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Shih CW, Chang CH. Inactivation of medial or lateral orbitofrontal cortex during fear extinction did not interfere with fear renewal. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 204:107800. [PMID: 37524199 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107800] [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: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Hyperactive orbitofrontal cortical activation is commonly seen in patients of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Previous studies from our laboratory showed that for rats with aberrant activation of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) during the extinction phase, they were unable to use contexts as the reference for proper retrieval of fear memory during renewal test. This result supported the phenomenon that many OCD patients show poor regulation of fear-related behavior. Since there are robust anatomical connections of the OFC with the fear-circuit, we aim to further examine whether the OFC is actively engaged in fear regulation under normal circumstances. In this study, the lateral or medial OFC was inactivated during the extinction phase using the ABA fear renewal procedure. We found that these animals showed intact fear renewal during retrieval test with their freezing levels equivalent to the control rats, revealing that the OFC did not have decisive roles in extinction acquisition. Together with our previous study, we suggest that the OFC only interferes with fear regulation when it becomes pathophysiologically hyperactive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Wei Shih
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Hui Chang
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan; Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan.
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2
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Meamar M, Rashidy-Pour A, Vafaei AA, Raise-Abdullahi P. β-adrenoceptors of the infra-limbic cortex mediate corticosterone-induced enhancement of acquisition and consolidation of fear memory extinction in rats. Behav Brain Res 2023; 442:114310. [PMID: 36706807 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114310] [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: 12/18/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The extinction of auditory fear conditioning (AFC) refers to reducing the fear responses induced following repeated presentation of a conditioned stimulus (tone) in the absence of an unconditioned stimulus (electric foot shock). Glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) play an important role in extinction, but the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are unclear. This study aimed to investigate the interaction between glucocorticoids and β-adrenoceptors of the infra-limbic cortex (IL) in regulating the acquisition and consolidation of fear memory extinction in rats. Male rats were trained to AFC and received three trial tones (30 s, 4 kHz, 80 dB) co-terminated with a footshock (0.8 mA, 1 s; unconditioned stimulus). Extinction trials were conducted over 3 days after training (Ext 1-3). In experiment 1, rats received clenbuterol (0.25 mg/kg/2 ml, IP) as a β2-adrenoceptor agonist or propranolol (2.5 mg/kg/2 ml, IP) as a β-adrenoceptors antagonist before Ext 1 and immediately after Ext 1 and Ext 2 followed by systemic injection of corticosterone (3 mg/kg/2 ml, IP). In Experiment 2, separate groups of rats received a bilateral intra-IL injection of clenbuterol (50 ng/0.5 µl/side) or propranolol (500 ng/0.5 µl/side) followed by a systemic injection of corticosterone (3 mg/kg/2 ml) before Ext 1 and immediately after Ext 1 and Ext 2. Results indicated that systemic and intra-IL injections of clenbuterol and propranolol inhibited and increased the facilitative effects of corticosterone on fear memory extinction, respectively. These findings show that activating β-adrenergic receptors in the IL mediates glucocorticoid effects on the acquisition and consolidation of auditory-conditioned fear memory extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morvarid Meamar
- 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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Ilomäki M, Lindblom J, Salmela V, Flykt M, Vänskä M, Salmi J, Tolonen T, Alho K, Punamäki RL, Wikman P. Early life stress is associated with the default mode and fronto-limbic network connectivity among young adults. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:958580. [PMID: 36212193 PMCID: PMC9537946 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.958580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to early life stress (ELS) is associated with a variety of detrimental psychological and neurodevelopmental effects. Importantly, ELS has been associated with regional alterations and aberrant connectivity in the structure and functioning of brain regions involved in emotion processing and self-regulation, creating vulnerability to mental health problems. However, longitudinal research regarding the impact of ELS on functional connectivity between brain regions in the default mode network (DMN) and fronto-limbic network (FLN), both implicated in emotion-related processes, is relatively scarce. Neuroimaging research on ELS has mostly focused on single nodes or bi-nodal connectivity instead of functional networks. We examined how ELS is associated with connectivity patterns within the DMN and FLN during rest in early adulthood. The participants (n = 86; 47 females) in the current functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study were young adults (18–21 years old) whose families had participated in a longitudinal study since pregnancy. ELS was