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Almehmadi K, Fourman S, Buesing D, Ulrich-Lai YM. Western diet-induced obesity interferes with the HPA axis-blunting effects of palatable food in male rats. Physiol Behav 2023; 270:114285. [PMID: 37392828 PMCID: PMC10529817 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
Limited intermittent consumption of palatable food reduces HPA axis responses to stress in chow-fed rats, and this effect is dependent on the rewarding properties of the palatable food. However, obesity may be a state of reduced consummatory food reward, suggesting that palatable foods may be less effective at blunting HPA axis reactivity in the context of diet-induced obesity (DIO). To test this hypothesis, adult male Long-Evans rats were given unlimited access to Western (high-fat, high-sugar) diet (WD) vs. normal chow (controls). After 8 weeks of diet exposure, rats were given limited sucrose intake (LSI) consisting of additional twice-daily access to a small amount (4 ml) of either 3% or 30% sucrose drink, or water (controls) for 2 weeks. Rats then received an acute restraint stress challenge, with collection of tail blood samples for measurement of plasma corticosterone. WD-fed rats had increased caloric intake, body weight and adiposity, as expected. Rats offered LSI (3% or 30%) readily drank the maximal amount allowed (8 ml/day) and reduced their dietary intake to compensate for the sucrose calories, such that LSI did not alter body weight regardless of diet type. In chow-fed lean rats, LSI with either 3% or 30% sucrose reduced the plasma corticosterone response to restraint stress, but this effect was absent in WD-fed DIO rats. Together, these data support the hypothesis that obesity attenuates stress blunting by palatable foods and suggest the possibility that consequently, individuals with obesity may need to consume larger amounts of palatable food to obtain adequate stress relief.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khulood Almehmadi
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH, 45237, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, SA
| | - Sarah Fourman
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH, 45237, USA
| | - Dana Buesing
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH, 45237, USA
| | - Yvonne M Ulrich-Lai
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH, 45237, USA.
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2
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Iyasere OS, Durosaro SO, Oyeniran VJ, Daramola JO. Is an increase of glucocorticoid concentrations related to the degree of arousal or valence experienced by an animal to a stimulus? Domest Anim Endocrinol 2022; 81:106752. [PMID: 35868218 DOI: 10.1016/j.domaniend.2022.106752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Animal welfare is the quality of life as perceived by the animal itself. It is also the state of an animal in its attempt to cope with its environment. Animal welfare has high ethics and economic importance. Thus the need to develop parameters for assessing animal welfare. An acute increase in glucocorticoid (GC) concentration is necessary for adaptation to a stressful situation. Glucocorticoids also play a significant role in metabolic, cardiovascular, and immune systems. Glucocorticoid enhances effective learning through the hippocampus and other normal body functions. That is why we remember events (either positive or negative) associated with strong emotions. Long-term secretion of GCs has catabolic effects. Thus, affecting animal health. Measuring GC is one of the ways of assessing animal welfare. But, high GC concentration does not only indicate pain or suffering. We report that stress and emotion trigger similar physiological responses. So, measuring GC levels cannot differentiate between positive and negative states. We conclude that GC shows circadian rhythms and episodic spikes in some species. Values from a single sample point are not reliable to make conclusions about a condition. Training animals for blood collection may reduce stress. Thus not causing bias in the GC concentration measured.
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Affiliation(s)
- O S Iyasere
- Department of Animal Physiology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State Nigeria.
