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Xia Q, Kuang X, Meng W, Yin F, Ma C, Yang Y. Sex-specific alterations in visual properties induced by single prolonged stress model. Neuropharmacology 2024; 258:110066. [PMID: 38986806 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.110066] [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: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 07/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit sex differences in symptomology, with women more likely to report higher rates of intrusive and avoidance symptoms than men, underscoring the need for sex-informed approaches to research and treatment. Our study delved into the sex-specific aspects of stress-induced visual impairments using the single prolonged stress (SPS) model, a partially validated rodent model for PTSD. Male SPS mice exhibit heightened optimal spatial frequency (SF) of primary visual cortex (V1) neurons, while female counterparts exhibit decreased optimal temporal frequency (TF) of V1 neurons. This phenomenon persisted until the 29th day after SPS modeling, and it may be the physiological basis for the observed increase in visual acuity in male SPS mice in visual water task. Furthermore, our study found that corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 regulated optimal TF and optimal SF of V1 in mice, but did not exhibit sex differences. These findings indicated that severe stress induces sex-specific effects on visual function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianhui Xia
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Xi Kuang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Wei Meng
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Fei Yin
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Chenchen Ma
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Yupeng Yang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China.
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Tovote P, Esposito MS, Botta P, Chaudun F, Fadok JP, Markovic M, Wolff SBE, Ramakrishnan C, Fenno L, Deisseroth K, Herry C, Arber S, Lüthi A. Midbrain circuits for defensive behaviour. Nature 2016; 534:206-12. [PMID: 27279213 DOI: 10.1038/nature17996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 431] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2015] [Accepted: 04/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Survival in threatening situations depends on the selection and rapid execution of an appropriate active or passive defensive response, yet the underlying brain circuitry is not understood. Here we use circuit-based optogenetic, in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological, and neuroanatomical tracing methods to define midbrain periaqueductal grey circuits for specific defensive behaviours. We identify an inhibitory pathway from the central nucleus of the amygdala to the ventrolateral periaqueductal grey that produces freezing by disinhibition of ventrolateral periaqueductal grey excitatory outputs to pre-motor targets in the magnocellular nucleus of the medulla. In addition, we provide evidence for anatomical and functional interaction of this freezing pathway with long-range and local circuits mediating flight. Our data define the neuronal circuitry underlying the execution of freezing, an evolutionarily conserved defensive behaviour, which is expressed by many species including fish, rodents and primates. In humans, dysregulation of this 'survival circuit' has been implicated in anxiety-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Tovote
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Maria Soledad Esposito
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.,Biozentrum, Department of Cell Biology, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Paolo Botta
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Fabrice Chaudun
- INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U862, 146 Rue Léo-Saignat, Bordeaux 33077, France
| | - Jonathan P Fadok
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Milica Markovic
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Steffen B E Wolff
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Charu Ramakrishnan
- Stanford University, 318 Campus Drive West, Clark Center W080, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Lief Fenno
- Stanford University, 318 Campus Drive West, Clark Center W080, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Stanford University, 318 Campus Drive West, Clark Center W080, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Cyril Herry
- INSERM, Neurocentre Magendie, U862, 146 Rue Léo-Saignat, Bordeaux 33077, France
| | - Silvia Arber
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.,Biozentrum, Department of Cell Biology, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Lüthi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
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Polymorphism in the corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 (CRF1-R) gene plays a role in shaping the high anxious phenotype of Marchigian Sardinian alcohol-preferring (msP) rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:1083-93. [PMID: 25260340 PMCID: PMC4339612 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3743-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2014] [Accepted: 09/10/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Marchigian Sardinian alcohol-preferring (msP) rats exhibit innate preference for alcohol along with anxious phenotype. In these animals, two single-nucleotide polymorphisms in position -1,836 and -2,097 from the first start codon of the CRF1-R transcript have been found. MATERIALS AND METHODS Here, we examined whether these point mutations account for the heightened anxiety-like behavior and stress responsiveness of msP rats. We rederived the msP rats to obtain two distinct lines carrying the wild-type (GG) and point mutations (AA), respectively. RESULTS CRF1-R gene expression analysis revealed significant dysregulation of the system in the extended amygdala of AA rats. At the behavioral level, using the elevated plus maze, we found that both AA and GG lines had higher basal anxiety compared to Wistar rats. In the defensive burying test, AA rats showed decreased burying behavior compared to the GG and the unselected Wistar lines. Freezing/immobility did not differ among AA and GG but was higher than that of Wistars. The selective CRF1-R antagonist antalarmin (0, 10, and 20 mg/kg) reduced burying behavior in Wistar animals. However, antalarmin (10 mg/kg) tended to increase rather than reducing this behavior when tested in the msP lines, an effect that appeared more marked in the GG as compared to the AA line. CONCLUSION The present data suggest that rats with msP genetic background are more anxious and show different sensitivity to stress and CRF1-R blockade than Wistars. The point mutations occurring in the CRF1-R gene do not seem to influence basal anxiety while they appear to affect active responses to stress.
