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Grieb ZA, Lonstein JS. Oxytocin interactions with central dopamine and serotonin systems regulate different components of motherhood. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210062. [PMID: 35858105 PMCID: PMC9272149 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of oxytocin in maternal caregiving and other postpartum behaviours has been studied for more than five decades. How oxytocin interacts with other neurochemical systems to enact these behavioural changes, however, is only slowly being elucidated. The best-studied oxytocin-neurotransmitter interaction is with the mesolimbic dopamine system, and this interaction is essential for maternal motivation and active caregiving behaviours such as retrieval of pups. Considerably less attention has been dedicated to investigating how oxytocin interacts with central serotonin to influence postpartum behaviour. Recently, it has become clear that while oxytocin-dopamine interactions regulate the motivational and pup-approach aspects of maternal caregiving behaviours, oxytocin-serotonin interactions appear to regulate nearly all other aspects including postpartum nursing, aggression, anxiety-like behaviour and stress coping strategy. Collectively, oxytocin's interactions with central dopamine and serotonin systems are thus critical for the entire suite of behavioural adaptations exhibited in the postpartum period, and these sites of interaction are potential pharmacological targets for where oxytocin could help to ameliorate deficits in maternal caregiving and poor postpartum mental health. This article is part of the theme issue 'Interplays between oxytocin and other neuromodulators in shaping complex social behaviours'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary A. Grieb
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Joseph S. Lonstein
- Psychology Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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2
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Viñas-Noguera M, Csatlósová K, Šimončičová E, Bögi E, Ujházy E, Dubovický M, Belovičová K. Sex- and age- dependent effect of pre-gestational chronic stress and mirtazapine treatment on neurobehavioral development of Wistar rat offspring. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0255546. [PMID: 35113878 PMCID: PMC8812964 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Hormonal fluctuations, such as the perinatal period, may increase susceptibility of women to depression, which in turn exert a negative impact on child's neurodevelopment, becoming a risk factor in development of neuropsychiatric disorders. Moreover, the use of antidepressants during this critical period presents a serious health concern for both the mother and the child, due to the consequences of treatment in terms of the reliability and safety for the proper neurodevelopment of the organism being not well known. Atypical antidepressants, such as mirtazapine, that targets both serotonergic and noradrenergic systems in the central nervous system (CNS), represent a novel focus of research due to its unique pharmacological profile. The aim of this work was to study the effects of maternal depression and/or perinatal antidepressant mirtazapine treatment on the neurobehavioral development of the offspring. Pre-gestationally chronically stressed or non-stressed Wistar rat dams were treated with either mirtazapine (10 mg/kg/day) or vehicle during pregnancy and lactation followed by analysis of offspring's behavior at juvenile and adolescent age. We found mirtazapine induced significant alterations of nursing behavior. In offspring, pregestational stress (PS) had an anxiogenic effect on adolescent males (p≤0.05) and increased their active behavior in forced swim test (p≤0.01). Interaction between pregestational stress and mirtazapine treatment variously induced anxiolytic changes of juvenile (p≤0.05) and adolescent (p≤0.05) females and impairment of spatial memory (p≤0.01) in adolescent females as well. Hippocampal density of synaptophysin, pre-synaptic protein marker, was decreased mainly by mirtazapine treatment. In conclusion, our results show mirtazapine induced significant alterations in maternal behavior and several sex- and age-dependent changes in neurobehavioral development of offspring caused by both prenatal mirtazapine treatment and/or chronic pregestational stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mireia Viñas-Noguera
- Centre of Experimental Medicine, Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Kristína Csatlósová
- Centre of Experimental Medicine, Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Martin, Slovakia
| | - Eva Šimončičová
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Ezster Bögi
- Centre of Experimental Medicine, Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Eduard Ujházy
- Centre of Experimental Medicine, Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Michal Dubovický
- Centre of Experimental Medicine, Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Kristína Belovičová
- Centre of Experimental Medicine, Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
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Gao J, Nie L, Li Y, Li M. Serotonin 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors regulate rat maternal behavior through distinct behavioral and neural mechanisms. Neuropharmacology 2020; 162:107848. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.107848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Pawluski JL, Li M, Lonstein JS. Serotonin and motherhood: From molecules to mood. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 53:100742. [PMID: 30878665 PMCID: PMC6541513 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Emerging research points to a valuable role of the monoamine neurotransmitter, serotonin, in the display of maternal behaviors and reproduction-associated plasticity in the maternal brain. Serotonin is also implicated in the pathophysiology of numerous affective disorders and likely plays an important role in the pathophysiology of maternal mental illness. Therefore, the main goals of this review are to detail: (1) how the serotonin system of the female brain changes across pregnancy and postpartum; (2) the role of the central serotonergic system in maternal caregiving and maternal aggression; and (3) how the serotonin system and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications (SSRIs) are involved in the treatment of maternal mental illness. Although there is much work to be done, studying the central serotonin system's multifaceted role in the maternal brain is vital to our understanding of the processes governing matrescence and the maintenance of motherhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodi L Pawluski
- Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail), UMR_S 1085, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Ming Li
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA.