| | - S O Durosaro
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria
| | - V J Oyeniran
- Department of Animal Physiology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State Nigeria
| | - J O Daramola
- Department of Animal Physiology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State Nigeria
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3
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Ågmo A, Laan E. Sexual incentive motivation, sexual behavior, and general arousal: Do rats and humans tell the same story? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104595. [PMID: 35231490 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Sexual incentive stimuli activate sexual motivation and heighten the level of general arousal. The sexual motive may induce the individual to approach the incentive, and eventually to initiate sexual acts. Both approach and the ensuing copulatory interaction further enhance general arousal. We present data from rodents and humans in support of these assertions. We then suggest that orgasm is experienced when the combined level of excitation surpasses a threshold. In order to analyze the neurobiological bases of sexual motivation, we employ the concept of a central motive state. We then discuss the mechanisms involved in the long- and short-term control of that state as well as those mediating the momentaneous actions of sexual incentive stimuli. This leads to an analysis of the neurobiology behind the interindividual differences in responsivity of the sexual central motive state. Knowledge is still fragmentary, and many contradictory observations have been made. Nevertheless, we conclude that the basic mechanisms of sexual motivation and the role of general arousal are similar in rodents and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Ågmo
- Department of Psychology, University of Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Ellen Laan
- Department of Sexology and Psychosomatic Gynaecology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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4
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Fourman S, Buesing D, Girvin S, Nashawi H, Ulrich-Lai YM. Limited cheese intake reduces HPA axis and behavioral stress responses in male rats. Physiol Behav 2021; 242:113614. [PMID: 34600921 PMCID: PMC8768985 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Eating palatable foods reduces behavioral and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis responses to stress - an idea referred to by the colloquial term "comfort" food. To study the underlying stress-relieving mechanisms of palatable foods, we previously developed a paradigm of limited sucrose feeding in which male rats are given twice-daily access to a small amount of sucrose drink and subsequently have reduced stress responses. Prior research in humans and rodents implicates high dietary sugars/carbohydrates with reduced stress responsivity. However, it is not clear whether the stress-relieving effects of the limited sucrose paradigm depend upon its macronutrient content. To test this idea, the current work measures stress responses in male rats following the limited intermittent intake of cheese - a highly palatable food that is low in sugar and other carbohydrates. The data show that a history of limited cheese intake (LCI) reduced HPA axis responses to acute psychological (restraint) and physiological (hypoxia) stressors. LCI also reduced behavioral struggling during restraint, increased sociability during a social interaction test, and increased open arm activity in the elevated plus-maze test. Z-score analyses evaluated the extent to which these behavioral effects extended within and across assays, and indicated that there was an overall reduction in stress-related behaviors following LCI. Finally, LCI increased immunolabeling for FosB/deltaFosB (a protein associated with repeated or chronic neuronal activation) in the nucleus accumbens. These results indicate that palatable foods can provide stress blunting regardless of their sugar/carbohydrate composition, and support the idea that food reward per se contributes to stress relief.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Fourman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH, 45237, USA
| | - Dana Buesing
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH, 45237, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH, 45237, USA
| | - Sean Girvin
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH, 45237, USA
| | - Houda Nashawi
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH, 45237, USA
| | - Yvonne M Ulrich-Lai
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH, 45237, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH, 45237, USA.
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5
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Egan AE, Thompson AMK, Buesing D, Fourman SM, Packard AEB, Terefe T, Li D, Wang X, Song S, Solomon MB, Ulrich-Lai YM. Palatable Food Affects HPA Axis Responsivity and Forebrain Neurocircuitry in an Estrous Cycle-specific Manner in Female Rats. Neuroscience 2018; 384:224-240. [PMID: 29852242 PMCID: PMC6071329 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Eating palatable foods can provide stress relief, but the mechanisms by which this occurs are unclear. We previously characterized a limited sucrose intake (LSI) paradigm in which twice-daily access to a small amount of 30% sucrose (vs. water as a control) reduces hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis responses to stress and alters neuronal activation in stress-regulatory brain regions in male rats. However, women may be more prone to 'comfort feeding' behaviors than men, and stress-related eating may vary across the menstrual cycle. This suggests that LSI effects may be sex- and estrous cycle-dependent. The present study therefore investigated the effects of LSI on HPA axis stress responsivity, as well as markers of neuronal activation/plasticity in stress- and reward-related neurocircuitry in female rats across the estrous cycle. We found that LSI reduced post-restraint stress plasma ACTH in female rats specifically during proestrus/estrus (P/E). LSI also increased basal (non-stress) FosB/deltaFosB- and pCREB-immunolabeling in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and central amygdala specifically during P/E. Finally, Bayesian network modeling of the FosB/deltaFosB and pCREB expression data identified a neurocircuit that includes the BLA, nucleus accumbens, prefrontal cortex, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis as likely being modified by LSI during P/E. When considered in the context of our prior results, the present findings suggest that palatable food reduces stress responses in female rats similar to males, but in an estrous cycle-dependent manner. Further, the BLA may contribute to the LSI effects in both sexes, whereas the involvement of other brain regions appears to be sex-dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann E Egan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45237, USA
| | - Abigail M K Thompson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45237, USA
| | - Dana Buesing
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45237, USA
| | - Sarah M Fourman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45237, USA
| | - Amy E B Packard
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45237, USA
| | - Tegesty Terefe
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45237, USA
| | - Dan Li
- Alzheimer's Therapeutic Research Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
| | - Xia Wang
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| | - Seongho Song
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| | - Matia B Solomon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45237, USA
| | - Yvonne M Ulrich-Lai
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45237, USA.
