1
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de León Reyes NS, Sierra Díaz P, Nogueira R, Ruiz-Pino A, Nomura Y, de Solis CA, Schulkin J, Asok A, Leroy F. Corticotropin-releasing hormone signaling from prefrontal cortex to lateral septum suppresses interaction with familiar mice. Cell 2023; 186:4152-4171.e31. [PMID: 37669667 PMCID: PMC7615103 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
Social preference, the decision to interact with one member of the same species over another, is critical to optimize social interactions. Thus, adult rodents favor interacting with novel conspecifics over familiar ones, but whether this social preference stems from neural circuits facilitating interactions with novel individuals or suppressing interactions with familiar ones remains unknown. Here, we identify neurons in the infra-limbic area (ILA) of the mouse prefrontal cortex that express the neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and project to the dorsal region of the rostral lateral septum (rLS). We show how release of CRH during familiar encounters disinhibits rLS neurons, thereby suppressing social interactions with familiar mice and contributing to social novelty preference. We further demonstrate how the maturation of CRH expression in ILA during the first 2 post-natal weeks enables the developmental shift from a preference for littermates in juveniles to a preference for novel mice in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Sofia de León Reyes
- Instituto de Neurociencias (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche), San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Paula Sierra Díaz
- Instituto de Neurociencias (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche), San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Ramon Nogueira
- Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain & Behavior Institute, New York, USA
| | - Antonia Ruiz-Pino
- Instituto de Neurociencias (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche), San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Yuki Nomura
- Instituto de Neurociencias (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche), San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Christopher A de Solis
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain & Behavior Institute, New York, USA
| | - Jay Schulkin
- School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Arun Asok
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain & Behavior Institute, New York, USA
| | - Felix Leroy
- Instituto de Neurociencias (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche), San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain.
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2
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Rosen JB, Schulkin J. Hyperexcitability: From Normal Fear to Pathological Anxiety and Trauma. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:727054. [PMID: 35993088 PMCID: PMC9387392 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.727054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hyperexcitability in fear circuits is suggested to be important for development of pathological anxiety and trauma from adaptive mechanisms of fear. Hyperexcitability is proposed to be due to acquired sensitization in fear circuits that progressively becomes more severe over time causing changing symptoms in early and late pathology. We use the metaphor and mechanisms of kindling to examine gains and losses in function of one excitatory and one inhibitory neuropeptide, corticotrophin releasing factor and somatostatin, respectively, to explore this sensitization hypothesis. We suggest amygdala kindling induced hyperexcitability, hyper-inhibition and loss of inhibition provide clues to mechanisms for hyperexcitability and progressive changes in function initiated by stress and trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey B. Rosen
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
- *Correspondence: Jeffrey B. Rosen,
| | - Jay Schulkin
- School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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3
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Mousa SA, Khalefa BI, Shaqura M, Al-Madol M, Treskatsch S, Schäfer M. Superior control of inflammatory pain by corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 via opioid peptides in distinct pain-relevant brain areas. J Neuroinflammation 2022; 19:148. [PMID: 35705992 PMCID: PMC9199204 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-022-02498-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 08/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Under inflammatory conditions, the activation of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptor has been shown to inhibit pain through opioid peptide release from immune cells or neurons. CRF’s effects on human and animal pain modulation depend, however, on the distribution of its receptor subtypes 1 and 2 (CRF-R1 and CRF-R2) along the neuraxis of pain transmission. The objective of this study is to investigate the respective role of each CRF receptor subtype on centrally administered CRF-induced antinociception during inflammatory pain. Methods The present study investigated the role of intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) CRF receptor agonists on nociception and the contribution of cerebral CRF-R1 and/or CRF-R2 subtypes in an animal model of Freund’s complete adjuvant (FCA)-induced hind paw inflammation. Methods used included behavioral experiments, immunofluorescence confocal analysis, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Results