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Pentkowski NS, Tovote P, Zavala AR, Litvin Y, Blanchard DC, Spiess J, Blanchard RJ. Cortagine infused into the medial prefrontal cortex attenuates predator-induced defensive behaviors and Fos protein production in selective nuclei of the amygdala in male CD1 mice. Horm Behav 2013; 64:519-26. [PMID: 23845323 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2013] [Revised: 06/21/2013] [Accepted: 06/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) plays an essential role in coordinating the autonomic, endocrine and behavioral responses to stressors. In this study, we investigated the role of CRF within the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in modulating unconditioned defensive behaviors, by examining the effects of microinfusing cortagine a selective type-1 CRF receptor (CRF1) agonist, or acidic-astressin a preferential CRF1 antagonist, into the mPFC in male CD-1 mice exposed to a live predator (rat exposure test--RET). Cortagine microinfusions significantly reduced several indices of defense, including avoidance and freezing, suggesting a specific role for CRF1 within the infralimbic and prelimbic regions of the mPFC in modulating unconditioned behavioral responsivity to a predator. In contrast, microinfusions of acidic-astressin failed to alter defensive behaviors during predator exposure in the RET. Cortagine microinfusions also reduced Fos protein production in the medial, central and basomedial, but not basolateral subnuclei of the amygdala in mice exposed to the rat predatory threat stimulus. These results suggest that CRF1 activation within the mPFC attenuates predator-induced unconditioned anxiety-like defensive behaviors, likely via inhibition of specific amygdalar nuclei. Furthermore, the present findings suggest that the mPFC represents a unique neural region whereby activation of CRF1 produces behavioral effects that contrast with those elicited following systemic administration of CRF1 agonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan S Pentkowski
- Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA; Pacific Biomedical Research Center, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA; Specialized Neuroscience Research Program, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA.
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Ayanwuyi LO, Carvajal F, Lerma-Cabrera JM, Domi E, Björk K, Ubaldi M, Heilig M, Roberto M, Ciccocioppo R, Cippitelli A. Role of a genetic polymorphism in the corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 gene in alcohol drinking and seeking behaviors of marchigian sardinian alcohol-preferring rats. Front Psychiatry 2013; 4:23. [PMID: 23630503 PMCID: PMC3624086 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2013] [Accepted: 04/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Marchigian Sardinian alcohol-preferring (msP) rats exhibit innate preference for alcohol, are highly sensitive to stress and stress-induced alcohol seeking. Genetic analysis showed that over-expression of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system of msP rats is correlated with the presence of two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) occurring in the promoter region (position -1836 and -2097) of the CRF1 receptor (CRF1-R) gene. Here we examined whether these point mutations were associated to the innate alcohol preference, stress-induced drinking, and seeking. We have recently re-derived the msP rats to obtain two distinct lines carrying the wild type (GG) and the point mutations (AA), respectively. The phenotypic characteristics of these two lines were compared with those of unselected Wistar rats. Both AA and GG rats showed similar patterns of voluntary alcohol intake and preference. Similarly, the pharmacological stressor yohimbine (0.0, 0.625, 1.25, and 2.5 mg/kg) elicited increased operant alcohol self-administration under fixed and progressive ratio reinforcement schedules in all three lines. Following extinction, yohimbine (0.0, 0.625, 1.25, and 2.5 mg/kg) significantly reinstated alcohol seeking in the three groups. However, at the highest dose this effect was no longer evident in AA rats. Treatment with the CRF1-R antagonist antalarmin (0, 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg) significantly reduced alcohol-reinforced lever pressing in the AA line (10 and 20 mg/kg) while a weaker or no effect was observed in the Wistar and the GG group, respectively. Finally, antalarmin significantly reduced yohimbine-induced increase in alcohol drinking in all three groups. In conclusion, these specific SNPs in the CRF1-R gene do not seem to play a primary role in the expression of the msP excessive drinking phenotype or stress-induced drinking but may be associated with a decreased threshold for stress-induced alcohol seeking and an increased sensitivity to the effects of pharmacological blockade of CRF1-R on alcohol drinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia O Ayanwuyi