| | - Joseph S Lonstein
- Neuroscience Program & Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
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Gao J, Chen L, Li M. 5-HT 2A receptors modulate dopamine D 2-mediated maternal effects. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2019; 180:32-43. [PMID: 30904543 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2019.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Revised: 02/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Serotonin 5-HT2A receptors are expressed throughout the mesolimbic and mesocortical dopamine pathways, and manipulation of this receptor system has a profound impact on dopamine functions and dopamine-mediated behaviors. It is highly likely that 5-HT2A receptors may also modulate the D2-mediated maternal effects. The present study investigated this issue and also explored the possible behavioral mechanisms. We tested the effects of two D2 drugs (an agonist quinpirole: 0.5, 1.0 mg/kg, and a potent D2 antagonist haloperidol: 0.05, 0.10 mg/kg, sc) and their combinations with two 5-HT2A drugs (a selective 5-HT2A agonist TCB-2: 2.5 mg/kg, and 5-HT2A antagonist MDL100907, 1.0 mg/kg, sc) on maternal behavior in Sprague-Dawley postpartum females. Individually, TCB-2 (2.5 mg/kg, sc) and quinpirole (0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg, sc) reduced pup preference and disrupted home-cage maternal behavior. In contrast, haloperidol (0.10 mg/kg, sc) only disrupted home-cage maternal behavior, but did not suppress pup preference. MDL100907 (1.0 mg/kg, sc) by itself had no effect on either pup preference or maternal behavior. When administered in combination, pretreatment of TCB-2 did not alter quinpirole's disruption of pup preference and home-cage maternal behavior (possibly due to the floor effect), however, it did enhance haloperidol's disruption of pup retrieval in the home cage. MDL100907 had no effect both quinpirole's and haloperidol's disruption of pup preference and home-cage maternal behavior. Interestingly, haloperidol attenuated TCB-2's disruptive effect on pup preference. These findings suggest that activation of 5-HT2A receptors tends to enhance D2-mediated maternal disruption, whereas blockade of 5-HT2A receptors is less effective. They also suggest that 5-HT2A receptors may have a direct effect on maternal behavior independent of their interaction with D2 receptors. The possible behavioral and neural mechanisms by which 5-HT2A- and D2-mediated maternal effects and their interaction are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Gao
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China; Chongqing Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing, China.
| | - Leilei Chen
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China
| | - Ming Li
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA; Chongqing Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing, China.
