1
|
Batabyal A. Predator-prey systems as models for integrative research in biology: the value of a non-consumptive effects framework. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245851. [PMID: 37772622 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Predator-prey interactions are a cornerstone of many ecological and evolutionary processes that influence various levels of biological organization, from individuals to ecosystems. Predators play a crucial role in shaping ecosystems through the consumption of prey species and non-consumptive effects. Non-consumptive effects (NCEs) can induce changes in prey behavior, including altered foraging strategies, habitat selection, life history and anti-predator responses. These defensive strategies have physiological consequences for prey, affecting their growth, reproduction and immune function to name a few. Numerous experimental studies have incorporated NCEs in investigating predator-prey dynamics in the past decade. Interestingly, predator-prey systems can also be used as experimental models to answer physiology, cognition and adaptability questions. In this Commentary, I highlight research that uses NCEs in predator-prey systems to provide novel insights into cognition, adaptation, epigenetic inheritance and aging. I discuss the evolution of instinct, anxiety and other cognitive disorders, the shaping of brain connectomes, stress-induced aging and the development of behavioral coping styles. I outline how studies can integrate the investigation of NCEs with advanced behavioral, genomic and neurological tools to provide novel insights into physiological and cognitive health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anuradha Batabyal
- Department of Physical and Natural Sciences, FLAME University, Pune 412115, India
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kankaynar M, Ceyhun HA, Baran A, Sulukan E, Yildirim S, Bolat İ, Toraman E, Nadaroglu H, Arslan M, Ceyhun SB. The anxiolytic and circadian regulatory effect of agarwood water extract and its effects on the next generation; zebrafish modelling. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2023; 269:109621. [PMID: 37023882 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2023.109621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety is one of the most common psychiatric symptoms worldwide. Studies show that there is an increase of >25 % in the prevalence of anxiety with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic process. Due to the various side effects of drugs used in the treatment of anxiety, interest in natural therapeutic alternatives has increased. Agarwood is a plant used as a natural therapeutic due to its sedative effect as well as many effects such as antioxidant and antibacterial. Although there are many studies with agarwood, comprehensive behavioral studies, including the next generation, are limited. In present study, zebrafish fed with diets containing 10-100 ppm water extract of Agarwood (AWE) for 3 and 8 weeks were exposed to predator stress using Oscar fish in order to test the potential anxiolytic effect of AWE. At the end of the period, zebrafish exposed to predator stress were subjected to anxiety and circadian tests. Histopathological evaluation and immunofluorescent analyzes of BDNF and 5HT4-R proteins were performed in the brains of zebrafish. The effects on the next generation were examined by taking offspring from zebrafish. According to the results, it was observed that AWE had a healing effect on anxiety-like behaviors and on the disrupted circadian rhythm triggered by the predatory stress it applied, especially in the 8 weeks 100 ppm group. Interestingly, it was also found to be effective in offspring of zebrafish fed diets with AWE.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meryem Kankaynar
- Aquatic Biotechnology Laboratory, Fisheries Faculty, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey; Department of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Science, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Hacer Akgül Ceyhun
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Alper Baran
- Aquatic Biotechnology Laboratory, Fisheries Faculty, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey; Department of Food Quality Control and Analysis, Technical Vocational School, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Ekrem Sulukan
- Aquatic Biotechnology Laboratory, Fisheries Faculty, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey; Aquaculture Department, Fisheries Faculty, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Serkan Yildirim
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - İsmail Bolat
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Emine Toraman
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Hayrunnisa Nadaroglu
- Department of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Science, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey; Department of Food Technology, Technical Vocational School, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Murat Arslan
- Aquaculture Department, Fisheries Faculty, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey; Department of Aquaculture Engineering, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Science, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey
| | - Saltuk Buğrahan Ceyhun
- Aquatic Biotechnology Laboratory, Fisheries Faculty, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey; Department of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Science, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey; Aquaculture Department, Fisheries Faculty, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey; Department of Aquaculture Engineering, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Science, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Dantzer B. Frank Beach Award Winner: The centrality of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in dealing with environmental change across temporal scales. Horm Behav 2023; 150:105311. [PMID: 36707334 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Understanding if and how individuals and populations cope with environmental change is an enduring question in evolutionary ecology that has renewed importance given the pace of change in the Anthropocene. Two evolutionary strategies of coping with environmental change may be particularly important in rapidly changing environments: adaptive phenotypic plasticity and/or bet hedging. Adaptive plasticity could enable individuals to match their phenotypes to the expected environment if there is an accurate cue predicting the selective environment. Diversifying bet hedging involves the production of seemingly random phenotypes in an unpredictable environment, some of which may be adaptive. Here, I review the central role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and glucocorticoids (GCs) in enabling vertebrates to cope with environmental change through adaptive plasticity and bet hedging. I first describe how the HPA axis mediates three types of adaptive plasticity to cope with environmental change (evasion, tolerance, recovery) over short timescales (e.g., 1-3 generations) before discussing how the implications of GCs on phenotype integration may depend upon the timescale under consideration. GCs can promote adaptive phenotypic integration, but their effects on phenotypic co-variation could also limit the dimensions of phenotypic space explored by animals over longer timescales. Finally, I discuss how organismal responses to environmental stressors can act as a bet hedging mechanism and therefore enhance evolvability by increasing genetic or phenotypic variability or reducing patterns of genetic and phenotypic co-variance. Together, this emphasizes the crucial role of the HPA axis in understanding fundamental questions in evolutionary ecology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, MI 48109 Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, MI 48109, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Curley DE, Webb AE, Sheffler DJ, Haass-Koffler CL. Corticotropin Releasing Factor Binding Protein as a Novel Target to Restore Brain Homeostasis: Lessons Learned From Alcohol Use Disorder Research. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:786855. [PMID: 34912198 PMCID: PMC8667027 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.786855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress is well-known to contribute to the development of many psychiatric illnesses including alcohol and substance use disorder (AUD and SUD). The deleterious effects of stress have also been implicated in the acceleration of biological age, and age-related neurodegenerative disease. The physio-pathology of stress is regulated by the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system, the upstream component of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Extensive literature has shown that dysregulation of the CRF neuroendocrine system contributes to escalation of alcohol consumption and, similarly, chronic alcohol consumption contributes to disruption of the stress system. The CRF system also represents the central switchboard for regulating homeostasis, and more recent studies have found that stress and aberrations in the CRF pathway are implicated in accelerated aging and age-related neurodegenerative disease. Corticotropin releasing factor binding protein (CRFBP) is a secreted glycoprotein distributed in peripheral tissues and in specific brain regions. It neutralizes the effects of CRF by sequestering free CRF, but may also possess excitatory function by interacting with CRF receptors. CRFBP’s dual role in influencing CRF bioavailability and CRF receptor signaling has been shown to have a major part in the HPA axis response. Therefore, CRFBP may represent a valuable target to treat stress-related illness, including: development of novel medications to treat AUD and restore homeostasis in the aging brain. This narrative review focuses on molecular mechanisms related to the role of CRFBP in the progression of addictive and psychiatric disorders, biological aging, and age-related neurodegenerative disease. We provide an overview of recent studies investigating modulation of this pathway as a potential therapeutic target for AUD and age-related neurodegenerative disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dallece E Curley
- Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States.,Neuroscience Graduate Program, Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Ashley E Webb
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States.,Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Douglas J Sheffler
- Cell and Molecular Biology of Cancer Program, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States.,Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Carolina L Haass-Koffler
- Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States.,Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States.,Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Denver RJ. Stress hormones mediate developmental plasticity in vertebrates with complex life cycles. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 14:100301. [PMID: 33614863 PMCID: PMC7879041 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The environment experienced by developing organisms can shape the timing and character of developmental processes, generating different phenotypes from the same genotype, each with different probabilities of survival and performance as adults. Chordates have two basic modes of development, indirect and direct. Species with indirect development, which includes most fishes and amphibians, have a complex life cycle with a free-swimming larva that is typically a growth stage, followed by a metamorphosis into the adult form. Species with direct development, which is an evolutionarily derived developmental mode, develop directly from embryo to the juvenile without an intervening larval stage. Among the best studied species with complex life cycles are the amphibians, especially the anurans (frogs and toads). Amphibian tadpoles are exposed to diverse biotic and abiotic factors in their developmental habitat. They have extensive capacity for developmental plasticity, which can lead to the expression of different, adaptive morphologies as tadpoles (polyphenism), variation in the timing of and size at metamorphosis, and carry-over effects on the phenotype of the juvenile/adult. The neuroendocrine stress axis plays a pivotal role in mediating environmental effects on amphibian development. Before initiating metamorphosis, if tadpoles are exposed to predators they upregulate production of the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT), which acts directly on the tail to cause it to grow, thereby increasing escape performance. When tadpoles reach a minimum body size to initiate metamorphosis they can vary the timing of transformation in relation to growth opportunity or mortality risk in the larval habitat. They do this by modulating the production of thyroid hormone (TH), the primary inducer of metamorphosis, and CORT, which synergizes with TH to promote tissue transformation. Hypophysiotropic neurons that release the stress neurohormone corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) are activated in response to environmental stress (e.g., pond drying, food restriction, etc.), and CRF accelerates metamorphosis by directly inducing secretion of pituitary thyrotropin and corticotropin, thereby increasing secretion of TH and CORT. Although activation of the neuroendocrine stress axis promotes immediate survival in a deteriorating larval habitat, costs may be incurred such as reduced tadpole growth and size at metamorphosis. Small size at transformation can impair performance of the adult, reducing probability of survival in the terrestrial habitat, or fecundity. Furthermore, elevations in CORT in the tadpole caused by environmental stressors cause long term, stable changes in neuroendocrine function, behavior and physiology of the adult, which can affect fitness. Comparative studies show that the roles of stress hormones in developmental plasticity are conserved across vertebrate taxa including humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert J. Denver
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1085, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Kai N, Ueda S. Induction of aberrant agonistic behavior by a combination of serotonergic and dopaminergic manipulation in rats. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:1253-1267. [PMID: 33625560 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02238-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) are involved in the regulation of social behaviors. However, the effects of their interactions on social behavior are not well understood. In this study, rats received a serotonergic neurotoxin injection into the raphe nuclei and/or systemic administration of L-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), and their agonistic behaviors were investigated using the resident-intruder (RI) paradigm. Rats in the DA + /5-HT-group, which were administered both monoaminergic treatments, exhibited intense jump and flight responses to intruders. These behaviors were not observed in rats that received either 5-HT lesions or L-DOPA treatment only. To address the neural basis of these aberrant behaviors, we compared c-Fos immunoreactivity in the brain among the different groups. The DA + /5-HT-group had c-Fos activation in areas related to anti-predatory defensive behaviors, such as the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus, premammillary nucleus, and periaqueductal gray. Moreover, this group had increased c-Fos expression in the ventroposterior part of the anterior olfactory nucleus (AOVP). To test the involvement of this area in the aberrant behaviors, cytotoxic lesions were performed in the AOVP prior to the monoaminergic treatments, and subsequent behaviors were examined using the RI test. The AOVP-lesioned DA + /5-HT-rats had attenuation of the aberrant behaviors. Together, these results suggest that the AOVP is involved in the generation of the aberrant defensive behaviors, and that 5-HT/DA balance is important in the regulation of social behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nobuyuki Kai
- Department of Histology and Neurobiology, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine, 530 Kitakobayashi, Mibu, Tochigi, 321-0293, Japan.
| | - Shuichi Ueda
- Department of Histology and Neurobiology, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine, 530 Kitakobayashi, Mibu, Tochigi, 321-0293, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Cuarenta A, Kigar SL, Henion IC, Chang L, Bakshi VP, Auger AP. Early life stress during the neonatal period alters social play and Line1 during the juvenile stage of development. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3549. [PMID: 33574362 PMCID: PMC7878767 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82953-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS) has been shown to have a significant impact on typical brain development and the manifestation of psychological disorders through epigenetic modifications that alter gene expression. Line1, a retrotransposon associated with genetic diversity, has been linked with various psychological disorders that are associated with ELS. Our previous work demonstrated altered Line1 DNA copy number in the neonatal period following stressful experiences; we therefore chose to investigate whether early life stress altered Line1 retrotransposition persists into the juvenile period of development. Our study uses a neonatal predator odor exposure (POE) paradigm to model ELS in rats. We examined Line1 using qPCR to assess Line1 expression levels and DNA copy number in the male and female juvenile amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex-areas chosen for their association with affective disorders and stress. We report a sex difference in Line1 levels within the juvenile amygdala. We also find that ELS significantly increases Line1 DNA copy number within the juvenile amygdala which correlates with reduced juvenile social play levels, suggesting the possibility that Line1 may influence juvenile social development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amelia Cuarenta
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
| | - Stacey L Kigar
- Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
| | - Ian C Henion
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
| | - Liza Chang
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
| | - Vaishali P Bakshi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
| | - Anthony P Auger
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA. .,Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Guo H, Hegab IM, Tan Y, Yao B, Wang C, Cai Z, Ji W, Su J. Exposure to eagle owl feces induces anti-predator behavior, physiology, and hypothalamic gene responses in a subterranean rodent, the plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02934-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
9
|
Zamora‐Camacho FJ, Medina‐Gálvez L, Zambrano‐Fernández S. The roles of sex and morphology in burrowing depth of Iberian spadefoot toads in different biotic and abiotic environments. J Zool (1987) 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
10
|
Abstract
Regions of the prefrontal and cingulate cortices play important roles in the regulation of behaviors elicited by threat. Dissecting out their differential involvement will greatly increase our understanding of the varied etiology of symptoms of anxiety. I review evidence for altered activity within the major divisions of the prefrontal cortex, including orbitofrontal, ventrolateral, dorsolateral, and ventromedial sectors, along with the anterior cingulate cortex in patients with clinical anxiety. This review is integrated with a discussion of current knowledge about the causal role of these different prefrontal and cingulate regions in threat-elicited behaviors from experimental studies in rodents and monkeys. I highlight commonalities and inconsistencies between species and discuss the current state of our translational success in relating findings across species. Finally, I identify key issues that, if addressed, may improve that success in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Angela C. Roberts
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, United Kingdom;
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Carrero JP, Kaigler KF, Hartshorn GH, Fadel JR, Wilson MA. Mu opioid receptor regulation of glutamate efflux in the central amygdala in response to predator odor. Neurobiol Stress 2019; 11:100197. [PMID: 31832510 PMCID: PMC6888766 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2019.100197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The amygdala plays an important role in the responses to predator threat. Glutamatergic processes in amygdala regulate the behavioral responses to predator stress, and we have found that exposure to ferret odor activates glutamatergic neurons of the basolateral amygdala [BLA] which are known to project to the central amygdala [CeA]. Therefore, we tested if predator stress would increase glutamate release in the rat CeA using in vivo microdialysis, while monitoring behavioral responses during a 1 h exposure to ferret odor. Since injections of mu opioid receptor [MOR] agonists and antagonists into the CeA modulate behavioral responses to predator odor, we locally infused the MOR agonist DAMGO or the MOR antagonist CTAP into the CeA during predator stress to examine effects on glutamate efflux and behavior. We found that ferret odor exposure increased glutamate, but not GABA, efflux in the CeA, and this effect was attenuated by tetrodotoxin. Interestingly, increases in glutamate efflux elicited by ferret odor exposure were blocked by infusion of CTAP, but CTAP did not alter the behavioral responses during predator stress. DAMGO alone enhanced glutamate efflux, but did not modulate glutamate efflux during predator stress. These studies demonstrate that ferret odor exposure, like other stressors, enhances glutamate efflux in the CeA. Further, they suggest that activation of MOR in the CeA may help shape the defensive response to predator odor and other threats. Predator odor stress increased glutamate efflux in the central amygdala. Predator stress-induced increases in glutamate were blocked by a mu opioid receptor antagonist. Blocking glutamate efflux in the amygdala did not alter behavioral responses to predator odor. Infusion of a mu opioid receptor agonist also increased glutamate efflux in the central amygdala.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Parrilla Carrero
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.,Columbia VA Health Care System, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA
| | - Kris F Kaigler
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.,Columbia VA Health Care System, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA
| | - George H Hartshorn
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.,Columbia VA Health Care System, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA
| | - Jim R Fadel
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.,Columbia VA Health Care System, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA
| | - Marlene A Wilson
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.,Columbia VA Health Care System, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Bhattacharya S, Fontaine A, MacCallum PE, Drover J, Blundell J. Stress Across Generations: DNA Methylation as a Potential Mechanism Underlying Intergenerational Effects of Stress in Both Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Pre-clinical Predator Stress Rodent Models. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:113. [PMID: 31191267 PMCID: PMC6547031 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although most humans will experience some type of traumatic event in their lifetime only a small set of individuals will go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Differences in sex, age, trauma type, and comorbidity, along with many other elements, contribute to the heterogenous manifestation of this disorder. Nonetheless, aberrant hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, especially in terms of cortisol and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) alterations, has been postulated as a tenable factor in the etiology and pathophysiology of PTSD. Moreover, emerging data suggests that the harmful effects of traumatic stress to the HPA axis in PTSD can also propagate into future generations, making offspring more prone to psychopathologies. Predator stress models provide an ethical and ethologically relevant way to investigate tentative mechanisms that are thought to underlie this phenomenon. In this review article, we discuss findings from human and laboratory predator stress studies that suggest changes to DNA methylation germane to GRs may underlie the generational effects of trauma transmission. Understanding mechanisms that promote stress-induced psychopathology will represent a major advance in the field and may lead to novel treatments for such devastating, and often treatment-resistant trauma and stress-disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sriya Bhattacharya