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino Camerino, Italy
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Campos KFC, Amaral VCS, Rico JL, Miguel TT, Nunes-de-Souza RL. Ethopharmacological evaluation of the rat exposure test: a prey-predator interaction test. Behav Brain Res 2012. [PMID: 23195112 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.11.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The rat exposure test (RET) is a prey (mouse)-predator (rat) situation that activates brain defensive areas and elicits hormonal and defensive behavior in the mouse. Here, we investigated possible correlations between the spatiotemporal [time spent in protected (home chamber and tunnel) and unprotected (surface) compartments and frequency of entries into the three compartments] and ethological [e.g., duration of protected and unprotected stretched-attend postures (SAP), duration of contact with the rat's compartment] measures (Experiment 1). Secondly, we investigated the effects of systemic treatment with pro- or anti-aversive drugs on the behavior that emerged from the factor analysis (Experiment 2). The effects of chronic (21 days) imipramine and fluoxetine on defensive behavior were also investigated (Experiment 3). Exp. 1 revealed that the time in the protected compartment, protected SAP and rat contacts loaded on factor 1 (defensive behavior), while the total entries and unprotected SAP loaded on factor 2 (locomotor activity). Exp. 2 showed that alprazolam (but not diazepam) selectively changed the defensive factor. Caffeine produced a mild proaversive-like effect, whereas yohimbine only decreased locomotor activity (total entries). Fluoxetine (but not imipramine) produced a weak proaversive-like effect. 5-HT(1A)/5-HT(2) receptor ligands did not change any behavioral measure. In Exp. 3, chronic fluoxetine (but not imipramine) attenuated the defensive behavior factor without changing locomotion. Given that the defensive factor was sensitive to drugs known to attenuate (alprazolam and chronic fluoxetine) and induce (caffeine) panic attack, we suggest the RET as a useful test to assess the effects of panicolytic and panicogenic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelciane Ferreira Caetano Campos
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Araraquara, SP 14801-902, Brazil
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Schulkin J. Evolutionary conservation of glucocorticoids and corticotropin releasing hormone: Behavioral and physiological adaptations. Brain Res 2011; 1392:27-46. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.03.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2009] [Revised: 03/14/2011] [Accepted: 03/22/2011] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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Skórzewska A, Lehner M, Hamed A, Wisłowska-Stanek A, Turzyńska D, Sobolewska A, Płaźnik A. The effect of CRF2 receptor antagonists on rat conditioned fear responses and c-Fos and CRF expression in the brain limbic structures. Behav Brain Res 2011; 221:155-65. [PMID: 21376756 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.02.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2011] [Revised: 02/15/2011] [Accepted: 02/24/2011] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The influence of intracerebroventricular-administered selective corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 2 (CRF(2)) antagonists (antisauvagine-30, astressin-2B), on rat anxiety-like behavior, expression levels of c-Fos and CRF, and plasma corticosterone levels were examined in the present study. In fear-conditioned animals, both CRF receptor antagonists enhanced a conditioned freezing fear response and increased the conditioned fear-elevated concentration of serum corticosterone. Exogenously administered antisauvagine-30 increased the aversive context-induced expression of c-Fos in the 1 and 2 areas of the cingulate cortex (Cg1, Cg2), the central amygdala (CeA) and parvocellular neurons of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (pPVN), and it enhanced the effect of conditioned fear in the secondary motor cortex (M2) and medial amygdala (MeA). Immunocytochemistry demonstrated an increase in CRF expression in the Cg1, M2 areas of the cortex, and pPVN, and it revealed the effect of conditioned fear in the CeA 35 min after antisauvagine-30 administration and 10 min after the conditioned fear test. Furthermore, astressin-2B, another CRF(2) receptor antagonist, enhanced expression of c-Fos and CRF in the CeA and pPVN, and revealed the effect of conditioned fear in the Cg1. These data support a model in which an excess in CRF(1) receptor activation, combined with reduced CRF(2) receptor signaling, may contribute to stronger expression of anxiety-like responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Skórzewska
- Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland.
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