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Gan L, Sun M, Chen W. 5‑Hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor inverse agonist pimavanserin impairs maternal behavior in postpartum female rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2018; 175:152-159. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2018.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Revised: 09/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Nie L, Di T, Li Y, Cheng P, Li M, Gao J. Blockade of serotonin 5-HT 2A receptors potentiates dopamine D 2 activation-induced disruption of pup retrieval on an elevated plus maze, but has no effect on D 2 blockade-induced one. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2018; 171:74-84. [PMID: 29944910 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2018.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2018] [Revised: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Appetitive aspect of rat maternal behavior, such as pup retrieval, is motivationally driven and sensitive to dopamine disturbances. Activation or blockade of dopamine D2 receptors causes a similar disruption of pup retrieval, which may also reflect an increase in maternal anxiety and/or a disruption of executive function. Recent work indicates that serotonin 5-HT2A receptors also play an important role in rat maternal behavior. Given the well-known modulation of 5-HT2A on the mesolimbic and mesocortical dopamine functions, the present study examined the extent to which blockade of 5-HT2A receptors on dopamine D2-mediated maternal effects using a pup retrieval on the elevated plus maze (EPM) test. Sprague-Dawley postpartum female rats were acutely injected with quinpirole (a D2 agonist, 0.10 and 0.25 mg/kg, sc), or haloperidol (a D2 antagonist, 0.1 or 0.2 mg/kg, sc), in combination of MDL100907 (a 5-HT2A receptor antagonist, 1.0 mg/kg, sc, 30 min before quinpirole or haloperidol injection) or saline and tested at 30, 90 and 240 min after quinpirole or haloperidol injection on postpartum days 3 and 7. Quinpirole and haloperidol decreased the number of pup retrieved (an index of maternal motivation) and sequential retrieval score (an index of executive function), prolonged the pup retrieval latencies, reduced the percentage of time spent on the open arms (an index of maternal anxiety), and decreased the distance travelled on the maze in a dose-dependent and time-dependent fashion. MDL100907 treatment by itself had no effect on pup retrieval, but it exacerbated the quinpirole-induced disruption of pup retrieval, but had no effect on the haloperidol-induced one. These findings suggest a complex interactive effect between 5-HT2A and D2 receptors on one or several maternal processes (maternal motivation, anxiety and executive function), and support the idea that one molecular mechanism by which 5-HT2A receptors mediate maternal behavior is through its modulation of D2 receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Nie
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Ministry of Education, China
| | - Tianqi Di
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Ministry of Education, China
| | - Yu Li
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Ministry of Education, China
| | - Peng Cheng
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Ministry of Education, China
| | - Ming Li
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; Chongqing Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA.
| | - Jun Gao
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Ministry of Education, China; Chongqing Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing, China.
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Holschbach MA, Vitale EM, Lonstein JS. Serotonin-specific lesions of the dorsal raphe disrupt maternal aggression and caregiving in postpartum rats. Behav Brain Res 2018; 348:53-64. [PMID: 29653128 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Revised: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The behavioral modifications associated with early motherhood, which include high aggression, caring for the young, and low anxiety, are all affected by acute pharmacological manipulation of serotonin signaling. However, the effects on all these behaviors of permanently disrupting serotonin signaling from one of its primary sources, the dorsal raphe nucleus (DR), have not been examined in detail. To address this, serotonin-specific lesions centered on the dorsomedial DR (DRdm; DR subregion strongly implicated in emotional behaviors) were induced at mid-pregnancy (day 15) or early postpartum (day 2) in rats using a saporin-conjugated neurotoxin targeting the serotonin transporter (Anti-SERT-SAP). Prepartum or postpartum Anti-SERT-SAP reduced DRdm serotonin immunoreactivity by ∼40-65%, and postpartum Anti-SERT-SAP also reduced it in the ventromedial and lateral wings of the DR, as well as in the median raphe. Serotonin-immunoreactive fibers were significantly reduced in the anterior hypothalamus, but not medial preoptic area, of lesioned dams. Pre- or postpartum lesions both greatly reduced maternal aggression, but while prepartum lesions did not affect later undisturbed maternal caregiving, the larger postpartum lesions prevented the postpartum decline in kyphotic nursing and reduced pup licking. Serotonin lesions did not affect pup retrieval, but the prepartum lesions temporarily increased maternal hovering over and licking the pups observed immediately after the disruptive retrieval tests. Dams' anxiety-like behaviors and litter weight gains were unaffected by the lesions. These findings suggest that DRdm serotonin projecting to the AH is particularly critical for maternal aggression, but that more widespread disruption of midbrain raphe serotonin is necessary to greatly impair maternal caregiving. Postpartum anxiety may rely more on other neurochemical systems or different midbrain serotonergic cell populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Allie Holschbach
