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Mäki-Marttunen T, Blackwell KT, Akkouh I, Shadrin A, Valstad M, Elvsåshagen T, Linne ML, Djurovic S, Einevoll GT, Andreassen OA. Genetic mechanisms for impaired synaptic plasticity in schizophrenia revealed by computational modelling. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.14.544920. [PMID: 37398070 PMCID: PMC10312778 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.14.544920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia phenotypes are suggestive of impaired cortical plasticity in the disease, but the mechanisms of these deficits are unknown. Genomic association studies have implicated a large number of genes that regulate neuromodulation and plasticity, indicating that the plasticity deficits have a genetic origin. Here, we used biochemically detailed computational modelling of post-synaptic plasticity to investigate how schizophrenia-associated genes regulate long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD). We combined our model with data from post-mortem mRNA expression studies (CommonMind gene-expression datasets) to assess the consequences of altered expression of plasticity-regulating genes for the amplitude of LTP and LTD. Our results show that the expression alterations observed post mortem, especially those in anterior cingulate cortex, lead to impaired PKA-pathway-mediated LTP in synapses containing GluR1 receptors. We validated these findings using a genotyped EEG dataset where polygenic risk scores for synaptic and ion channel-encoding genes as well as modulation of visual evoked potentials (VEP) were determined for 286 healthy controls. Our results provide a possible genetic mechanism for plasticity impairments in schizophrenia, which can lead to improved understanding and, ultimately, treatment of the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuomo Mäki-Marttunen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kim T Blackwell
- The Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Ibrahim Akkouh
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Alexey Shadrin
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental disorders, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Mathias Valstad
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Tobjørn Elvsåshagen
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Neurology, Oslo University Hospital, Norway
| | - Marja-Leena Linne
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Srdjan Djurovic
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental disorders, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Gaute T Einevoll
- Department of Physics, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
- Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ole A Andreassen
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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2
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Li S. The β-adrenergic hypothesis of synaptic and microglial impairment in Alzheimer's disease. J Neurochem 2023; 165:289-302. [PMID: 36799441 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15782] [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: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease originating partly from amyloid β protein-induced synaptic failure. As damaging of noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) occurs at the prodromal stage of AD, activation of adrenergic receptors could serve as the first line of defense against the onset of the disease. Activation of β2 -ARs strengthens long-term potentiation (LTP) and synaptic activity, thus improving learning and memory. Physical stimulation of animals exposed to an enriched environment (EE) leads to the activation of β2 -ARs and prevents synaptic dysfunction. EE also suppresses neuroinflammation, suggesting that β2 -AR agonists may play a neuroprotective role. The β2 -AR agonists used for respiratory diseases have been shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect. Epidemiological studies further support the beneficial effects of β2 -AR agonists on several neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, I propose that β2 -AR agonists may provide therapeutic value in combination with novel treatments for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaomin Li
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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3
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Sáez-Briones P, Palma B, Burgos H, Barra R, Hernández A. Aromatic Bromination Abolishes Deficits in Visuospatial Learning Induced by MDMA ("Ecstasy") in Rats While Preserving the Ability to Increase LTP in the Prefrontal Cortex. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043724. [PMID: 36835133 PMCID: PMC9963799 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
It has recently been demonstrated that aromatic bromination at C(2) abolishes all typical psychomotor, and some key prosocial effects of the entactogen MDMA in rats. Nevertheless, the influence of aromatic bromination on MDMA-like effects on higher cognitive functions remains unexplored. In the present work, the effects of MDMA and its brominated analog 2Br-4,5-MDMA (1 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg i.p. each) on visuospatial learning, using a radial, octagonal Olton maze (4 × 4) which may discriminate between short-term and long-term memory, were compared with their influence on in vivo long-term potentiation (LTP) in the prefrontal cortex in rats. The results obtained indicate that MDMA diminishes both short- and long-term visuospatial memory but increases LTP. In contrast, 2Br-4,5-MDMA preserves long-term visuospatial memory and slightly accelerates the occurrence of short-term memory compared to controls, but increases LTP, like MDMA. Taken together, these data are consistent with the notion that the modulatory effects induced by the aromatic bromination of the MDMA template, which abolishes typical entactogenic-like responses, might be extended to those effects affecting higher cognitive functions, such as visuospatial learning. This effect seems not to be associated with the increase of LTP in the prefrontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricio Sáez-Briones
- Laboratorio de Neurofarmacología y Comportamiento, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9170022, Chile
- Correspondence:
| | - Boris Palma
- Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Escuela de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago 7500912, Chile
