the cognitive impairments previously found might be related to both the neuroinflammation process and the reduction in PV, NPY, and RELN expression in the hippocampal formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bárbara Mota
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (B.M.)
- NeuroGen Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Rita Brás
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (B.M.)
| | - Leonardo Araújo-Andrade
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (B.M.)
- NeuroGen Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Silva
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (B.M.)
- NeuroGen Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro A. Pereira
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (B.M.)
- NeuroGen Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - M. Dulce Madeira
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (B.M.)
- NeuroGen Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Armando Cardoso
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (B.M.)
- NeuroGen Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
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Pereira PA, Tavares M, Laires M, Mota B, Madeira MD, Paula-Barbosa MM, Cardoso A. Effects of Aging and Nerve Growth Factor on Neuropeptide Expression and Cholinergic Innervation of the Rat Basolateral Amygdala. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:155. [PMID: 38534426 DOI: 10.3390/biology13030155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) contains interneurons that express neuropeptide Y (NPY) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), both of which are involved in the regulation of functions and behaviors that undergo deterioration with aging. There is considerable evidence that, in some brain areas, the expression of NPY and VIP might be modulated by acetylcholine. Importantly, the BLA is one of the brain regions that has one of the densest cholinergic innervations, which arise mainly from the basal forebrain cholinergic neurons. These cholinergic neurons depend on nerve growth factor (NGF) for their survival, connectivity, and function. Thus, in this study, we sought to determine if aging alters the densities of NPY- and VIP-positive neurons and cholinergic varicosities in the BLA and, in the affirmative, if those changes might rely on insufficient trophic support provided by NGF. The number of NPY-positive neurons was significantly reduced in aged rats, whereas the number of VIP-immunoreactive neurons was unaltered. The decreased NPY expression was fully reversed by the infusion of NGF in the lateral ventricle. The density of cholinergic varicosities was similar in adult and old rats. On the other hand, the density of cholinergic varicosities is significantly higher in old rats treated with NGF than in adult and old rats. Our results indicate a dissimilar resistance of different populations of BLA interneurons to aging. Furthermore, the present data also show that the BLA cholinergic innervation is particularly resistant to aging effects. Finally, our results also show that the reduced NPY expression in the BLA of aged rats can be related to changes in the NGF neurotrophic support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro A Pereira
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- NeuroGen Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Marta Tavares
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Miguel Laires
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Mota
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria Dulce Madeira
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- NeuroGen Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Manuel M Paula-Barbosa
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Armando Cardoso
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- NeuroGen Research Group, Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
- CINTESIS@RISE, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
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Tanaka M, Yamada S, Watanabe Y. The Role of Neuropeptide Y in the Nucleus Accumbens. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22147287. [PMID: 34298907 PMCID: PMC8307209 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22147287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptide Y (NPY), an abundant peptide in the central nervous system, is expressed in neurons of various regions throughout the brain. The physiological and behavioral effects of NPY are mainly mediated through Y1, Y2, and Y5 receptor subtypes, which are expressed in regions regulating food intake, fear and anxiety, learning and memory, depression, and posttraumatic stress. In particular, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) has one of the highest NPY concentrations in the brain. In this review, we summarize the role of NPY in the NAc. NPY is expressed principally in medium-sized aspiny neurons, and numerous NPY immunoreactive fibers are observed in the NAc. Alterations in NPY expression under certain conditions through intra-NAc injections of NPY or receptor agonists/antagonists revealed NPY to be involved in the characteristic functions of the NAc, such as alcohol intake and drug addiction. In addition, control of mesolimbic dopaminergic release via NPY receptors may take part in these functions. NPY in the NAc also participates in fat intake and emotional behavior. Accumbal NPY neurons and fibers may exert physiological and pathophysiological actions partly through neuroendocrine mechanisms and the autonomic nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaki Tanaka
- Department of Anatomy, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamikyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-75-251-5300
| | - Shunji Yamada
- Department of Anatomy, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamikyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan;
| | - Yoshihisa Watanabe
- Department of Basic Geriatrics, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamikyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan;
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Effects of aging on the cholinergic innervation of the rat ventral tegmental area: A stereological study. Exp Gerontol 2021; 148:111298. [PMID: 33652122 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2021.111298] [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: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) play a main role in processing both rewarding and aversive stimuli, and their response to salient stimuli is significantly shaped by afferents originating in the brainstem cholinergic nuclei. Aging is associated with a decline in dopaminergic activity and reduced response to positive reinforcement. We have used stereological techniques to examine, in adult and aged rats, the dopaminergic neurons and the cholinergic innervation of the VTA, and the cholinergic populations of the pedunculopontine tegmental (PPT) and laterodorsal tegmental (LDT) nuclei, which are the only source of cholinergic inputs to the VTA. In the VTA, there were no age-related variations in the number and size of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunoreactive neurons, but the density of cholinergic varicosities was reduced in aged rats. The total number of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-immunoreactive neurons in the PPT and LDT was unchanged, but their somas were hypertrophied in aged rats. Our results suggest that dysfunction of the cholinergic system might contribute for the age-associated deterioration of the brain reward system.