- Neuroscience Program, 108 Giltner Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Erika M Vitale
- Department of Psychology, 108 Giltner Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Joseph S Lonstein
- Neuroscience Program, 108 Giltner Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA; Department of Psychology, 108 Giltner Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
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Li X, Ding X, Wu R, Chen L, Gao J, Hu G, Li M. A behavioral mechanistic investigation of the role of 5-HT 1A receptors in the mediation of rat maternal behavior. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2018; 169:16-26. [PMID: 29649502 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2018.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2017] [Revised: 04/06/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Previous work suggests that 5-HT1A receptors play a special role in rodent maternal aggression, but not in other aspects of maternal care (e.g. pup retrieval and nest building). The present study re-assessed the basic effects of 5-HT1A activation or blockade on various maternal responses in postpartum female rats. We also examined the possible behavioral mechanisms underlying the maternal effects of 5-HT1A. Sprague-Dawley mother rats were injected with a 5-HT1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT (0.1, 0.5 or 1.0 mg/kg, sc), a 5-HT1A antagonist WAY-101405 (0.1, 0.5 or 1.0 mg/kg, sc) or 0.9% saline solution on postpartum days 3, 5, and 7. Maternal behavior was tested 30 min before, 30 min, 120 min, and 240 min after the injection. Acute and repeated 8-OH-DPAT treatment significantly disrupted pup retrieval, pup licking, nursing, and nest building in a dose-dependent fashion, whereas WAY-101405 had no effect at the tested doses. The 5-HT1A receptor specificity of 8-OH-DPAT's action was confirmed as its maternal disruption effect was reversed by pretreatment of WAY-100635 (a highly selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist). Subsequent pup preference test found that 8-OH-DPAT did not decrease the pup preference over a novel object, thus no inhibition on maternal motivation or maternal affect. The pup separation test and pup retrieval on an elevated plus maze test also failed to find any motivational and motor impairment effect with 8-OH-DPAT. However, 8-OH-DPAT at the maternal disruptive dose did disrupt the prepulse inhibition (a measure of attentional function) of acoustic startle response and enhanced the basal startle response. These findings suggest that stimulation of 5-HT1A receptors by 8-OH-DPAT impairs maternal care by partially interfering with the attentional processing or basal anxiety. More work is needed to further delineate the psychological and neuronal mechanisms underlying the maternal disruptive effect of 5-HT1A receptor activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaonan Li
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, The First Peoples's Hospital of Changzhou, 185 Juqian Street, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213003, China; Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA
| | - Xiaojing Ding
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 138 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China; Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA
| | - Ruiyong Wu
- Department of Animal Behavior, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China; Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA
| | - Leilei Chen
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Jun Gao
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Gang Hu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 138 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China.
| | - Ming Li
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA.
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Behavioral mechanisms underlying the maternal disruptive effect of serotonin 5-HT 2A receptor activation in Sprague-Dawley rats. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2018; 125:1065-1075. [PMID: 29616335 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-018-1878-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Recent evidence indicates that acute activation of 5-HT2A receptors causes a disruption of maternal behavior in rats. However, the behavioral mechanisms underlying such a disruption are not known. We addressed this issue using two behavioral approaches targeting the maternal motivational and emotional processing systems. First, we used the pup-separation technique to increase maternal motivation to see whether pup separation is capable of reducing the maternal disruptive effect of TCB-2 (a high-affinity 5-HT2A agonist) treatment. On postpartum days 4 and 6, different groups of Sprague-Dawley dams were treated with the TCB-2 (5.0 mg/kg, sc) or vehicle and their maternal behaviors were tested after either a 4-h pup-separation or no-pup-separation condition. Although acute TCB-2 injection disrupted maternal behavior, this disruption was not attenuated by pup separation, even after we optimized the timing of separation to maximize its increase on maternal motivation. Acute TCB-2 also impaired the retrieval of food pellets, suggesting a general effect on motivated behaviors. Next, we used a pup preference test and found that dams treated with TCB-2 exhibited an even stronger preference to pups over a male conspecific than vehicle-treated dams, indicating an enhanced motivational and emotional processing of the rewarding property of pups. These findings suggest that TCB-2 has a disruptive effect on rat maternal behavior, and this disruption is not likely due to the drug's effect on mothers' motivational and emotional processing of the incentive salience of pups, although this motivational suppression account cannot be completely ruled out. Future work could explore other possible behavioral mechanisms, such as the drug's effect on executive function.