assessed both prospectively (parental reports of family relationship problems and mental health problems during pregnancy and infancy) and retrospectively (self-reported adverse childhood experiences). Inter-subject representational similarity analysis (IS-RSA) and multivariate distance matrix regression (MDMR) were used to analyze the association between ELS and the chosen networks. The IS-RSA results suggested that prospective ELS was associated with complex alterations within the DMN, and that retrospective ELS was associated with alterations in the FLN. MDMR results, in turn, suggested that that retrospective ELS was associated with DMN connectivity. Mean connectivity of the DMN was also associated with retrospective ELS. Analyses further showed that ELS-related alterations in the FLN were associated with increased connectivity between the prefrontal and limbic regions, and between different prefrontal regions. These results suggest that exposure to ELS in infancy might have long-lasting influences on functional brain connectivity that persist until early adulthood. Our results also speak for the importance of differentiating prospective and retrospective assessment methods to understand the specific neurodevelopmental effects of ELS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miro Ilomäki
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- *Correspondence: Miro Ilomäki,
| | - Jallu Lindblom
- Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Viljami Salmela
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marjo Flykt
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Mervi Vänskä
- Faculty of Social Sciences/Psychology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Juha Salmi
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tuija Tolonen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kimmo Alho
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Advanced Magnetic Imaging Centre, Aalto NeuroImaging, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | | | - Patrik Wikman
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Sun CF, Chang CH. Aberrant orbitofrontal cortical activation interferes with encoding of Pavlovian fear conditioning. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:981041. [PMID: 36072088 PMCID: PMC9442050 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.981041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients were usually found with the hyper-activation of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and a deficit in fear extinction learning. The OFC can be subdivided into the lateral OFC (lOFC) and the medial OFC (mOFC). Previous studies have suggested that both subregions are involved in the modulation of negative emotions. However, how aberrant activation of the OFC interacts with the encoding of Pavlovian fear remains unknown. In this study, the lOFC or the mOFC was pharmacologically activated or inactivated before the fear conditioning on Day 1, followed by a context test on Day 2 and a tone test on Day 3 in male Long-Evans rats. We found that for the animals that underwent fear conditioning under aberrant activation of either the lOFC or the mOFC, they showed normal within-session fear expression. However, the acquisition/consolidation of contextual fear was impaired under mOFC activation, while the acquisition/consolidation of cued fear was impaired under either the lOFC or the mOFC activation, in that these animals showed lower freezing compared to controls during the retrieval test. On the other hand, for the animals that underwent fear conditioning under inactivation of either the lOFC or the mOFC, they showed normal within-session fear expression, as well as intact encoding of both the contextual and cued fear. Together, our results suggested that the OFC was not actively engaged in the acquisition of Pavlovian fear conditioning, but aberrant activation of the OFC impaired fear learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chung-Fu Sun
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Chun-hui Chang
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- *Correspondence: Chun-hui Chang,
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Becker L, Keck A, Rohleder N, Müller-Voggel N. Higher Peripheral Inflammation Is Associated With Lower Orbitofrontal Gamma Power in Chronic Tinnitus. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:883926. [PMID: 35493955 PMCID: PMC9039358 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.883926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic tinnitus, the continuous perception of a phantom sound, is a highly prevalent audiological symptom, for which the underlying pathology has not yet been fully understood. It is associated with neurophysiological alterations in the central nervous system and chronic stress, which can be related with a disinhibition of the inflammatory system. We here investigated the association between resting-state oscillatory activity assessed with Magnetoencephalography (MEG), and peripheral inflammation assessed by C-reactive protein (CRP) in a group of patients with chronic tinnitus (N = 21, nine males, mean age: 40.6 ± 14.6 years). Additionally, CRP was assessed in an age- and sex-matched healthy control group (N = 21, nine males, mean age: 40.9 ± 15.2 years). No MEG data was available for the control group. We found a significant negative correlation between CRP and gamma power in the orbitofrontal cortex in tinnitus patients (p < 0.001), pointing to a deactivation of the orbitofrontal cortex when CRP was high. No significant clusters were found for other frequency bands. Moreover, CRP levels were significantly higher in the tinnitus group than in the healthy controls (p = 0.045). Our results can be interpreted based on findings from previous studies having disclosed the orbitofrontal cortex as part of the tinnitus distress network. We suggest that higher CRP levels and the associated deactivation of the orbitofrontal cortex in chronic tinnitus patients is maintaining the tinnitus percept through disinhibition of the auditory cortex and attentional or emotional top-down processes. Although the direction of the association (i.e., causation) between CRP levels and orbitofrontal gamma power in chronic tinnitus is not yet known, inflammation reducing interventions are promising candidates when developing treatments for tinnitus patients. Overall, our study highlights the importance of considering immune-brain communication in tinnitus research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Becker