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6
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Poppa T, Bechara A. The somatic marker hypothesis: revisiting the role of the ‘body-loop’ in decision-making. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2017.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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7
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Simola N, Paci E, Serra M, Costa G, Morelli M. Modulation of Rat 50-kHz Ultrasonic Vocalizations by Glucocorticoid Signaling: Possible Relevance to Reward and Motivation. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2017; 21:73-83. [PMID: 29182715 PMCID: PMC5795343 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyx106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rats emit 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) to communicate positive emotional states, and these USVs are increasingly being investigated in preclinical studies on reward and motivation. Although it is the activation of dopamine receptors that initiates the emission of 50-kHz USVs, non-dopaminergic mechanisms may modulate calling in the 50 kHz frequency band. To further elucidate these mechanisms, the present study investigated whether the pharmacological manipulation of glucocorticoid signaling influenced calling. METHODS Rats were administered corticosterone (1-5 mg/kg, s.c.), the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist mifepristone (40 or 100 mg/kg, s.c.), or the corticosterone synthesis inhibitor metyrapone (50 or 100 mg/kg, i.p.). The effects of these drugs on calling initiation and on calling recorded during nonaggressive social contacts or after the administration of amphetamine (0.25 or 1 mg/kg, i.p.) were then evaluated. RESULTS Corticosterone failed to initiate the emission of 50-kHz USVs and did not influence pro-social and amphetamine-stimulated calling. Similarly, mifepristone and metyrapone did not initiate calling. However, metyrapone suppressed pro-social calling and calling stimulated by a moderate dose (1 mg/kg, i.p.) of amphetamine. Conversely, mifepristone attenuated calling stimulated by a low (0.25 mg/kg, i.p.), but not moderate (1 mg/kg, i.p.), dose of amphetamine and had no influence on pro-social calling. CONCLUSIONS The present results demonstrate that glucocorticoid signaling modulates calling in the 50 kHz frequency band only in certain conditions and suggest that mechanisms different from the inhibition of corticosterone synthesis may participate in the suppression of calling by metyrapone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Simola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy,National Institute of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy,Correspondence: Nicola Simola, PhD, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale, 72, 09124, Cagliari, Italy ()
| | - Elena Paci
- Department of Physiology, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom,Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Marcello Serra
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Giulia Costa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Micaela Morelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy,National Institute of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy,NCR, National Research Council of Italy, Neuroscience Institute, Cagliari, Italy
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8
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Packard AEB, Di S, Egan AE, Fourman SM, Tasker JG, Ulrich-Lai YM. Sucrose-induced plasticity in the basolateral amygdala in a 'comfort' feeding paradigm. Brain Struct Funct 2017; 222:4035-4050. [PMID: 28597100 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-017-1454-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
A history of intermittent, limited sucrose intake (LSI) attenuates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis stress response, and neuronal activity in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) is necessary for this HPA-dampening. LSI increases the expression of plasticity-associated genes in the BLA; however, the nature of this plasticity is unknown. As BLA principal neuron activity normally promotes HPA responses, the present study tests the hypothesis that LSI decreases stress-excitatory BLA output by decreasing glutamatergic and/or increasing GABAergic inputs to BLA principal neurons. Male rats with unlimited access to chow and water were given additional access to 4 ml of sucrose (30%) or water twice daily for 14 days, and BLA structural and functional plasticity was assessed by quantitative dual immunolabeling and whole-cell recordings in brain slices. LSI increased vesicular glutamate transporter 1-positive (glutamatergic) appositions onto parvalbumin-positive inhibitory interneurons, and this was accompanied by increased expression of pCREB, a marker of neuronal activation that is mechanistically linked with plasticity, within parvalbumin interneurons. LSI also increased the paired-pulse facilitation of excitatory, but not inhibitory synaptic inputs to BLA principal neurons, without affecting postsynaptic excitatory or miniature excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents, suggesting a targeted decrease in the probability of evoked synaptic excitation onto these neurons. Collectively, these results suggest that LSI decreases BLA principal neuron output by increasing the excitatory drive to parvalbumin inhibitory interneurons, and decreasing the probability of evoked presynaptic glutamate release onto principal neurons. Our data further imply that palatable food consumption blunts HPA stress responses by decreasing the excitation-inhibition balance and attenuating BLA output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy E B Packard