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Audrey Fontaine
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada.,Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique (ISIR), Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Sorbonne Universités, Paris, France
| | - Phillip E MacCallum
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - James Drover
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Jacqueline Blundell
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Ahmadian-Moghadam H, Sadat-Shirazi MS, Zarrindast MR. Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART): A multifaceted neuropeptide. Peptides 2018; 110:56-77. [PMID: 30391426 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2018.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Over the last 35 years, the continuous discovery of novel neuropeptides has been the key to the better understanding of how the central nervous system has integrated with neuronal signals and behavioral responses. Cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) was discovered in 1995 in the rat striatum but later was found to be highly expressed in the hypothalamus. The widespread distribution of CART peptide in the brain complicated the understanding of the role played by this neurotransmitter. The main objective of the current compact review is to piece together the fragments of available information about origin, expression, distribution, projection, and function of CART peptides. Accumulative evidence suggests CART as a neurotransmitter and neuroprotective agent that is mainly involved in regulation of feeding, addiction, stress, anxiety, innate fear, neurological disease, neuropathic pain, depression, osteoporosis, insulin secretion, learning, memory, reproduction, vision, sleep, thirst and body temperature. In spite of the vast number of studies about the CART, the overall pictures about the CART functions are sketchy. First, there is a lack of information about cloned receptor, specific agonist and antagonist. Second, CART peptides are detected in discrete sets of neurons that can modulate countless activities and third; CART peptides exist in several fragments due to post-translational processing. For these reasons the overall picture about the CART peptides are sketchy and confounding.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hamid Ahmadian-Moghadam
- Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Mohammad-Reza Zarrindast
- Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Dhabhar FS. The short-term stress response - Mother nature's mechanism for enhancing protection and performance under conditions of threat, challenge, and opportunity. Front Neuroendocrinol 2018; 49:175-192. [PMID: 29596867 PMCID: PMC5964013 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2018.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Revised: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Our group has proposed that in contrast to chronic stress that can have harmful effects, the short-term (fight-or-flight) stress response (lasting for minutes to hours) is nature's fundamental survival mechanism that enhances protection and performance under conditions involving threat/challenge/opportunity. Short-term stress enhances innate/primary, adaptive/secondary, vaccine-induced, and anti-tumor immune responses, and post-surgical recovery. Mechanisms and mediators include stress hormones, dendritic cell, neutrophil, macrophage, and lymphocyte trafficking/function and local/systemic chemokine and cytokine production. Short-term stress may also enhance mental/cognitive and physical performance through effects on brain, musculo-skeletal, and cardiovascular function, reappraisal of threat/anxiety, and training-induced stress-optimization. Therefore, short-term stress psychology/physiology could be harnessed to enhance immuno-protection, as well as mental and physical performance. This review aims to provide a conceptual framework and targets for further investigation of mechanisms and conditions under which the protective/adaptive aspects of short-term stress/exercise can be optimized/harnessed, and for developing pharmacological/biobehavioral interventions to enhance health/healing, and mental/cognitive/physical performance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Firdaus S Dhabhar
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Mail Stop M877, 1550 NW 10th Avenue, Miami, FL 33136-1000, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Prater CM, Garcia C, McGuire LP, Carr JA. Tectal corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neurons respond to fasting and a reactive stressor in the African Clawed Frog, Xenopus laevis. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 258:91-98. [PMID: 28774755 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.07.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Revised: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
It is well established that hypothalamic neurons producing the peptide corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) play a key role in stress adaptation, including reduction of food intake when a threat or stressor is present. We have previously reported on the presence of an intrinsic CRF signaling system within the optic tectum (OT), a brain area that plays a key role in visually guided prey capture/predator avoidance decisions. To better understand the potential role of tectal CRF neurons in regulating adaptive behavior and energy balance during stress we examined evidence for modulation of tectal CRF neuronal activity after stressor exposure and food deprivation in the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis. We tested two predictions, 1) that exposure to categorically distinct stressors (ether vapors and shaking) will reduce food intake and modulate the activity of tectal CRF cells, and 2) that food deprivation will modulate the activity of tectal CRF cells. Exposure to ether increased tectal content of CRF and CRF transcript, but lowed CRFR1 transcript abundance. Two weeks of food deprivation reduced total fat stores in frogs and decreased tectal content of CRF content while having no effect on CRF and CRFR1 transcript abundance. Our data are consistent with a role for tectal CRF neurons in modulating food intake in response to certain stressors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Carlos Garcia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, United States
| | - Liam P McGuire
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, United States
| | - James A Carr
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
St-Cyr S, McGowan PO. Adaptation or pathology? The role of prenatal stressor type and intensity in the developmental programing of adult phenotype. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2018; 66:113-124. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2017.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Revised: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
|
17
|
Bindi RP, Baldo MVC, Canteras NS. Roles of the anterior basolateral amygdalar nucleus during exposure to a live predator and to a predator-associated context. Behav Brain Res 2018; 342:51-56. [PMID: 29422138 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.01.016] [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: 10/04/2017] [Revised: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala complex, which includes the lateral, basolateral and basomedial nuclei, has been implicated in innate and contextual fear responses to predator threats. In the basolateral complex, the lateral and posterior basomedial nuclei are able to process predator odor information, and they project to the predator-responsive hypothalamic circuit; lesions in these amygdalar sites reduce innate responses and practically abolish contextual fear responses to predatory threats. In contrast to the lateral and posterior basomedial nuclei, the basolateral nucleus does not receive direct information from predator olfactory cues and has no direct link to the predator-responsive hypothalamic circuit. No attempt has previously been made to determine the specific role of the basolateral nucleus in fear responses to predatory threats, and we currently addressed this question by making bilateral N-methyl-D-aspartate lesions in the anterior basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLAa), which is often regarded as being contiguous with the lateral amygdalar nucleus, and tested both innate and contextual fear in response to cat exposure. Accordingly, BLAa lesions decreased both innate and contextual fear responses to predator exposure. Considering the targets of the BLAa, the nucleus accumbens appears to be a potential candidate to influence innate defensive responses to predator threats. The present findings also suggest that the BLAa has a role in fear memory of predator threat. The BLAa is likely involved in memory consolidation, which could potentially engage BLAa projection targets, opening interesting possibilities in the investigation of how these targets could be involved in the consolidation of predator-related fear memory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Passoni Bindi
- Dept. Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Marcus Vinicius C Baldo
- Dept. Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Newton Sabino Canteras
- Dept. Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Rale A, Shendye N, Bodas DS, Subhedar N, Ghose A. CART neuropeptide modulates the extended amygdalar CeA-vBNST circuit to gate expression of innate fear. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2017; 85:69-77. [PMID: 28825977 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2017] [Revised: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Innate fear is critical for the survival of animals and is under tight homeostatic control. Deregulation of innate fear processing is thought to underlie pathological phenotypes including, phobias and panic disorders. Although central processing of conditioned fear has been extensively studied, the circuitry and regulatory mechanisms subserving innate fear remain relatively poorly defined. In this study, we identify cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) neuropeptide signaling in the central amygdala (CeA) - ventral bed nucleus of stria terminalis (vBNST) axis as a key modulator of innate fear expression. 2,4,5-trimethyl-3-thiazoline (TMT), a component of fox faeces, induces a freezing response whose intensity is regulated by the extent of CART-signaling in the CeA neurons. Abrogation of CART activity in the CeA attenuates the freezing response and reduces activation of vBNST neurons. Conversely, ectopically elevated CART signaling in the CeA potentiates the fear response concomitant with enhanced vBNST activation. We show that local levels of CART signaling modulate the activation of CeA neurons by NMDA receptor-mediated glutamatergic inputs, in turn, regulating activity in the vBNST. This study identifies the extended amygdalar CeA-vBNST circuit as a CART modulated axis encoding innate fear. CART signaling regulates the glutamatergic excitatory drive in the CeA-vBNST circuit, in turn, gating the expression of the freezing response to TMT.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Rale
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Dr Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
| | - Ninad Shendye
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Dr Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
| | - Devika S Bodas
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Dr Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India
| | - Nishikant Subhedar
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Dr Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India.