| | - Héctor Burgos
- Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Escuela de Psicología, Universidad Mayor, Santiago 7570008, Chile
| | - Rafael Barra
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica y Aplicada (CIBAP), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9170022, Chile
| | - Alejandro Hernández
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9170022, Chile
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Rushmore RJ, McGaughy JA, Amaral AC, Mokler DJ, Morgane PJ, Galler JR, Rosene DL. The neural basis of attentional alterations in prenatally protein malnourished rats. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:497-512. [PMID: 33099611 PMCID: PMC7947171 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein malnutrition during gestation alters brain development and produces specific behavioral and cognitive changes that persist into adulthood and increase the risks of neuropsychiatric disorders. Given evidence for the role of the prefrontal cortex in such diseases, it is significant that studies in humans and animal models have shown that prenatal protein malnutrition specifically affects functions associated with prefrontal cortex. However, the neural basis underlying these changes is unclear. In the current study, prenatally malnourished and control rats performed a sustained attention task with an unpredictable distractor, a task that depends on intact prefrontal cortical function. Radiolabeled 2-deoxyglucose was used to measure neural and brain network activity during the task. Results confirmed that adult prenatally malnourished rats were more distractible than controls and exhibited lower functional activity in prefrontal cortices. Thus, prefrontal activity was a predictor of task performance in controls but not prenatally malnourished animals. Instead, prenatally malnourished animals relied on different brain networks involving limbic structures such as the hippocampus. These results provide evidence that protein reduction during brain development has more wide-reaching effects on brain networks than previously appreciated, resulting in the formation of brain networks that may reflect compensatory responses in prenatally malnourished brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- R J Rushmore
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston MA
- Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - J A McGaughy
- Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
| | - A C Amaral
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston MA
| | - D J Mokler
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of New England, Biddeford ME
| | - P J Morgane
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of New England, Biddeford ME
| | - J R Galler
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Boston, MA, USA
| | - D L Rosene
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston MA
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Rushmore RJ, McGaughy JA, Mokler DJ, Rosene DL. The enduring effect of prenatal protein malnutrition on brain anatomy, physiology and behavior. Nutr Neurosci 2020; 25:1392-1399. [PMID: 33314995 DOI: 10.1080/1028415x.2020.1859730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that the maternal environment exerts enduring influences on the fetal brain. In response to certain environmental stimuli such as reduced protein content, the fetus changes the course of its brain development, which leads to specific and programed changes in brain anatomy and physiology. These alterations produce a brain with a fundamentally altered organization, which then translates to alterations in adult cognitive function. The effects on brain and behavior may be linked, such that a prenatal stimulus relays a signal to alter brain development and encourage the selection and development of brain circuits and behaviors that would be beneficial for the environment in which the animal was anticipated to emerge. At the same time, the signal would deselect behaviors unlikely to be adaptive. We draw on evidence from rodent models to suggest that the brain that develops after a reduction in protein during the prenatal phase is not uniformly dysfunctional, but simply different. This perspective has implications for the role of prenatal factors in the production and expression of behavior, and may account for the elevation of risk factors for neurological and psychiatric illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- R J Rushmore
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.,Psychiatric Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Center for Morphometric Analysis, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J A McGaughy
- Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
| | - D J Mokler
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of New England, Biddeford, ME, USA
| | - D L Rosene
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
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6
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Mäki-Marttunen T, Iannella N, Edwards AG, Einevoll GT, Blackwell KT. A unified computational model for cortical post-synaptic plasticity. eLife 2020; 9:55714. [PMID: 32729828 PMCID: PMC7426095 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Signalling pathways leading to post-synaptic plasticity have been examined in many types of experimental studies, but a unified picture on how multiple biochemical pathways collectively shape neocortical plasticity is missing. We built a biochemically detailed model of post-synaptic plasticity describing CaMKII, PKA, and PKC pathways and their contribution to synaptic potentiation or depression. We developed a statistical AMPA-receptor-tetramer model, which permits the estimation of the AMPA-receptor-mediated maximal synaptic conductance based on numbers of GluR1s and GluR2s predicted by the biochemical signalling model. We show that our model reproduces neuromodulator-gated spike-timing-dependent plasticity as observed in the visual cortex and can be fit to data from many cortical areas, uncovering the biochemical contributions of the pathways pinpointed by the underlying experimental studies. Our model explains the dependence of different forms of plasticity on the availability of different proteins and can be used for the study of mental disorder-associated impairments of cortical plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Gaute T Einevoll