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, Metabolic Diseases Institute, 2170 East Galbraith Road, ML0506, Cincinnati, OH, 45237, USA
| | - Shi Di
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Tulane University, 2000 Percival Stern Hall, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA
| | - Ann E Egan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, Metabolic Diseases Institute, 2170 East Galbraith Road, ML0506, Cincinnati, OH, 45237, USA
| | - Sarah M Fourman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, Metabolic Diseases Institute, 2170 East Galbraith Road, ML0506, Cincinnati, OH, 45237, USA
| | - Jeffrey G Tasker
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Tulane University, 2000 Percival Stern Hall, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA.,Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, Flower Hall, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA
| | - Yvonne M Ulrich-Lai
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, Metabolic Diseases Institute, 2170 East Galbraith Road, ML0506, Cincinnati, OH, 45237, USA.
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9
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Ranjbar H, Radahmadi M, Reisi P, Alaei H. Effects of electrical lesion of basolateral amygdala nucleus on rat anxiety-like behaviour under acute, sub-chronic, and chronic stresses. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 2017; 44:470-479. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1681.12727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2016] [Revised: 12/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hoda Ranjbar
- Department of Physiology; School of Medicine; Isfahan University of Medical Sciences; Isfahan Iran
| | - Maryam Radahmadi
- Department of Physiology; School of Medicine; Isfahan University of Medical Sciences; Isfahan Iran
| | - Parham Reisi
- Department of Physiology; School of Medicine; Isfahan University of Medical Sciences; Isfahan Iran
| | - Hojjatallah Alaei
- Department of Physiology; School of Medicine; Isfahan University of Medical Sciences; Isfahan Iran
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10
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Abstract
In this article, I describe how the current practice of classifying as a stressor any event that is accompanied by a change in any of a number of biological or behavioral measures-even when it is not accompanied by a long-term compromise in an organism's health or capacity to cope with daily challenges-has limited the utility of this concept. This permissive posture, which began with Selye's writings more than 65 years ago, is sustained by the public's desire for a simple term that might explain the tension generated by the threat of terrorists, growing economic inequality, increased competiveness in the workplace or for admission to the best universities, rogue nuclear bombs, and media reports of threats to health in food and water. I believe that the concept stress should be limited to select events that pose a serious threat to an organism's well-being or discarded as too ambiguous to be theoretically useful.
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11
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Stevens ED, Arlinghaus R, Browman HI, Cooke SJ, Cowx IG, Diggles BK, Key B, Rose JD, Sawynok W, Schwab A, Skiftesvik AB, Watson CA, Wynne CDL. Stress is not pain. Comment on Elwood and Adams (2015) 'Electric shock causes physiological stress responses in shore crabs, consistent with prediction of pain'. Biol Lett 2016; 12:rsbl.2015.1006. [PMID: 27048466 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2015.1006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- E D Stevens
- Department of Biomedical Science, Atlantic Veterinary College, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
| | - R Arlinghaus
- Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - H I Browman
- Institute of Marine Research, Storebø, Norway
| | - S J Cooke
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - I G Cowx
- Hull International Fisheries Institute, University of Hull, Hull, Humberside, UK
| | | | - B Key
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - J D Rose
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming Laramie, WY, USA
| | - W Sawynok
- Infofish Australia, Frenchville, Australia
| | | | | | - C A Watson
- Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - C D L Wynne
- Department Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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12
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Ulrich-Lai YM, Christiansen AM, Wang X, Song S, Herman JP. Statistical modeling implicates neuroanatomical circuit mediating stress relief by 'comfort' food. Brain Struct Funct 2016; 221:3141-56. [PMID: 26246177 PMCID: PMC4744589 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-015-1092-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2014] [Accepted: 07/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