| | - Aurnab Ghose
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Dr Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, India.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Ketchesin KD, Stinnett GS, Seasholtz AF. Corticotropin-releasing hormone-binding protein and stress: from invertebrates to humans. Stress 2017; 20:449-464. [PMID: 28436309 PMCID: PMC7885796 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2017.1322575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is a key regulator of the stress response. This peptide controls the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis as well as a variety of behavioral and autonomic stress responses via the two CRH receptors, CRH-R1 and CRH-R2. The CRH system also includes an evolutionarily conserved CRH-binding protein (CRH-BP), a secreted glycoprotein that binds CRH with subnanomolar affinity to modulate CRH receptor activity. In this review, we discuss the current literature on CRH-BP and stress across multiple species, from insects to humans. We describe the regulation of CRH-BP in response to stress, as well as genetic mouse models that have been utilized to elucidate the in vivo role(s) of CRH-BP in modulating the stress response. Finally, the role of CRH-BP in the human stress response is examined, including single nucleotide polymorphisms in the human CRHBP gene that are associated with stress-related affective disorders and addiction. Lay summary The stress response is controlled by corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), acting via CRH receptors. However, the CRH system also includes a unique CRH-binding protein (CRH-BP) that binds CRH with an affinity greater than the CRH receptors. In this review, we discuss the role of this highly conserved CRH-BP in regulation of the CRH-mediated stress response from invertebrates to humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyle D. Ketchesin
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Gwen S. Stinnett
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Audrey F. Seasholtz
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Kashiwayanagi M, Miyazono S, Osada K. Pyrazine analogues from wolf urine induced unlearned fear in rats. Heliyon 2017; 3:e00391. [PMID: 28920093 PMCID: PMC5585003 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2017.e00391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2017] [Revised: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Urine excreted from the common grey wolf (Canis lupus) contains a kairomone, inducing fear-related behaviors in various mammals. Numerous fear-inducing substances activate neurons at the main and/or accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), medial and central amygdala, and hypothalamus. Our previous study showed that the mixture of pyrazine analogues (P-mix) contained in wolf urine induced avoidance and fear-related behaviors in laboratory mice and Hokkaido deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis), a species native to Japan. Exposure to wolf urine or P-mix induced expression of Fos, a marker of neuronal excitation, in the AOB of mice. In the present study, we explored the effects of P-mix on fear-related behaviors and Fos-expression in rats. Exposure to P-mix induced avoidance and immobilization in rats, while that to a mixture of i-amyl acetate, linalool and R(+)-limonene (O-mix), which generate floral and fruity odors, induced avoidance but not immobilization. P-mix but not O-mix increased Fos-immunoreactivity of the AOB, medial and central amygdala, and hypothalamus of rats. The present results suggest that P-mix odor induces unlearned fear-related behaviors in rats.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Kashiwayanagi
- Department of Sensory Physiology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan
- Corresponding author at: Department of Sensory Physiology, Asahikawa Medical University, Midorigaoka E2-1, Asahikawa, Japan.Department of Sensory PhysiologyAsahikawa Medical UniversityAsahikawaHokkaidoJapan
| | - Sadaharu Miyazono
- Department of Sensory Physiology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Kazumi Osada
- Division of Physiology, Department of Oral Biology, School of Dentistry, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Ishikari-Tobetsu, Hokkaido, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Effects of quercetin on predator stress-related hematological and behavioural alterations in pregnant rats and their offspring. J Biosci 2016; 41:237-49. [DOI: 10.1007/s12038-016-9613-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
|
22
|
Harris BN, Carr JA. The role of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal/interrenal axis in mediating predator-avoidance trade-offs. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2016; 230-231:110-42. [PMID: 27080550 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2015] [Revised: 04/07/2016] [Accepted: 04/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Maintaining energy balance and reproducing are important for fitness, yet animals have evolved mechanisms by which the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal/interrenal (HPA/HPI) axis can shut these activities off. While HPA/HPI axis inhibition of feeding and reproduction may have evolved as a predator defense, to date there has been no review across taxa of the causal evidence for such a relationship. Here we review the literature on this topic by addressing evidence for three predictions: that exposure to predators decreases reproduction and feeding, that exposure to predators activates the HPA/HPI axis, and that predator-induced activation of the HPA/HPI axis inhibits foraging and reproduction. Weight of evidence indicates that exposure to predator cues inhibits several aspects of foraging and reproduction. While the evidence from fish and mammals supports the hypothesis that predator cues activate the HPA/HPI axis, the existing data in other vertebrate taxa are equivocal. A causal role for the HPA axis in predator-induced suppression of feeding and reproduction has not been demonstrated to date, although many studies report correlative relationships between HPA activity and reproduction and/or feeding. Manipulation of HPA/HPI axis signaling will be required in future studies to demonstrate direct mediation of predator-induced inhibition of feeding and reproduction. Understanding the circuitry linking sensory pathways to their control of the HPA/HPI axis also is needed. Finally, the role that fear and anxiety pathways play in the response of the HPA axis to predator cues is needed to better understand the role that predators have played in shaping anxiety related behaviors in all species, including humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Breanna N Harris
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, United States
| | - James A Carr
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Moore NLT, Altman DE, Gauchan S, Genovese RF. Adulthood stress responses in rats are variably altered as a factor of adolescent stress exposure. Stress 2016; 19:295-302. [PMID: 27295201 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2016.1191465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress exposure during development may influence adulthood stress response severity. The present study investigates persisting effects of two adolescent stressors upon adulthood response to predator exposure (PE). Rats were exposed to underwater trauma (UWT) or PE during adolescence, then to PE after reaching adulthood. Rats were then exposed to predator odor (PO) to test responses to predator cues alone. Behavioral and neuroendocrine assessments were conducted to determine acute effects of each stress experience. Adolescent stress altered behavioral response to adulthood PE. Acoustic startle response was blunted. Bidirectional changes in plus maze exploration were revealed as a factor of adolescent stress type. Neuroendocrine response magnitude did not predict severity of adolescent or adult stress response, suggesting that different adolescent stress events may differentially alter developmental outcomes regardless of acute behavioral or neuroendocrine response. We report that exposure to two different stressors in adolescence may differentially affect stress response outcomes in adulthood. Acute response to an adolescent stressor may not be consistent across all stressors or all dependent measures, and may not predict alterations in developmental outcomes pertaining to adulthood stress exposure. Further studies are needed to characterize factors underlying long-term effects of a developmental stressor.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole L T Moore
- a Military Psychiatry Branch , Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research , Silver Spring , MD , USA
| | - Daniel E Altman
- a Military Psychiatry Branch , Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research , Silver Spring , MD , USA
| | - Sangeeta Gauchan
- a Military Psychiatry Branch , Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research , Silver Spring , MD , USA
| | - Raymond F Genovese
- a Military Psychiatry Branch , Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research , Silver Spring , MD , USA
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
de Oliveira Crisanto K, de Andrade WMG, de Azevedo Silva KD, Lima RH, de Oliveira Costa MSM, de Souza Cavalcante J, de Lima RRM, do Nascimento ES, Cavalcante JC. The differential mice response to cat and snake odor. Physiol Behav 2015; 152:272-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2015] [Revised: 10/08/2015] [Accepted: 10/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
25
|
Bodek S, Eilam D. Revisiting the “visible burrow system”: The impact of the group, social rank, and gender on voles under owl attack. Physiol Behav 2015; 146:79-85. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.03.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2015] [Revised: 03/22/2015] [Accepted: 03/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
26
|
Eraslan E, Akyazi I, Erg L-Ekiz E, Matur E. Noise stress changes mRNA expressions of corticotropin-releasing hormone, its receptors in amygdala, and anxiety-related behaviors. Noise Health 2015; 17:141-7. [PMID: 25913553 PMCID: PMC4918649 DOI: 10.4103/1463-1741.155838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Noise is a psychological, environmental stressor that activates limbic sites in the brain. Limbic sites such as the amygdala and the amygdaloid corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) system play an important role in integrating stress response. We investigated the association between noise exposures, CRH-related molecules in the amygdala, and behavioral alterations. In total 54 Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into the following three groups: Control (CON), acute noise exposure (ANE), and chronic noise exposure (CNE). The ANE group was exposed to 100 dB white noise only once in 4 h and the CNE group was exposed to the same for 4 h per day for 30 days. Expression profiles of CRH and its receptors CRH-R1 and CRH-R2 were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The same stress procedure was applied to the ANE and CNE groups for behavior testing. The anxiety responses of the animals after acute and chronic stress exposure were measured in the defensive withdrawal test. CNE upregulated CRH and CRH-R1 mRNA levels but downregulated CRH-R2 mRNA levels. ANE led to a decrease in both CRH-R1 and CRH-R2 expression. In the defensive withdrawal test, while the ANE increased, CNE reduced anxiety-like behaviors. The present study shows that the exposure of rats to white noise (100 dB) leads to behavioral alterations and molecule-specific changes in the CRH system. Behavioral alterations can be related to these molecular changes in the amygdala.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Evren Eraslan