- Department of Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- *Correspondence: Linda Becker
| | - Antonia Keck
- Department of Neurosurgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Nicolas Rohleder
- Department of Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Nadia Müller-Voggel
- Department of Neurosurgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
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Ip KI, Sisk LM, Horien C, Conley MI, Rapuano KM, Rosenberg MD, Greene AS, Scheinost D, Constable RT, Casey BJ, Baskin-Sommers A, Gee DG. Associations among Household and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantages, Resting-state Frontoamygdala Connectivity, and Internalizing Symptoms in Youth. J Cogn Neurosci 2022; 34:1810-1841. [PMID: 35104356 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to socioeconomic disadvantages (SED) can have negative impacts on mental health, yet SED are a multifaceted construct and the precise processes by which SED confer deleterious effects are less clear. Using a large and diverse sample of preadolescents (ages 9-10 years at baseline, n = 4038, 49% female) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, we examined associations among SED at both household (i.e., income-needs and material hardship) and neighborhood (i.e., area deprivation and neighborhood unsafety) levels, frontoamygdala resting-state functional connectivity, and internalizing symptoms at baseline and 1-year follow-up. SED were positively associated with internalizing symptoms at baseline and indirectly predicted symptoms 1 year later through elevated symptoms at baseline. At the household level, youth in households characterized by higher disadvantage (i.e., lower income-to-needs ratio) exhibited more strongly negative frontoamygdala coupling, particularly between the bilateral amygdala and medial OFC (mOFC) regions within the frontoparietal network. Although more strongly positive amygdala-mOFC coupling was associated with higher levels of internalizing symptoms at baseline and 1-year follow-up, it did not mediate the association between income-to-needs ratio and internalizing symptoms. However, at the neighborhood level, amygdala-mOFC functional coupling moderated the effect of neighborhood deprivation on internalizing symptoms. Specifically, higher neighborhood deprivation was associated with higher internalizing symptoms for youth with more strongly positive connectivity, but not for youth with more strongly negative connectivity, suggesting a potential buffering effect. Findings highlight the importance of capturing multilevel socioecological contexts in which youth develop to identify youth who are most likely to benefit from early interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ka I Ip
- Yale University, New Haven, CT
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Mo X, He M, Zhou L, Liu Y, Zhu H, Huang X, Zeng G, Zhang J, Li L. Mapping structural covariance networks in children and adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder after earthquake. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:923572. [PMID: 36186852 PMCID: PMC9520616 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.923572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For children and adolescents, there is a high risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after suffering from catastrophic events. Previous studies have identified brain functionally and subcortical brain volumes structurally abnormalities in this population. However, up till now, researches exploring alterations of regional cortical thickness (CTh) and brain interregional structural covariance networks (SCNs) are scarce. In this cross-sectional study, CTh measures are derived from 3-Tesla Tl-weighted MRI imaging data in a well-characterized combined group of children and adolescents with PTSD after an earthquake (N = 35) and a traumatized healthy control group (N = 24). By using surface-based morphometry (SBM) techniques, the regional CTh analysis was conducted. To map interregional SCNs derived from CTh, twenty-five altered brain regions reported in the PTSD population were selected as seeds. Whole-brain SBM analysis discovered a significant thickness reduction in the left medial orbitofrontal cortex for the subjects with PTSD. Similarly, analysis of SCNs associated with "seed" regions primarily located in default mode network (DMN), midline cortex structures, motor cortex, auditory association cortex, limbic system, and visual cortex demonstrated that children and adolescents with PTSD are associated with altered structural covariance with six key regions. This study provides evidence for distinct CTh correlates of PTSD that are present across children and adolescents, suggesting that brain cortical abnormalities related to trauma exposure are present in this population, probably by driving specific symptom clusters associated with disrupted extinction recall mechanisms for fear, episodic memory network and visuospatial attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Mo