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Pereira PA, Gonçalves E, Silva A, Millner T, Madeira MD. Effects of chronic alcohol consumption and withdrawal on the cholinergic neurons of the pedunculopontine and laterodorsal tegmental nuclei of the rat: An unbiased stereological study. Neurotoxicology 2019; 76:58-66. [PMID: 31634498 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2019.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Revised: 10/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The brain cholinergic system comprises two main recognized subdivisions, the basal forebrain and the brainstem cholinergic systems. The effects of chronic alcohol consumption on the basal forebrain cholinergic nuclei have been investigated extensively, but there is only one study that has examined those effects on the brainstem cholinergic nuclei. The last one comprises the pedunculopontine tegmental (PPT) and the laterodorsal tegmental (LDT) nuclei, which are known to give origin to the main cholinergic projection to the ventral tegmental area, a key brain region of the neural circuit, the mesocorticolimbic system, that mediates several behavioral and physiological processes, including reward. In the present study, we have examined, using stereological methods, the effects of chronic alcohol consumption (6 months) and subsequent withdrawal (2 months) on the total number and size of PPT and LDT choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-immunoreactive neurons. The total number of PPT and LDT ChAT-immunoreactive neurons was unchanged in ethanol-treated and withdrawn rats. However, ChAT-immunoreactive neurons were significantly hypertrophied in ethanol-treated rats, an alteration that did not revert 2 months after ethanol withdrawal. These results show that prolonged exposure to ethanol leads to long-lasting, and potentially irreversible, cytoarchitectonic and neurochemical alterations in the brainstem cholinergic nuclei. These alterations suggest that the alcohol-induced changes in the brainstem cholinergic nuclei might play a role in the mechanisms underlying the development of addictive behavior to alcohol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro A Pereira
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Eugénio Gonçalves
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Ana Silva
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Tiago Millner
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal.
| | - M Dulce Madeira
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), Rua Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal.
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Pereira PA, Millner T, Vilela M, Sousa S, Cardoso A, Madeira MD. Nerve growth factor-induced plasticity in medial prefrontal cortex interneurons of aged Wistar rats. Exp Gerontol 2016; 85:59-70. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2016.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2016] [Revised: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 09/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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Pereira PA, Rocha JP, Cardoso A, Vilela M, Sousa S, Madeira MD. Effects of chronic alcohol consumption, withdrawal and nerve growth factor on neuropeptide Y expression and cholinergic innervation of the rat dentate hilus. Neurotoxicology 2016; 54:153-160. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2016.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2015] [Revised: 03/16/2016] [Accepted: 04/08/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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Vaz RP, Pereira PA, Madeira MD. Age effects on the nucleus of the lateral olfactory tract of the rat. J Comp Neurol 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.23863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo P. Vaz
- Department of Anatomy; Faculty of Medicine; University of Porto; Porto Portugal
- Otorhinolaryngology Department; Centro Hospitalar S. João, EPE; Porto Portugal
- Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS); Porto Portugal
| | - Pedro A. Pereira
- Department of Anatomy; Faculty of Medicine; University of Porto; Porto Portugal
- Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS); Porto Portugal
| | - M. Dulce Madeira
- Department of Anatomy; Faculty of Medicine; University of Porto; Porto Portugal
- Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS); Porto Portugal
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