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Fox AS, Oler JA, Tromp DPM, Fudge JL, Kalin NH. Extending the amygdala in theories of threat processing. Trends Neurosci 2015; 38:319-29. [PMID: 25851307 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2015.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2014] [Revised: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 03/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The central extended amygdala is an evolutionarily conserved set of interconnected brain regions that play an important role in threat processing to promote survival. Two core components of the central extended amygdala, the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce) and the lateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) are highly similar regions that serve complimentary roles by integrating fear- and anxiety-relevant information. Survival depends on the ability of the central extended amygdala to rapidly integrate and respond to threats that vary in their immediacy, proximity, and characteristics. Future studies will benefit from understanding alterations in central extended amygdala function in relation to stress-related psychopathology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Fox
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; HealthEmotions Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Lane Neuroimaging Laboratory, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
| | - Jonathan A Oler
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; HealthEmotions Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Lane Neuroimaging Laboratory, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Do P M Tromp
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; HealthEmotions Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Lane Neuroimaging Laboratory, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Julie L Fudge
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Ned H Kalin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; HealthEmotions Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Lane Neuroimaging Laboratory, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Stinnett GS, Westphal NJ, Seasholtz AF. Pituitary CRH-binding protein and stress in female mice. Physiol Behav 2015; 150:16-23. [PMID: 25731977 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.02.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2014] [Revised: 02/05/2015] [Accepted: 02/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The CRH-binding protein (CRH-BP) binds CRH with very high affinity and inhibits CRH-mediated ACTH release from anterior pituitary cells in vitro, suggesting that the CRH-BP functions as a negative regulator of CRH activity. Our previous studies have demonstrated sexually dimorphic expression of CRH-BP in the murine pituitary. Basal CRH-BP expression is higher in the female pituitary, where CRH-BP mRNA is detected in multiple anterior pituitary cell types. In this study, we examined stress-induced changes in CRH-BP mRNA and protein expression in mouse pituitary and assessed the in vivo role of CRH-BP in modulating the stress response. Pituitary CRH-BP mRNA was greater than 200-fold more abundant in females than males, and restraint stress increased pituitary CRH-BP mRNA by 11.8-fold in females and 3.2-fold in males as assessed by qRT-PCR. In females, restraint stress increased CRH-BP mRNA levels not only in POMC-expressing cells, but also in PRL-expressing cells. The increase in female pituitary CRH-BP mRNA following stress resulted in significant increases in CRH-BP protein 4-6h after a 30-minute restraint stress as detected by [(125)I]-CRH:CRH-BP cross-linking analyses. Based on this temporal profile, the physiological role of CRH-BP was assessed using a stressor of longer duration. In lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stress studies, female CRH-BP-deficient mice showed elevated levels of stress-induced corticosterone release as compared to wild-type littermates. These studies demonstrate a role for the pituitary CRH-BP in attenuating the HPA response to stress in female mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gwen S Stinnett
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Nicole J Westphal
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Audrey F Seasholtz
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States; Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Kim D, Anderson B. Repeated threat (without harm) in a living environment potentiates defensive behavior. Behav Brain Res 2015; 279:31-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.10.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2014] [Revised: 10/24/2014] [Accepted: 10/31/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|
30
|
Gazzola A, Brandalise F, Rubolini D, Rossi P, Galeotti P. Fear is the mother of invention: anuran embryos exposed to predator cues alter life-history traits, post-hatching behaviour, and neuronal activity patterns. J Exp Biol 2015; 218:3919-30. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.126334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2015] [Accepted: 10/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Neurophysiological modifications associated to phenotypic plasticity in response to predators are largely unexplored, and there is a gap of knowledge on how the information encoded in predator cues is processed by prey sensory systems. To explore these issues, we exposed Rana dalmatina embryos to dragonfly chemical cues (kairomones) up to hatching. At different times after hatching (up to 40 days), we recorded morphology and antipredator behaviour of control and embryonic-treated tadpoles as well as their neural olfactory responses, by recording the activity of their mitral neurons before and after exposure to a kairomone solution. Embryonic-treated embryos hatched later and originated smaller hatchlings than control siblings. In addition, embryonic-treated tadpoles showed a stronger antipredator response than controls at 10 (but not at 30) days post-hatching, though the intensity of the contextual response to the kairomone stimulus did not differ between the two groups. Baseline neuronal activity at 30 days post-hatching, as assessed by the frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic events and by the firing rate of mitral cells, was higher among embryonic-treated tadpoles compared to controls. At the same time, neuronal activity showed a stronger increase among embryonic-treated tadpoles than among controls after a local kairomone perfusion. Hence, a different contextual plasticity between treatments at the neuronal level was not mirrored by the antipredator behavioural response. In conclusion, our experiments demonstrate ontogenetic plasticity in tadpole neuronal activity after embryonic exposure to predator cues, corroborating the evidence that early-life experience can contribute to shaping the phenotype at later life stages.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Gazzola
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell'Ambiente, Laboratorio di Eco-Etologia, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Federico Brandalise
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Laboratorio di Fisiologia, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100, Pavia, Italy
- Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Wintethurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, CH, Switzerland
| | - Diego Rubolini
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Paola Rossi
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Laboratorio di Fisiologia, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Paolo Galeotti
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell'Ambiente, Laboratorio di Eco-Etologia, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Sharma A, Rale A, Utturwar K, Ghose A, Subhedar N. Identification of the CART neuropeptide circuitry processing TMT-induced predator stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2014; 50:194-208. [PMID: 25233338 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2014] [Revised: 08/25/2014] [Accepted: 08/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Abundance of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) neuropeptide in the limbic areas like the olfactory system, central nucleus of amygdala (CeA), ventral bed nucleus of stria terminalis (vBNST) and the hypothalamus suggests involvement of the peptide in emotive processing. We examined the role of CART in mediating fear, a strong emotion with profound survival value. Rats, exposed to 2,4,5-trimethyl-3-thiazoline (TMT), a predator related cue extracted from fox feces, showed significant increase in freezing, escape and risk assessment behavior, whereas grooming was reduced. Neuronal activity was up-regulated in the CeA and vBNST in terms of increased immunoreactivity in CART elements and c-Fos expression. Increased expression of both the markers was also seen in some discrete magnocellular as well as parvicellular subdivisions of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). However, CART containing mitral cells in the main or accessory olfactory bulb did not respond. CART antibody was stereotaxically injected bilaterally into the CeA to locally immunoneutralize endogenous CART. On exposure to TMT, these rats showed reduced freezing, risk assessment and escape behavior while grooming was restored to normal value. We suggest that the CART signaling in the CeA and vBNST, but not in the olfactory system, might be an important component of the innate fear processing, and expression of stereotypic behavior, while CART in the PVN subdivisions might mediate the neuroendocrine response to predator stress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anju Sharma
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411 008, India
| | - Abhishek Rale
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411 008, India
| | - Kaweri Utturwar
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411 008, India
| | - Aurnab Ghose
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411 008, India.