- College of Electrical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.,Med-X Center for Informatics, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Meirong He
- College of Electrical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Lijun Zhou
- College of Electrical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yunfei Liu
- College of Electrical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Hongru Zhu
- Med-X Center for Informatics, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.,Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiaoqi Huang
- West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Guojun Zeng
- West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Junran Zhang
- College of Electrical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.,Med-X Center for Informatics, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Lingjiang Li
- Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
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Mohammadi-Farani A, Taghadosi M, Raziee S, Samimi Z. In vivo blockade of 5HT3 receptors in the infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex enhances fear extinction in a rat model of PTSD. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCES 2021; 24:776-786. [PMID: 34630955 PMCID: PMC8487606 DOI: 10.22038/ijbms.2021.54299.12197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Objectives Treatments that reverse deficits in fear extinction are promising for the management of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 5-Hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5-HT3) receptor is involved involved in the extinction of fear memories. The present work aims to investigate the role of 5HT3 receptors in the infralimbic part of the medial prefrontal cortex (IL-mPFC) in extinction of conditioned fear in the single prolonged stress (SPS) model of PTSD in rats. Materials and Methods The effect of SPS administration was evaluated on the freezing behavior in contextual and cued fear conditioning models. After the behavioral tests, levels of 5HT3 transcription in IL-mPFC were also measured in the same animals using the real-time RT-PCR method. To evaluate the possible role of local 5HT3 receptors on fear extinction, conditioned freezing was evaluated in another cohort of animals that received local microinjections of ondansetron (a 5HT3 antagonist) and ondansetron plus a 5HT3 agonist (SR 57227A) after extinction sessions. Results Our findings showed that exposure to SPS increased the freezing response in both contextual and cued fear models. We also found that SPS is associated with increased expression of 5HT3 receptors in the IL-mPFC region. Ondansetron enhanced the fear of extinction in these animals and the enhancement was blocked by the 5HT3 agonist, SR 57227A. Conclusion It seems that up-regulation of 5HT3 receptors in IL-mPFC is an important factor in the neurobiology of PTSD and blockade of these receptors could be considered a potential treatment for this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Mohammadi-Farani
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Centre, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Mahdi Taghadosi
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Sara Raziee
- Student Research Committee, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Zahra Samimi
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
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Shih CW, Chang CH. Medial or lateral orbitofrontal cortex activation during fear extinction differentially regulates fear renewal. Behav Brain Res 2021; 412:113412. [PMID: 34118296 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Some anxiety-related disorders, such as panic disorder, specific phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), develop because of the poor regulation and inappropriate expression of fear-related behavior at the wrong place and wrong time. In clinical settings, exposure therapy, which consists of repeated presentation of trauma-related stimuli without real threats in the therapeutic context, is commonly used to treat these disorders. However, 30-50 % of patients suffer from the recurrence of anxiety symptoms after they leave the therapeutic context. This behavioral phenomenon is called renewal. In this study, ABA Pavlovian fear renewal paradigm was used to assess the role of the aberrant orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) activation, a symptom of OCD patients, on fear regulation in laboratory settings. The rats were fear conditioned in one context (context A), extinguished to the tones in another context (context B), and then tested in either context A or B. During extinction, rats were subjected to lateral or medial OFC activation. We found that rats that underwent extinction with either lateral or medial OFC activation were unable to use the context to determine whether it was a safe or dangerous context during renewal test. Interestingly, the rats with lateral OFC activation during extinction showed generally high fear, whereas the rats with medial OFC activation during extinction showed generally low fear. In conclusion, our results suggested that aberrant activation of specifically the lateral OFC may have a negative impact during exposure therapy treatments and results in their poor regulation of fear-related behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Wei Shih
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsihchu, 30013, Taiwan; Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Hui Chang
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsihchu, 30013, Taiwan; Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan.