Intracerebroventricular, but systemically inactive, doses of CRF elicited potent, dose-dependent antinociceptive effects in inflammatory pain which were significantly antagonized by i.c.v. CRF-R1-selective antagonist NBI 27914 (by approximately 60%) but less by CRF-R2-selective antagonist K41498 (by only 20%). In line with these findings, i.c.v. administration of CRF-R1 agonist stressin I produced superior control of inflammatory pain over CRF-R2 agonist urocortin-2. Intriguingly, i.c.v. opioid antagonist naloxone significantly reversed the CRF as well as CRF-R1 agonist-elicited pain inhibition. Consistent with existing evidence of high CRF concentrations in brain areas such as the thalamus, hypothalamus, locus coeruleus, and periaqueductal gray following its i.c.v. administration, double-immunofluorescence confocal microscopy demonstrated primarily CRF-R1-positive neurons that expressed opioid peptides in these pain-relevant brain areas. Finally, PCR analysis confirmed the predominant expression of the CRF-R1 over CRF-R2 in representative brain areas such as the hypothalamus. Conclusion Taken together, these findings suggest that CRF-R1 in opioid-peptide-containing brain areas plays an important role in the modulation of inflammatory pain and may be a useful therapeutic target for inflammatory pain control. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12974-022-02498-8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaaban A Mousa
- Department of Anesthesiology and Operative Intensive Care Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Baled I Khalefa
- Department of Anesthesiology and Operative Intensive Care Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany.,Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, AL-Zintan University, Alzintan, Libya
| | - Mohammed Shaqura
- Department of Anesthesiology and Operative Intensive Care Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Sascha Treskatsch
- Department of Anesthesiology and Operative Intensive Care Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Schäfer
- Department of Anesthesiology and Operative Intensive Care Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany
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4
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Baumgartner HM, Granillo M, Schulkin J, Berridge KC. Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) systems: Promoting cocaine pursuit without distress via incentive motivation. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267345. [PMID: 35503756 PMCID: PMC9064096 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) systems in limbic structures are posited to mediate stress-induced relapse in addiction, traditionally by generating distress states that spur drug consumption as attempts at hedonic self-medication. Yet evidence suggests that activating CRF-expressing neurons in the central amygdala (CeA) or nucleus accumbens (NAc) can magnify incentive motivation in absence of distress, at least for sucrose rewards. However, traditional CRF hypotheses in addiction neuroscience are primarily directed toward drug rewards. The question remains open whether CRF systems can similarly act via incentive motivation mechanisms to promote pursuit of drug rewards, such as cocaine. Here we tested whether optogenetic excitation of CRF-containing neurons in either NAc medial shell, lateral CeA, or dorsolateral BNST of transgenic Crh-Cre+ rats would spur preference and pursuit of a particular laser-paired cocaine reward over an alternative cocaine reward, and whether excitation served as a positively-valenced incentive itself, through laser self-stimulation tests. We report that excitation of CRF-containing neurons in either NAc or CeA recruited mesocorticolimbic circuitry to amplify incentive motivation to pursue the laser-paired cocaine: focusing preference on the laser-paired cocaine reward in a two-choice task, and spurred pursuit as doubled breakpoint in a progressive ratio task. Crucially indicating positive-valence, excitation of CRF neurons in NAc and CeA also was actively sought after by most rats in self-stimulation tasks. Conversely, CRF neuronal activation in BNST was never self-stimulated, but failed to enhance cocaine consumption. Collectively, we find that NAc and CeA CRF-containing neurons can amplify pursuit and consumption of cocaine by positively-valenced incentive mechanisms, without any aversive distress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah M. Baumgartner
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United Started of America
| | - Madeliene Granillo
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United Started of America
| | - Jay Schulkin
- School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Kent C. Berridge
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United Started of America
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5