| | - Nishikant Subhedar
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411 008, India.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Cohen H, Matar MA, Zohar J. Maintaining the Clinical Relevance of Animal Models in Translational Studies of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. ILAR J 2014; 55:233-45. [DOI: 10.1093/ilar/ilu006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
|
33
|
Caruso MJ, McClintock MK, Cavigelli SA. Temperament moderates the influence of periadolescent social experience on behavior and adrenocortical activity in adult male rats. Horm Behav 2014; 66:517-24. [PMID: 25066485 PMCID: PMC4498393 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2013] [Revised: 07/18/2014] [Accepted: 07/19/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a period of significant behavioral and physiological maturation, particularly related to stress responses. Animal studies that have tested the influence of adolescent social experiences on stress-related behavioral and physiological development have led to complex results. We used a rodent model of neophobia to test the hypothesis that the influence of adolescent social experience on adult behavior and adrenocortical function is modulated by pre-adolescent temperament. Exploratory activity was assessed in 53 male Sprague-Dawley rats to classify temperament and then they were housed in one of the three conditions during postnatal days (PND) 28-46: (1) with familiar kin, (2) with novel social partners, or (3) individually with no social partners. Effects on adult adrenocortical function were evaluated from fecal samples collected while rats were individually-housed and exposed to a 1-hour novel social challenge during PND 110-114. Adolescent-housing with novel or no social partners led to reduced adult glucocorticoid production compared to adolescent-housing with familiar littermates. Additionally, highly-exploratory pre-weanling rats that were housed with novel social partners during adolescence exhibited increased exploratory behavior and a more rapid return to basal glucocorticoid production in adulthood compared to those housed with familiar or no social partners during adolescence and compared to low-exploratory rats exposed to novel social partners. In sum, relatively short-term adolescent social experiences can cause transient changes in temperament and potentially longer-term changes in recovery of glucocorticoid production in response to adult social challenges. Furthermore, early temperament may modulate the influence of adolescent experiences on adult behavioral and adrenocortical function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M J Caruso
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - M K McClintock
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; The Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
| | - S A Cavigelli
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Neurobehavioral Mechanisms of Traumatic Stress in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2014; 18:161-90. [PMID: 24691656 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2014_307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder that develops following trauma exposure. It is characterized by four symptom clusters: intrusion, avoidance, negative alteration in cognitions and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity. Several risk factors have been associated with PTSD, including trauma type and severity, gender and sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, cognitive reserve, pretrauma psychopathology, familial psychiatric history, and genetics. Great strides have been made in understanding the neurobiology of PTSD through animal models and human imaging studies. Most of the animal models have face validity, but they have limitations in the generalization to the human model of PTSD. Newer animal models, such as the "CBC" model, have better validity for PTSD, which takes into account the different components of its diagnostic criteria. To date, fear conditioning and fear extinction animal models have provided support for the hypothesis that PTSD is a dysregulation of the processes related to fear regulation and, especially, fear extinction. More research is needed to further understand these processes as they relate not only to PTSD but also to resilience. Further, this research could be instrumental in the development of novel effective treatments for PTSD.
Collapse
|
35
|
Kuipers SD, Trentani A, van der Zee EA, den Boer JA. Chronic stress-induced changes in the rat brain: role of sex differences and effects of long-term tianeptine treatment. Neuropharmacology 2013; 75:426-36. [PMID: 23994757 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2013.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2013] [Revised: 08/13/2013] [Accepted: 08/15/2013] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Growing evidence suggests neuroplasticity changes are pivotal in both the occurrence and treatment of affective disorders. Abnormal expression and/or phosphorylation of numerous plasticity-related proteins have been observed in depression, while prolonged antidepressant treatment has been associated with the attenuation of stress-mediated effects on dendritic remodeling and adult hippocampal neurogenesis in experimental animals. This study explores the neurobiological adaptations induced by chronic stress and/or long-term tianeptine treatment. Male and female rats were studied to determine the potential contributory role of sex differences on stress-induced pathology and antidepressant-mediated actions. Our results confirm chronic stress-induced HPA axis disturbance and neuroplasticity impairment in both sexes (i.e. reduced CREB phosphorylation and hippocampal BrdU labeling). Commonly ensuing neurobiological alterations were accompanied by unique sex-specific adaptations. When the antidepressant tianeptine was administered, HPA axis hyperactivity was attenuated and specific neuronal defects were ameliorated in both sexes. These findings provide novel insight into sex-related influences on the neurobiological substrates mediating chronic stress-induced actions on neuroplasticity and the mechanisms underlying tianeptine-mediated therapeutic effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sjoukje D Kuipers
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, The Netherlands; Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, N-5009 Bergen, Norway
| | - Andrea Trentani
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, The Netherlands; Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Centre for Behaviour and Neurosciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands; Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, N-5009 Bergen, Norway.
| | - Eddy A van der Zee
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Centre for Behaviour and Neurosciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Johan A den Boer
- University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Translationally relevant modeling of PTSD in rodents. Cell Tissue Res 2013; 354:127-39. [PMID: 23912242 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-013-1687-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2013] [Accepted: 06/25/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is clinically defined in DSM-4 by exposure to a significantly threatening and/or horrifying event and the presence of a certain number of symptoms from each of three symptom clusters at least one month after the event. Since humans clearly do not respond homogeneously to a potentially traumatic experience, the heterogeneity in animal responses might be regarded as confirming the validity of animal studies, rather than as representing a problem. A model of diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorders could therefore be applied to animal responses to augment the validity of study data, providing that the criteria for classification are clearly defined, reliably reproducible and yield results that conform to findings in human subjects. The method described herein was developed in an attempt to model diagnostic criteria in terms of individual patterns of response by using behavioral measures and determining cut-off scores to distinguish between extremes of response or non-response, leaving a sizeable proportion of subjects in a middle group, outside each set of cut-off criteria. The cumulative results of our studies indicate that the contribution of animal models can be further enhanced by classifying individual animal study subjects according to their response patterns. The animal model also enables the researcher to go one step further and correlate specific anatomic, bio-molecular and physiological parameters with the degree and pattern of the individual behavioral response and introduces "prevalence rates" as a parameter. The translational value of the classification method and future directions are discussed.
Collapse
|
37
|
Keil MF, Briassoulis G, Nesterova M, Miraftab N, Gokarn N, Wu TJ, Stratakis CA. Threat bias in mice with inactivating mutations of Prkar1a. Neuroscience 2013; 241:206-14. [PMID: 23531435 PMCID: PMC3646976 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.03.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2012] [Revised: 03/13/2013] [Accepted: 03/14/2013] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are associated with abnormalities in the neural processing of threat-related stimuli. However, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying threat bias in anxiety are not well understood. We recently reported that a Prkar1a heterozygote (Prkar1a(+/-)) mouse with haploinsufficiency for the main regulatory subunit (R1α) of protein kinase A (PKA) exhibits an anxiety-like phenotype associated with increased cAMP signaling in the amygdala. Prkar1a(+/-) mice provide a novel model to test the direct effect of altered PKA expression and subsequent anxiety-like behavioral phenotype on the response to threat. We hypothesized that Prkar1a(+/-)mice would exhibit a bias in threat detection since increased amygdala activity during emotional stimuli is associated with a maladaptive response. We measured behavior and PKA activity in brain areas after exposure to predator or control odor exposure in male Prkar1a(+/-) and wild-type (WT) littermates. Indeed, there were significant differences in the behavioral response to threat detection; WT mice showed the expected response of decrease in exploratory behavior during predator vs. control odor exposure, while Prkar1a(+/-) mice did not alter their behavior between conditions. Basal and total PKA activity was independently associated with genotype, with an interaction between genotype and threat condition. Prkar1a(+/-) mice had higher PKA activity in amygdala and ventromedial hypothalamus in response to predator odor. In contrast, WT mice had higher PKA activity in amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex after exposure to control odor. Dysregulated PKA activity in the amygdala-prefrontal cortex circuitry in Prkar1a(+/-) mice is associated with behavioral phenotype of anxiety and a bias for threat. This is likely related to a failure to inhibit the amydgala response, which is an effect of the genotype. These results suggest that the alteration in PKA signaling in Prkar1a(+/-) mice is not ubiquitous in the brain; tissue-specific effects of the cAMP/PKA pathway are related to threat detection and fear sensitization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M F Keil