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kim T Blackwell
- The Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, United States
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7
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Barra R, Morgan C, Sáez-Briones P, Reyes-Parada M, Burgos H, Morales B, Hernández A. Facts and hypotheses about the programming of neuroplastic deficits by prenatal malnutrition. Nutr Rev 2020; 77:65-80. [PMID: 30445479 DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nuy047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies in rats have shown that a decrease in either protein content or total dietary calories results in molecular, structural, and functional changes in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, among other brain regions, which lead to behavioral disturbances, including learning and memory deficits. The neurobiological bases underlying those effects depend at least in part on fetal programming of the developing brain, which in turn relies on epigenetic regulation of specific genes via stable and heritable modifications of chromatin. Prenatal malnutrition also leads to epigenetic programming of obesity, and obesity on its own can lead to poor cognitive performance in humans and experimental animals, complicating understanding of the factors involved in the fetal programming of neuroplasticity deficits. This review focuses on the role of epigenetic mechanisms involved in prenatal malnutrition-induced brain disturbances, which are apparent at a later postnatal age, through either a direct effect of fetal programming on brain plasticity or an indirect effect on the brain mediated by the postnatal development of obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Barra
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carlos Morgan
- Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolic Regulation, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Patricio Sáez-Briones
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Miguel Reyes-Parada
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Talca, Chile
| | - Héctor Burgos
- Núcleo Disciplinar Psicología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile.,Center of Innovation on Information Technologies for Social Applications (CITIAPS), University of Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Bernardo Morales
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, University of Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alejandro Hernández
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, University of Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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8
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Burgos H, Hernández A, Constandil L, Ríos M, Flores O, Puentes G, Hernández K, Morgan C, Valladares L, Castillo A, Cofre C, Milla LA, Sáez-Briones P, Barra R. Early postnatal environmental enrichment restores neurochemical and functional plasticities of the cerebral cortex and improves learning performance in hidden-prenatally-malnourished young-adult rats. Behav Brain Res 2019; 363:182-190. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Revised: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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9
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Fischer LK, McGaughy JA, Bradshaw SE, Weissner WJ, Amaral AC, Rosene DL, Mokler DJ, Fitzmaurice GM, Galler JR. Prenatal protein level impacts homing behavior in Long-Evans rat pups. Nutr Neurosci 2015; 19:187-95. [PMID: 25603489 DOI: 10.1179/1476830515y.0000000001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study assessed the effect of varying prenatal protein levels on the development of homing behavior in rat pups. METHODS Long-Evans rats were fed one of the four isocaloric diets containing 6% (n = 7 litters), 12% (n = 9), 18% (n = 9), or 25% (n = 10) casein prior to mating and throughout pregnancy. At birth, litters were fostered to well-nourished control mothers fed a 25% casein diet during pregnancy, and an adequate protein diet (25% casein) was provided to weaning. On postnatal days 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13, homing behaviors, including activity levels, rate of successful returns to the nest quadrant and latencies to reach the nest over a 3-minute test period were recorded from two starting positions in the home cage. Adult body and brain weights were obtained at sacrifice (postnatal day 130 or 200). RESULTS Growth was impaired in pups whose mothers were fed a 6% or, to a lesser extent, a 12% casein diet relative to pups whose mothers were fed the 18 and 25% casein diets. The 6 and 12% prenatal protein levels resulted in lower activity levels, with the greatest reduction on postnatal day 13. However, only the 6% pups had reduced success and higher latencies in reaching the nest quadrant when compared with pups from the three other nutrition groups. Latency in reaching the nest quadrant was significantly and negatively associated with adult brain weight. DISCUSSION Home orientation is a sensitive measure of developmental deficits associated with variations in prenatal protein levels, including levels of protein deficiency that do not lead to overt growth failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- L K Fischer
- a Judge Baker Children's Center and Department of Psychiatry , Harvard Medical School , Boston , MA , USA
| | - J A McGaughy
- b Department of Psychology , University of New Hampshire , Durham , NH , USA
| | - S E Bradshaw
- a Judge Baker Children's Center and Department of Psychiatry , Harvard Medical School , Boston , MA , USA
| | - W J Weissner
- c Department of Biological Sciences , University of New England , Biddeford , ME , USA
| | - A C Amaral
- d Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology , Boston University Medical Campus , Boston , MA , USA
| | - D L Rosene
- d Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology , Boston University Medical Campus , Boston , MA , USA
| | - D J Mokler
- c Department of Biological Sciences , University of New England , Biddeford , ME , USA
| | - G M Fitzmaurice
- e Department of Biostatistics , Harvard School of Public Health , Boston , MA , USA.,f Laboratory for Psychiatric Biostatistics , McLean Hospital , Belmont , MA , USA
| | - J R Galler
- a Judge Baker Children's Center and Department of Psychiatry , Harvard Medical School , Boston , MA , USA
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