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Keller SM, Doherty TS, Roth TL. Pharmacological manipulation of DNA methylation normalizes maternal behavior, DNA methylation, and gene expression in dams with a history of maltreatment. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10253. [PMID: 31311968 PMCID: PMC6635500 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46539-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The quality of parental care received during development profoundly influences an individual's phenotype, including that of maternal behavior. We previously found that female rats with a history of maltreatment during infancy mistreat their own offspring. One proposed mechanism through which early-life experiences influence behavior is via epigenetic modifications. Indeed, our lab has identified a number of brain epigenetic alterations in female rats with a history of maltreatment. Here we sought to investigate the role of DNA methylation in aberrant maternal behavior. We administered zebularine, a drug known to alter DNA methylation, to dams exposed during infancy to the scarcity-adversity model of low nesting resources, and then characterized the quality of their care towards their offspring. First, we replicate that dams with a history of maltreatment mistreat their own offspring. Second, we show that maltreated-dams treated with zebularine exhibit lower levels of adverse care toward their offspring. Third, we show that administration of zebularine in control dams (history of nurturing care) enhances levels of adverse care. Lastly, we show altered methylation and gene expression in maltreated dams normalized by zebularine. These findings lend support to the hypothesis that epigenetic alterations resulting from maltreatment causally relate to behavioral outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha M Keller
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Tiffany S Doherty
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Tania L Roth
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA.
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6
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Gowrishankar R, Bruchas MR. Defining circuit-specific roles for G protein-coupled receptors in aversive learning. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2019; 26:146-156. [PMID: 32855999 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The encoding of negative valence in response to noxious stimuli/experiences and in turn, the behavioral representation of negative affective states is essential for survival. Recent advances in neuroscience have determined multiple sites of neural plasticity and key circuits of connectivity across these regions in mediating aversive behavior. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), owing to their neuromodulatory role, are especially important to refining our understanding of the molecular substrates involved in these circuits. In this review, we will focus on recent, contemporary findings that explore neural circuit-specific roles for neurotransmitter/peptide GPCRs and the importance of using novel approaches to illuminate the molecular mechanisms central to aversive learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raajaram Gowrishankar
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Michael R Bruchas
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.,Department of Pharmacology, Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.,Pain and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
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7
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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.
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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.
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8
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Pedersen WS, Muftuler LT, Larson CL. Conservatism and the neural circuitry of threat: economic conservatism predicts greater amygdala-BNST connectivity during periods of threat vs safety. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2018; 13:43-51. [PMID: 29126127 PMCID: PMC5793824 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsx133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Political conservatism is associated with an increased negativity bias, including increased attention and reactivity toward negative and threatening stimuli. Although the human amygdala has been implicated in the response to threatening stimuli, no studies to date have investigated whether conservatism is associated with altered amygdala function toward threat. Furthermore, although an influential theory posits that connectivity between the amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is important in initiating the response to sustained or uncertain threat, whether individual differences in conservatism modulate this connectivity is unknown. To test whether conservatism is associated with increased reactivity in neural threat circuitry, we measured participants’ self-reported social and economic conservatism and asked them to complete high-resolution fMRI scans while under threat of an unpredictable shock and while safe. We found that economic conservatism predicted greater connectivity between the BNST and a cluster of voxels in the left amygdala during threat vs safety. These results suggest that increased amygdala–BNST connectivity during threat may be a key neural correlate of the enhanced negativity bias found in conservatism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walker S Pedersen
- Psychology Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
| | - L Tugan Muftuler
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Christine L Larson
- Psychology Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
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9