- Section on Endocrinology and Genetics, Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
38
|
Toumi ML, Merzoug S, Baudin B, Tahraoui A. Quercetin alleviates predator stress-induced anxiety-like and brain oxidative signs in pregnant rats and immune count disturbance in their offspring. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2013; 107:1-10. [PMID: 23541492 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2013.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2012] [Revised: 02/28/2013] [Accepted: 03/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This study was performed in rats to investigate the effect of a psychogenic stress during late gestation on the immediate behavior and brain oxidative status in dams as well as on the immune cell counts in their offspring up to weaning. Besides, the ability of quercetin (a natural flavonoid) to prevent stress effects was evaluated. Quercetin was orally administered for 6 consecutive days before the pregnant rats were acutely exposed to predator stress on gestational day 19. Post-stress corticosterone level, brain oxidative stress parameters and anxiety-like behavior were assessed in dams, whereas immune cell counts were postnatally determined in both male and female pups. Predator stress caused an oxidative stress in the brain and elicited an elevation in plasma corticosterone with concomitant behavioral impairment in dams. Prenatally-stressed pups mainly showed a decrease in total leukocytes and lymphocytes along with monocytosis and granulocytosis, but these changes were sex-dependent throughout the postnatal period studied. Quercetin pretreatment blocked the stress-induced corticosterone release and alleviated the brain oxidative stress with the maternal anxiety measures being slightly attenuated, whereas its effects on the offspring immune cell counts were mostly revealed at birth. Our findings suggest that late gestational exposure to traumatic events may cause anxiety symptoms in dams, in which corticosterone and brain oxidative stress play a certain role, and trigger negative immune changes in the early postnatal life of progeny. Notably, quercetin intake before such adverse events seems to be beneficial against negative outcomes in both dams and offspring.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Lamine Toumi
- Laboratoire de Neuro-endocrinologie Appliquée, Département de Biologie, Université Badji Mokhtar, BP 12, 23000 Annaba, Algeria.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
39
|
Goswami S, Rodríguez-Sierra O, Cascardi M, Paré D. Animal models of post-traumatic stress disorder: face validity. Front Neurosci 2013; 7:89. [PMID: 23754973 PMCID: PMC3668155 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2013.00089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2013] [Accepted: 05/13/2013] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that develops in a proportion of individuals following a traumatic event. Despite recent advances, ethical limitations associated with human research impede progress in understanding PTSD. Fortunately, much effort has focused on developing animal models to help study the pathophysiology of PTSD. Here, we provide an overview of animal PTSD models where a variety of stressors (physical, psychosocial, or psychogenic) are used to examine the long-term effects of severe trauma. We emphasize models involving predator threat because they reproduce human individual differences in susceptibility to, and in the long-term consequences of, psychological trauma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sonal Goswami
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers State University Newark, NJ, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
40
|
Sweetened-fat intake sensitizes gamma-aminobutyric acid-mediated feeding responses elicited from the nucleus accumbens shell. Biol Psychiatry 2013; 73:843-50. [PMID: 23312563 PMCID: PMC3885159 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2012] [Revised: 11/02/2012] [Accepted: 11/02/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is much interest in exploring whether reward-driven feeding can produce druglike plasticity in the brain. The gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system in the nucleus accumbens (Acb) shell, which modulates hypothalamic feeding systems, is well placed to "usurp" homeostatic control of feeding. Nevertheless, it is unknown whether feeding-induced neuroadaptations occur in this system. METHODS Separate groups of ad libitum-maintained rats were exposed to daily bouts of sweetened-fat intake, predator stress, or intra-Acb shell infusions of either d-amphetamine (2 or 10 μg) or the μ-opioid agonist D-[Ala2, N-MePhe4, Gly-ol]-enkephalin (DAMGO, 2.5 μg), then challenged with intra-Acb shell infusion of the GABAA agonist, muscimol (10 ng). RESULTS Exposure to sweetened fat robustly sensitized muscimol-induced feeding. Sensitization was present 1 week after cessation of the palatable feeding regimen but had abated by 2 weeks. Rats exposed to sweetened fat did not show an altered feeding response to food deprivation. Repeated intra-Acb shell infusions of DAMGO (2.5 μg) also sensitized intra-Acb shell muscimol-driven feeding. However, neither repeated intra-Acb shell d-amphetamine infusions (2 or 10 μg) nor intermittent exposure to an aversive stimulus (predator stress) altered sensitivity to muscimol. CONCLUSIONS Palatable feeding engenders hypersensitivity of Acb shell GABA responses; this effect may involve feeding-induced release of opioid peptides. Heightened arousal, aversive experiences, or increased catecholamine transmission alone are insufficient to produce the effect, and a hunger-induced feeding drive is insufficient to reveal the effect. These findings reveal a novel type of food-induced neuroadaptation within the Acb; possible implications for understanding crossover effects between food reward and drug reward are discussed.
Collapse
|
41
|
Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript peptide (CART) in the central nucleus of amygdala potentiates behavioral and hormonal responses of the rat exposed to its predator. Behav Brain Res 2013; 243:129-37. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.12.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2012] [Revised: 12/28/2012] [Accepted: 12/31/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
42
|
Systems approaches to genomic and epigenetic inter-regulation of peptide hormones in stress and reproduction. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2013; 113:375-86. [PMID: 23500148 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2013.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2012] [Revised: 02/08/2013] [Accepted: 02/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of the organismal stress response and fertility are two of the most important aspects that drive the fitness of a species. However, the integrated regulation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axes has been traditionally thwarted by the complexity of these systems. Pepidergic signalling systems have emerged as critical integrating systems for stress and reproduction. Current high throughput systems approaches are now providing a detailed understanding of peptide signalling in stress and reproduction. These approaches were dependent upon a long history of discovery aimed at the structural characterization of the associated molecular components. The combination of comparative genomics, microarray and epigenetic studies has led not only to a much greater understanding of the integration of stress and reproduction but also to the discovery of novel physiological systems. Recent epigenomic approaches have similarly yielded a new level of complexity in the interaction of these physiological systems. Together, such studies have provided a greater understanding of the effects of stress and reproduction.
Collapse
|
43
|
Middlemis Maher J, Werner EE, Denver RJ. Stress hormones mediate predator-induced phenotypic plasticity in amphibian tadpoles. Proc Biol Sci 2013; 280:20123075. [PMID: 23466985 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.3075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Amphibian tadpoles display extensive anti-predator phenotypic plasticity, reducing locomotory activity and, with chronic predator exposure, developing relatively smaller trunks and larger tails. In many vertebrates, predator exposure alters activity of the neuroendocrine stress axis. We investigated predator-induced effects on stress hormone production and the mechanistic link to anti-predator defences in Rana sylvatica tadpoles. Whole-body corticosterone (CORT) content was positively correlated with predator biomass in natural ponds. Exposure to caged predators in mesocosms caused a reduction in CORT by 4 hours, but increased CORT after 4 days. Tadpoles chronically exposed to exogenous CORT developed larger tails relative to their trunks, matching morphological changes induced by predator chemical cue; this predator effect was blocked by the corticosteroid biosynthesis inhibitor metyrapone. Tadpole tail explants treated in vitro with CORT increased tissue weight, suggesting that CORT acts directly on the tail. Short-term treatment of tadpoles with CORT increased predation mortality, likely due to increased locomotory activity. However, long-term CORT treatment enhanced survivorship, likely due to induced morphology. Our findings support the hypothesis that tadpole physiological and behavioural/morphological responses to predation are causally interrelated. Tadpoles initially suppress CORT and behaviour to avoid capture, but increase CORT with longer exposure, inducing adaptive phenotypic changes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Middlemis Maher
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1048, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Clinchy
- Department of Biology; University of Victoria; Victoria; British Columbia; V8W 3N5; Canada
| | - Michael J. Sheriff
- Institute of Arctic Biology; University of Alaska Fairbanks; Fairbanks; Alaska; 99775; USA
| | - Liana Y. Zanette
- Department of Biology; University of Western Ontario; London; Ontario; N6A 5B7; Canada
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Wong ESW, Morgenstern D, Mofiz E, Gombert S, Morris KM, Temple-Smith P, Renfree MB, Whittington CM, King GF, Warren WC, Papenfuss AT, Belov K. Proteomics and deep sequencing comparison of seasonally active venom glands in the platypus reveals novel venom peptides and distinct expression profiles. Mol Cell Proteomics 2012; 11:1354-64. [PMID: 22899769 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.m112.017491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The platypus is a venomous monotreme. Male platypuses possess a spur on their hind legs that is connected to glands in the pelvic region. They produce venom only during the breeding season, presumably to fight off conspecifics. We have taken advantage of this unique seasonal production of venom to compare the transcriptomes of in- and out-of-season venom glands, in conjunction with proteomic analysis, to identify previously undiscovered venom genes. Comparison of the venom glands revealed distinct gene expression profiles that are consistent with changes in venom gland morphology and venom volumes in and out of the breeding season. Venom proteins were identified through shot-gun sequenced venom proteomes of three animals using RNA-seq-derived transcripts for peptide-spectral matching. 5,157 genes were expressed in the venom glands, 1,821 genes were up-regulated in the in-season gland, and 10 proteins were identified in the venom. New classes of platypus-venom proteins identified included antimicrobials, amide oxidase, serpin protease inhibitor, proteins associated with the mammalian stress response pathway, cytokines, and other immune molecules. Five putative toxins have only been identified in platypus venom: growth differentiation factor 15, nucleobindin-2, CD55, a CXC-chemokine, and corticotropin-releasing factor-binding protein. These novel venom proteins have potential biomedical and therapeutic applications and provide insights into venom evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily S W Wong