A history of eating highly palatable foods reduces physiological and emotional responses to stress. For instance, we have previously shown that limited sucrose intake (4 ml of 30 % sucrose twice daily for 14 days) reduces hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis responses to stress. However, the neural mechanisms underlying stress relief by such 'comfort' foods are unclear, and could reveal an endogenous brain pathway for stress mitigation. As such, the present work assessed the expression of several proteins related to neuronal activation and/or plasticity in multiple stress- and reward-regulatory brain regions of rats after limited sucrose (vs. water control) intake. These data were then subjected to a series of statistical analyses, including Bayesian modeling, to identify the most likely neurocircuit mediating stress relief by sucrose. The analyses suggest that sucrose reduces HPA activation by dampening an excitatory basolateral amygdala-medial amygdala circuit, while also potentiating an inhibitory bed nucleus of the stria terminalis principle subdivision-mediated circuit, resulting in reduced HPA activation after stress. Collectively, the results support the hypothesis that sucrose limits stress responses via plastic changes to the structure and function of stress-regulatory neural circuits. The work also illustrates that advanced statistical methods are useful approaches to identify potentially novel and important underlying relationships in biological datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne M Ulrich-Lai
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, 2170 East Galbraith Rd- ML 0506, Cincinnati, OH, 45237, USA.
| | - Anne M Christiansen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, 2170 East Galbraith Rd- ML 0506, Cincinnati, OH, 45237, USA
| | - Xia Wang
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45237, USA
| | - Seongho Song
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45237, USA
| | - James P Herman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, 2170 East Galbraith Rd- ML 0506, Cincinnati, OH, 45237, USA
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13
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Abstract
For many individuals, stress promotes the consumption of sweet, high-sugar foods relative to healthier alternatives. Daily life stressors stimulate the overeating of highly-palatable foods through multiple mechanisms, including altered glucocorticoid, relaxin-3, ghrelin and serotonin signaling in brain. In turn, a history of consuming high-sugar foods attenuates the psychological (anxiety and depressed mood) and physiological (HPA axis) effects of stress. Together the metabolic and hedonic properties of sucrose contribute to its stress relief, possibly via actions in both the periphery (e.g., glucocorticoid receptor signaling in adipose tissue) and in the brain (e.g., plasticity in brain reward regions). Emerging work continues to reveal the bidirectional mechanisms that underlie the use of high-sugar foods as 'self-medication' for stress relief.
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14
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Goodson ML, Packard AEB, Buesing DR, Maney M, Myers B, Fang Y, Basford JE, Hui DY, Ulrich-Lai YM, Herman JP, Ryan KK. Chronic stress and Rosiglitazone increase indices of vascular stiffness in male rats. Physiol Behav 2016; 172:16-23. [PMID: 27040922 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.03.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2016] [Revised: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Prolonged and/or frequent exposure to psychological stress responses may lead to deterioration of organs and tissues, predisposing to disease. In agreement with this, chronic psychosocial stress is linked to greater cardiovascular risk, including increased incidence of atherosclerosis, myocardial ischemia, coronary heart disease, and death. Thus the association between stress and cardiovascular dysfunction represents an important node for therapeutic intervention in cardiovascular disease. Here we report that 2weeks of chronic variable stress (CVS) increased indices of vascular stiffness, including increased collagen deposition in the aortic adventitia and increased resting pulse pressure, in male rats. Thus CVS may represent a useful rodent model for stress-associated CVD, especially for aging populations for which widening pulse pressure is a well-known risk factor. Additionally, we report that the thiazolidinedione Rosiglitazone (RSG) blunts chronic stress-associated increases in circulating corticosterone. Despite this, RSG was not protective against adverse cardiovascular outcomes associated with chronic stress. Rather RSG itself is associated with increased pulse pressure, and this is exacerbated by chronic stress-highlighting that chronic stress may represent an additional contributor to RSG-associated cardiovascular risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- M L Goodson
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, College of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, United States
| | - A E B Packard
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - D R Buesing
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - M Maney
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - B Myers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Y Fang
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, College of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, United States
| | - J E Basford
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - D Y Hui
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Y M Ulrich-Lai
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - J P Herman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Karen K Ryan
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, College of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, United States; Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, United States.
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