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Sun M, Huang P, Wang Y, Chen W. Anticonvulsants lamotrigine and riluzole disrupt maternal behavior in postpartum female rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2018; 168:43-50. [PMID: 29572014 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2018.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Revised: 03/18/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Maternal behavior is a highly motivated and well-organized social behavior. Previous studies have reported that anticonvulsants are frequently used in postpartum bipolar disorder. However, the maternal disruptive effect of the anticonvulsants has not been explored. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of anticonvulsants lamotrigine and riluzole on maternal behavior in postpartum female rats. On postpartum Day 3, Sprague-Dawley mother rats were given a single intraperitoneal injection of vehicle, lamotrigine (15, 25, 35 mg/kg), or riluzole (2, 4, 8 mg/kg). Maternal behavior was tested 30 min before and after injection. Animals treated with lamotrigine or riluzole had a longer pup retrieval latency, retrieved fewer pups into the nest, spent less time on nursing pups, as well as on building the disturbed nest, and animals treated with riluzole spent less time on pup licking. Whereas, the drugs in the tested doses did not shorten the total duration of behavior unrelated to maternal behavior. Overall, these data indicate that lamotrigine and riluzole disrupt major components of maternal behavior in postpartum female rats, but do not inhibit the behaviors unrelated to maternal behavior, which indicates that the maternal disruptive effect is not due to nonspecific sedative effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Sun
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Pan Huang
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Weihai Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
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Onaolapo OJ, Paul TB, Onaolapo AY. Comparative effects of sertraline, haloperidol or olanzapine treatments on ketamine-induced changes in mouse behaviours. Metab Brain Dis 2017; 32:1475-1489. [PMID: 28508340 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-017-0031-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Effects of sertraline, haloperidol or olanzapine administration on ketamine-induced behaviours in mice were examined. The aim was to ascertain the degree of reversal of such behaviours by sertraline, and compare its effectiveness to haloperidol and olanzapine. Ten-week old mice (N = 120) were equally divided into main groups; 1 (open-field, radial-arm maze and elevated plus maze {EPM} tests), and 2 (social interaction test). Mice in each main group were assigned into six groups of ten (n = 10) each. Group 1 received intraperitoneal (i.p) injection of vehicle, while groups 2-6 received i.p ketamine at 15 mg/kg daily for 10 days. From day 11 to 24, mice in group 1 (vehicle) were given distilled water (i.p at 2 ml/kg and oral at 10 ml/kg), group 2 (ketamine control) received daily i.p ketamine and oral distilled water; while animals in groups 3-6 received daily i.p. ketamine and oral haloperidol (4 mg/kg), olanzapine (2 mg/kg), or one of two doses of sertraline (SERT) (2.5 or 5 mg/kg), respectively. Treatments were administered daily, and behaviours assessed on days 11 and 24. Results showed that repeated ketamine administration caused hyperlocomotion, increased self-grooming, memory loss and social withdrawal. Administration of sertraline (both doses), haloperidol, and olanzapine reversed ketamine-induced behavioural changes. However, in the EPM, sertraline and olanzapine were anxiolytic, while haloperidol was anxiogenic. Sertraline's effect on behaviours tested was comparable to olanzapine and better than haloperidol. In conclusion, this study shows that sertraline's ability to counteract ketamine-induced behavioural changes in mice is comparable to known antipsychotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- O J Onaolapo
- Department of Pharmacology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria.
| | - T B Paul
- Department of Anatomy, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria
| | - A Y Onaolapo
- Department of Anatomy, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria.