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Wang J, Tian Y, Zeng LH, Xu H. Prefrontal Disinhibition in Social Fear: A Vital Action of Somatostatin Interneurons. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:611732. [PMID: 33390908 PMCID: PMC7773700 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.611732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Social fear and avoidance of social partners and social situations represent the core behavioral symptom of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), a prevalent psychiatric disorder worldwide. The pathological mechanism of SAD remains elusive and there are no specific and satisfactory therapeutic options currently available. With the development of appropriate animal models, growing studies start to unravel neuronal circuit mechanisms underlying social fear, and underscore a fundamental role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Prefrontal cortical functions are implemented by a finely wired microcircuit composed of excitatory principal neurons (PNs) and diverse subtypes of inhibitory interneurons (INs). Disinhibition, defined as a break in inhibition via interactions between IN subtypes that enhances the output of excitatory PNs, has recently been discovered to serve as an efficient strategy in cortical information processing. Here, we review the rodent animal models of social fear, the prefrontal IN diversity, and their circuits with a particular emphasis on a novel disinhibitory microcircuit mediated by somatostatin-expressing INs in gating social fear behavior. The INs subtype distinct and microcircuit-based mechanism advances our understanding of the etiology of social fear and sheds light on developing future treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders associated with social fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuanyuan Tian
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ling-Hui Zeng
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University City College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Han Xu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University City College, Hangzhou, China
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Zelli S, Brancato A, Mattioli F, Pepe M, Alleva E, Carbone C, Cannizzaro C, Adriani W. A new "sudden fright paradigm" to explore the role of (epi)genetic modulations of the DAT gene in fear-induced avoidance behavior. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12709. [PMID: 33070435 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Alterations in dopamine (DA) reuptake are involved in several psychiatric disorders whose symptoms can be investigated in knock out rats for the DA transporter (DAT-KO). Recent studies evidenced the role of epigenetic DAT modulation in depressive-like behavior. Accordingly, we used heterozygous (HET) rats born from both HET parents (termed MIX-HET), compared to HET rats born from WT-mother and KO-father (MAT-HET), implementing the role of maternal care on DAT modulation. We developed a "sudden fright" paradigm (based on dark-light test) to study reaction to fearful inputs in the DAT-KO, MAT-HET, MIX-HET, and WT groups. Rats could freely explore the whole 3-chambers apparatus; then, they were gently confined in one room where they experienced the fright; finally, they could freely move again. As expected, after the fearful stimulus only MAT-HET rats showed a different behavior consisting of avoidance towards the fear-associated chamber, compared to WT rats. Furthermore, ex-vivo immuno-fluorescence reveals higher prefrontal DAT levels in MAT-HET compared to MIX-HET and WT rats. Immuno-fluorescence shows also a different histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes concentration. Since HDAC concentration could modulate gene expression, within MAT-HET fore brain, the enhanced expression of DAT could well impair the corticostriatal-thalamic circuit, thus causing aberrant avoidance behavior (observed only in MAT-HET rats). DAT expression seems to be linked to a simply different breeding condition, which points to a reduced care by HET dams for epigenetic regulation. This could imply significant prefronto-cortical influences onto the emotional processes: hence an excessively frightful response, even to mild stressful agents, may draw developmental trajectories toward anxious and depressed-like behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Zelli
- Center Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.,Faculty of Psychology, Università Telematica Internazionale "Uninettuno", Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Brancato
- Department of Sciences for Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties "G. D'Alessandro," University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Francesca Mattioli
- Faculty of Psychology, Università Telematica Internazionale "Uninettuno", Rome, Italy
| | - Martina Pepe
- Center Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Enrico Alleva
- Center Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristiana Carbone
- Center Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Cannizzaro
- Department of Sciences for Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties "G. D'Alessandro," University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Walter Adriani
- Center Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.,Faculty of Psychology, Università Telematica Internazionale "Uninettuno", Rome, Italy
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Ma C, Jean-Richard-dit-Bressel P, Roughley S, Vissel B, Balleine BW, Killcross S, Bradfield LA. Medial Orbitofrontal Cortex Regulates Instrumental Conditioned Punishment, but not Pavlovian Conditioned Fear. Cereb Cortex Commun 2020; 1:tgaa039. [PMID: 34296108 PMCID: PMC8152850 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgaa039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Bidirectionally aberrant medial orbitofrontal cortical (mOFC) activity has been consistently linked with compulsive disorders and related behaviors. Although rodent studies have established a causal link between mOFC excitation and compulsive-like actions, no such link has been made with mOFC inhibition. Here, we use excitotoxic lesions of mOFC to investigate its role in sensitivity to punishment; a core characteristic of many compulsive disorders. In our first experiment, we demonstrated that mOFC lesions prevented rats from learning to avoid a lever that was punished with a stimulus that coterminated with footshock. Our second experiment demonstrated that retrieval of punishment learning is also somewhat mOFC-dependent, as lesions prevented the extended retrieval of punishment contingencies relative to shams. In contrast, mOFC lesions did not prevent rats from reacquiring the ability to avoid a punished lever when it was learned prior to lesions being administered. In both experiments, Pavlovian fear conditioning to the stimulus was intact for all animals. Together, these results reveal that the mOFC regulates punishment learning and retrieval in a manner that is separate from any role in Pavlovian fear conditioning. These results imply that aberrant mOFC activity may contribute to the punishment insensitivity that is observed across multiple compulsive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra Ma
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | | | - Stephanie Roughley
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Bryce Vissel
- Centre for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
- St. Vincent’s Centre for Applied Medical Research, St. Vincent’s Hospital Sydney Limited, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Bernard W Balleine
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Simon Killcross
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Laura A Bradfield
- Centre for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
- St. Vincent’s Centre for Applied Medical Research, St. Vincent’s Hospital Sydney Limited, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
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