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
46
|
Cavigelli SA, Chaudhry HS. Social status, glucocorticoids, immune function, and health: can animal studies help us understand human socioeconomic-status-related health disparities? Horm Behav 2012; 62:295-313. [PMID: 22841799 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2011] [Revised: 07/15/2012] [Accepted: 07/16/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
For humans in developed nations, socioeconomic status (SES)--relative income, education and occupational position in a society--is a strong predictor of morbidity and mortality rates, with increasing SES predicting longer life span (e.g. Marmot et al., 1991). Mechanisms underlying this relationship have been examined, but the relative role of each mechanism still remains unknown. By understanding the relative role of specific mechanisms that underlie dramatic health disparities between high and low social status individuals we can begin to identify effective, targeted methods to alleviate health disparities. In the current paper, we take advantage of a growing number of animal studies that have quantified biological health-related correlates (glucocorticoid production and immune function) of social status and compare these studies to the current literature on human SES and health to determine if and how animal studies can further our understanding of SES-associated human health disparities. Specifically, we compared social-status related glucocorticoid production and immune function in humans and animals. From the review, we show that our present understanding of the relationships between social status and glucocorticoid production/immune function is still growing, but that there are already identifiable parallels (and non-parallels) between humans and animals. We propose timely areas of future study focused on (1) specific aspects of social status that may influence stress-related physiology, (2) mechanisms underlying long-term influences of social status on physiology and health, and (3) intervention studies to alleviate potentially negative physiological correlates of social status.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sonia A Cavigelli
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Hayes DJ, Northoff G. Common brain activations for painful and non-painful aversive stimuli. BMC Neurosci 2012; 13:60. [PMID: 22676259 PMCID: PMC3464596 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-13-60] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2012] [Accepted: 04/18/2012] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Identification of potentially harmful stimuli is necessary for the well-being and self-preservation of all organisms. However, the neural substrates involved in the processing of aversive stimuli are not well understood. For instance, painful and non-painful aversive stimuli are largely thought to activate different neural networks. However, it is presently unclear whether there is a common aversion-related network of brain regions responsible for the basic processing of aversive stimuli. To help clarify this issue, this report used a cross-species translational approach in humans (i.e. meta-analysis) and rodents (i.e. systematic review of functional neuroanatomy). RESULTS Animal and human data combined to show a core aversion-related network, consisting of similar cortical (i.e. MCC, PCC, AI, DMPFC, RTG, SMA, VLOFC; see results section or abbreviation section for full names) and subcortical (i.e. Amyg, BNST, DS, Hab, Hipp/Parahipp, Hyp, NAc, NTS, PAG, PBN, raphe, septal nuclei, Thal, LC, midbrain) regions. In addition, a number of regions appeared to be more involved in pain-related (e.g. sensory cortex) or non-pain-related (e.g. amygdala) aversive processing. CONCLUSIONS This investigation suggests that aversive processing, at the most basic level, relies on similar neural substrates, and that differential responses may be due, in part, to the recruitment of additional structures as well as the spatio-temporal dynamic activity of the network. This network perspective may provide a clearer understanding of why components of this circuit appear dysfunctional in some psychiatric and pain-related disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dave J Hayes
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Georg Northoff
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, K1Z 7K4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Hayes DJ, Northoff G. Identifying a network of brain regions involved in aversion-related processing: a cross-species translational investigation. Front Integr Neurosci 2011; 5:49. [PMID: 22102836 PMCID: PMC3215229 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2011.00049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2011] [Accepted: 08/19/2011] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to detect and respond appropriately to aversive stimuli is essential for all organisms, from fruit flies to humans. This suggests the existence of a core neural network which mediates aversion-related processing. Human imaging studies on aversion have highlighted the involvement of various cortical regions, such as the prefrontal cortex, while animal studies have focused largely on subcortical regions like the periaqueductal gray and hypothalamus. However, whether and how these regions form a core neural network of aversion remains unclear. To help determine this, a translational cross-species investigation in humans (i.e., meta-analysis) and other animals (i.e., systematic review of functional neuroanatomy) was performed. Our results highlighted the recruitment of the anterior cingulate cortex, the anterior insula, and the amygdala as well as other subcortical (e.g., thalamus, midbrain) and cortical (e.g., orbitofrontal) regions in both animals and humans. Importantly, involvement of these regions remained independent of sensory modality. This study provides evidence for a core neural network mediating aversion in both animals and humans. This not only contributes to our understanding of the trans-species neural correlates of aversion but may also carry important implications for psychiatric disorders where abnormal aversive behavior can often be observed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dave J Hayes
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Baisley SK, Cloninger CL, Bakshi VP. Fos expression following regimens of predator stress versus footshock that differentially affect prepulse inhibition in rats. Physiol Behav 2011; 104:796-803. [PMID: 21843541 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2011] [Revised: 07/29/2011] [Accepted: 08/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Stress is suggested to exacerbate symptoms and contribute to relapse in patients with schizophrenia and several other psychiatric disorders. A prominent feature of many of these illnesses is an impaired ability to filter information through sensorimotor gating processes. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is a functional measure of sensorimotor gating, and known to be deficient in schizophrenia and sometimes in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), both of which are also sensitive to stress-induced symptom deterioration. We previously found that a psychological stressor (exposure to a ferret without physical contact), but not footshock, disrupted PPI in rats, suggesting that intense psychological stress/trauma may uniquely model stress-induced sensorimotor gating abnormalities. In the present experiment, we sought to recreate the conditions where we found this behavioral difference, and to explore possible underlying neural substrates. Rats were exposed acutely to ferret stress, footshock, or no stress (control). 90 min later, tissue was obtained for Fos immunohistochemistry to assess neuronal activation. Several brain regions (prelimbic, infralimbic, and cingulate cortices, the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, the paraventricular thalamic nucleus, and the lateral periaqueductal gray) were equally activated following exposure to either stressor. Interestingly, the medial amygdala and dorsomedial periaqueductal gray had nearly twice as much Fos activation in the ferret-exposed rats as in the footshock-exposed rats, suggesting that higher activation within these structures may contribute to the unique behavioral effects induced by predator stress. These results may have implications for understanding the neural substrates that could participate in sensorimotor gating abnormalities seen in several psychiatric disorders after psychogenic stress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K Baisley
- Neuroscience Training Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 7225 Medical Sciences Center, 1300 University Ave, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
50
|
Sanogo YO, Hankison S, Band M, Obregon A, Bell AM. Brain transcriptomic response of threespine sticklebacks to cues of a predator. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2011; 77:270-85. [PMID: 21677424 DOI: 10.1159/000328221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2010] [Accepted: 12/23/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Predation pressure represents a strong selective force that influences the development and evolution of living organisms. An increasing number of studies have shown that both environmental and social factors, including exposure to predators, substantially shape the structure and function of the brain. However, our knowledge about the molecular mechanisms underlying the response of the brain to environmental stimuli is limited. In this study, we used whole-genome comparative oligonucleotide microarrays to investigate the brain transcriptomic response to cues of a predator in the threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus. We found that repeated exposure to olfactory, visual and tactile cues of a predator (rainbow trout, Oncorrhynchus mykiss) for 6 days resulted in subtle but significant transcriptomic changes in the brain of sticklebacks. Gene functional analysis and gene ontology enrichment revealed that the majority of the transcripts differentially expressed between the fish exposed to cues of a predator and the control group were related to antigen processing and presentation involving the major histocompatibility complex, transmission of synaptic signals, brain metabolic processes, gene regulation and visual perception. The top four identified pathways were synaptic long-term depression, RAN signaling, relaxin signaling and phototransduction. Our study demonstrates that exposure of sticklebacks to cues of a predator results in the activation of a wide range of biological and molecular processes and lays the foundation for future investigations on the molecular factors that modulate the function and evolution of the brain in response to stressors.
Collapse
|