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Activation of 5-HT 2A receptor disrupts rat maternal behavior. Neuropharmacology 2017; 128:96-105. [PMID: 28965828 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.09.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Revised: 08/26/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Serotonin 5-HT2A receptor is widely distributed in the central nervous system and plays an important role in sensorimotor function, emotion regulation, motivation, executive control, learning and memory. We investigated its role in rat maternal behavior, a naturalistic behavior encompassing many psychological functions that the 5-HT2A receptor is involved in. We first showed that activation of 5-HT2A receptor by TCB-2 (a highly selective 5-HT2A agonist, 1, 2.5 or 5.0 mg/kg) disrupted maternal behavior dose-dependently, and this effect was reduced by pretreatment with a 5-HT2A receptor antagonist MDL 100907, but exacerbated by pretreatment with a 5-HT2C receptor antagonist SB242084 and a 5-HT2C receptor agonist MK212, indicating that the maternal disruptive effect of 5-HT2A activation is receptor-specific and can be modulated by 5-HT2C receptor bidirectionally. We then microinjected TCB-2 into two brain regions important for the normal expression of maternal behavior: the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the medial preoptic area (mPOA) and found that only acute intra-mPFC infusion of TCB-2 suppressed pup retrieval, whereas intra-mPOA had no effect. Finally, using c-Fos immunohistochemistry, we identified that the ventral bed nucleus of stria terminalis (vBNST), the central amygdala (CeA), and the dorsal raphe (DR) were additionally involved in the maternal-disruptive effect of TCB-2. These findings suggest that the 5-HT2A receptor in the mPFC and other maternally related regions is required for the normal expression of maternal behavior through its intrinsic action or interactions with other receptors (e.g. 5-HT2C). Functional disruption of this neuroreceptor system might contribute to postpartum mental disorders (e.g. depression and psychosis) that impair the quality of maternal care.
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Avraham Y, Hants Y, Vorobeiv L, Staum M, Abu Ahmad W, Mankuta D, Galun E, Arbel-Alon S. Brain neurotransmitters in an animal model with postpartum depressive-like behavior. Behav Brain Res 2017; 326:307-321. [PMID: 28300619 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Post-Partum Depression (PPD) occurs in 15% of pregnancies and its patho-physiology is not known. We studied female BALB/c ("depressive") and C57BL/6 (control) mice as a model for PPD and assessed their behavior and correlates with brain neurotransmitters (NTs) - norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin and intermediates, during the pre-pregnancy (PREP), pregnancy (PREG) and post-partum (PP) periods. Depressive-like behavior was evaluated by the Open Field (OFT), Tail Suspension (TST) and Forced Swim (FST) tests. Neurotransmitters (NTs) were determined in the striatum (care-giving), hippocampus (cognitive function) and hypothalamus (maternal care & eating behavior). In the BALB/c mice, while their performance in all behavioral tests was significantly reduced during pregnancy and P-P indicative of the development of depressive-like responses, no changes were observed in the C57BL/6 mice. Changes in NTs in BALB/C were as follows: PREP, all NTs in the three brain areas were decreased, although an increase in dopamine release was observed in the hippocampus. PREG: No changes were observed in the NTs except for a decrease in 5-HT in the striatum. P-P: striatum, low 5-HT, NE and dopamine; Hippocampus: low 5-HT, NE and high Dopamine; hypothalamus: all NTs increased, especially NE. Following pregnancy and delivery, the BALB/c mice developed depressive-like behavior associated with a significant decrease in 5-HT, dopamine and NE in the striatum and 5-HT and NE in the hippocampus. Dopamine increased in the latter together with a significant increase in all NTs in the hypothalamus. These findings suggest that the development of PPD may be associated with NT changes. Normalization of these alterations may have a role in the treatment of PPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Avraham
- Department of Metabolism and Human Nutrition, Braun School of Public Health, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Y Hants
- Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - L Vorobeiv
- Department of Metabolism and Human Nutrition, Braun School of Public Health, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - M Staum
- Department of Metabolism and Human Nutrition, Braun School of Public Health, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Wiessam Abu Ahmad
- Department of Metabolism and Human Nutrition, Braun School of Public Health, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - D Mankuta
- Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - E Galun
- Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - S Arbel-Alon
- Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel
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Behavioral, pharmacological and neuroanatomical analysis of serotonin 2C receptor agonism on maternal behavior in rats. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2016; 73:252-262. [PMID: 27566488 PMCID: PMC5048576 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2016] [Revised: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
As a highly motivated social behavior, maternal behavior in rats has been routinely used to study psychoactive drugs for clinical, neuroscience and pharmacological purposes. Recent evidence indicates that acute activation of serotonin 2C (5-HT2C) receptors causes a disruption of rat maternal behavior. The present study was designed to elucidate the behavioral, pharmacological mechanisms and neuroanatomical basis of this 5-HT2C effect. First, we replicated the finding that acute MK212 injection (2.0mg/kg, a highly selective 5-HT2C agonist) disrupts maternal behavior, especially on pup retrieval. Interestingly, this disruption was significantly attenuated by 4-h pup separation (a procedure putatively increased maternal motivation). MK212 also suppressed food retrieval, indicating that it has a general effect on motivated behaviors. Second, we showed that MK212 disrupts maternal behavior by specifically activating 5-HT2C receptor, as pretreatment with a 5-HT2C receptor antagonist SB242084 (0.6 and 1.0mg/kg) alleviated MK212-induced disruption on pup retrieval. Third, we microinjected MK212 into various brain regions implicated in the regulation of maternal behavior: nucleus accumbens shell (25, 75, 250ng/0.5μl/side), medial prefrontal cortex (25 and 250ng, 1, 2 and 5μg/0.5μl/side), and medial preoptic area (MPOA, 75ng, 1 and 5μg/0.5μl/side). Pup retrieval and other maternal responses were not affected by any of these manipulations. Finally, we used c-Fos immunohistochemistry to identify the central mechanisms of the acute and repeated MK212 effects on maternal behavior. Acute MK212 (2.0mg/kg) disrupted pup retrieval and concurrently decreased c-Fos expression in the ventral part of lateral septal nucleus (LSv), MPOA, dentate gyrus (DG) and dorsal raphe (DR), but increased it in the central amygdala (CeA). Five days of repeated MK212 (2.0mg/kg) treatment produced a persistent disruption of pup retrieval and only decreased c-Fos expression in the DR. These findings not only confirm a role of 5-HT2C receptor in rat maternal behavior, but also suggest that the coordinated 5-HT2C activity in various limbic (e.g., LSv, DG, CeA), hypothalamic regions (e.g., MPOA) and brainstem areas (e.g. DR), is likely involved in the mediation of important psychological processes (e.g. motor function, motivation) necessary for the normal expression of maternal behavior.
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Abstract
Rat maternal behavior is a complex social behavior. Many clinically used antipsychotic drugs, including the typical drug haloperidol and the atypical drugs clozapine, risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, aripiprazole, and amisulpride, disrupt active maternal responses (e.g. pup retrieval, pup licking, and nest building) to various extents. In this review, I present a summary of recent studies on the behavioral effects and neurobiological mechanisms of antipsychotic action on maternal behavior in rats. I argue that antipsychotic drugs at clinically relevant doses disrupt active maternal responses primarily by suppressing maternal motivation. Atypical drug-induced sedation also contributes to their disruptive effects, especially that on pup nursing. Among many potential receptor mechanisms, dopamine D2 receptors and serotonin 5-HT2A/2C receptors are shown to be critically involved in the mediation of the maternal disruptive effects of antipsychotic drugs, with D2 receptors contributing more to typical antipsychotic-induced disruptions, whereas 5-HT2A/2C receptors contributing more to atypical drug-induced disruptions. The nucleus accumbens shell-related reward circuitry is an essential neural network in the mediation of the behavioral effects of antipsychotic drugs on maternal behavior. This research not only helps understand the extent and mechanisms of impact of antipsychotic medications on human maternal care, but is also important for enhancing our understanding of the neurochemical basis of maternal behavior. It is also valuable for understanding the complete spectrum of therapeutic effects and side-effects of antipsychotic treatment. This knowledge may facilitate the development of effective intervening strategies to help patients coping with such undesirable effects.
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Harding KM, Lonstein JS. Extensive juvenile “babysitting” facilitates later adult maternal responsiveness, decreases anxiety, and increases dorsal raphe tryptophan hydroxylase-2 expression in female laboratory rats. Dev Psychobiol 2016; 58:492-508. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.21392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Accepted: 12/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn M. Harding
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology; Michigan State University; East Lansing MI 48824
| | - Joseph S. Lonstein
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology; Michigan State University; East Lansing MI 48824
- Neuroscience Program; Michigan State University; East Lansing MI 48824
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Yang Y, Qin J, Chen W, Sui N, Chen H, Li M. Behavioral and pharmacological investigation of anxiety and maternal responsiveness of postpartum female rats in a pup elevated plus maze. Behav Brain Res 2015; 292:414-27. [PMID: 26159828 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Revised: 06/28/2015] [Accepted: 07/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The present study investigated the validity of a novel pup-based repeated elevated plus maze task to detect reduced anxiety and increased maternal responsiveness in postpartum female rats and explored the roles of dopamine D2, serotonin transporter and GABA/benzodiazepine receptors in the mediation of these processes. Sprague-Dawley postpartum or nulliparous female rats were tested 4 times every other day on postpartum days 4, 6 and 8 in an elevated plus maze with 4 pups or 4 pup-size erasers placed on each end of the two open arms. When tested with erasers, untreated postpartum mother rats entered the open arms proportionally more than nulliparous rats. They also tended to spend more time in the open arms, indicating reduced anxiety. When tested with pups, postpartum rats retrieved pups into the closed arms, entered the open arms and closed arms more and had a higher moving speed than nulliparous rats, indicating increased maternal responsiveness. Both haloperidol (0.1 or 0.2 mg/kg, sc) and fluoxetine (5 or 10 mg/kg, ip) dose- and time-dependently decreased the percentage of time spent in the open arms and speed, but did not affect the percentage of open arm entries. Diazepam (1.0 or 2.0 mg/kg, ip) did not affect pup retrieval, open arm time/entry in lactating rats. Thus, the percentage of open arm entries appears to be the most sensitive measure of anxiety in postpartum female rats, while speed could be used to index maternal responsiveness to pups, which are likely mediated by the dopamine D2 and serotonin transporter systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Yang
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jingxue Qin
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Weihai Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Nan Sui
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
| | - Ming Li
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA.
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Alfimova MV, Golimbet VE, Korovaitseva GI, Abramova LI, Kaleda VG. Association between serotonin receptor 2C gene Cys23Ser polymorphism and social behavior in schizophrenia patients and healthy individuals. RUSS J GENET+ 2015. [DOI: 10.1134/s1022795415010020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Angoa-Pérez M, Kuhn DM. Neuronal serotonin in the regulation of maternal behavior in rodents. NEUROTRANSMITTER (HOUSTON, TEX.) 2015; 2:e615. [PMID: 27148594 PMCID: PMC4852377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Maternal behavior is probably the most important pro-social behavior in female mammals, ensuring both the development and survival of her offspring. Signals driving maternal behaviors are complex and involve several brain areas, most of which are innervated by serotonin. Serotonin transmission influences maternal processes indirectly through release of maternally-relevant hormones such as prolactin, oxytocin and vasopressin, but it can also have more direct effects on survival and the growth rate of offspring, as well as on maternal care, aggression and pup killing. This article aims to examine the basics of the components of maternal behaviors in rodents and the neural systems underpinning these maternal responses with special emphasis on the role of neural serotonin in the regulation of these behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Angoa-Pérez
- Research & Development Service, John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, Detroit, MI 48201, USA; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
| | - Donald M Kuhn
- Research & Development Service, John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, Detroit, MI 48201, USA; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
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