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Janeček M, Dabrowska J. Oxytocin facilitates adaptive fear and attenuates anxiety responses in animal models and human studies-potential interaction with the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Cell Tissue Res 2018; 375:143-172. [PMID: 30054732 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-018-2889-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Despite its relatively well-understood role as a reproductive and pro-social peptide, oxytocin (OT) tells a more convoluted story in terms of its modulation of fear and anxiety. This nuanced story has been obscured by a great deal of research into the therapeutic applications of exogenous OT, driving more than 400 ongoing clinical trials. Drawing from animal models and human studies, we review the complex evidence concerning OT's role in fear learning and anxiety, clarifying the existing confusion about modulation of fear versus anxiety. We discuss animal models and human studies demonstrating the prevailing role of OT in strengthening fear memory to a discrete signal or cue, which allows accurate and rapid threat detection that facilitates survival. We also review ostensibly contrasting behavioral studies that nonetheless provide compelling evidence of OT attenuating sustained contextual fear and anxiety-like behavior, arguing that these OT effects on the modulation of fear vs. anxiety are not mutually exclusive. To disambiguate how endogenous OT modulates fear and anxiety, an understudied area compared to exogenous OT, we survey behavioral studies utilizing OT receptor (OTR) antagonists. Based on emerging evidence about the role of OTR in rat dorsolateral bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) and elsewhere, we postulate that OT plays a critical role in facilitating accurate discrimination between stimuli representing threat and safety. Supported by human studies, we demonstrate that OT uniquely facilitates adaptive fear but reduces maladaptive anxiety. Last, we explore the limited literature on endogenous OT and its interaction with corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) with a special emphasis on the dorsolateral BNST, which may hold the key to the neurobiology of phasic fear and sustained anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Janeček
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA
| | - Joanna Dabrowska
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA. .,Department of Neuroscience, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA.
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10
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Keller SM, Doherty TS, Roth TL. Pharmacological Manipulation of DNA Methylation in Adult Female Rats Normalizes Behavioral Consequences of Early-Life Maltreatment. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:126. [PMID: 30008666 PMCID: PMC6034089 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Exposure to adversity early in development alters brain and behavioral trajectories. Data continue to accumulate that epigenetic mechanisms are a mediating factor between early-life adversity and adult behavioral phenotypes. Previous work from our laboratory has shown that female Long-Evans rats exposed to maltreatment during infancy display both aberrant forced swim behavior and patterns of brain DNA methylation in adulthood. Therefore, we examined the possibility of rescuing the aberrant forced swim behavior in maltreated-adult females by administering an epigenome-modifying drug (zebularine) at a dose previously shown to normalize DNA methylation. We found that zebularine normalized behavior in the forced swim test in maltreated females such that they performed at the levels of controls (females that had been exposed to only nurturing care during infancy). These data help link DNA methylation to an adult phenotype in our maltreatment model, and more broadly provide additional evidence that non-targeted epigenetic manipulations can change behavior associated with early-life adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha M Keller
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - Tiffany S Doherty
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - Tania L Roth
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
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11
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Persistent Stress-Induced Neuroplastic Changes in the Locus Coeruleus/Norepinephrine System. Neural Plast 2018; 2018:1892570. [PMID: 30008741 PMCID: PMC6020552 DOI: 10.1155/2018/1892570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Revised: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural plasticity plays a critical role in mediating short- and long-term brain responses to environmental stimuli. A major effector of plasticity throughout many regions of the brain is stress. Activation of the locus coeruleus (LC) is a critical step in mediating the neuroendocrine and behavioral limbs of the stress response. During stressor exposure, activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis promotes release of corticotropin-releasing factor in LC, where its signaling promotes a number of physiological and cellular changes. While the acute effects of stress on LC physiology have been described, its long-term effects are less clear. This review will describe how stress changes LC neuronal physiology, function, and morphology from a genetic, cellular, and neuronal circuitry/transmission perspective. Specifically, we describe morphological changes of LC neurons in response to stressful stimuli and signal transduction pathways underlying them. Also, we will review changes in excitatory glutamatergic synaptic transmission in LC neurons and possible stress-induced modifications of AMPA receptors. This review will also address stress-related behavioral adaptations and specific noradrenergic receptors responsible for them. Finally, we summarize the results of several human studies which suggest a link between stress, altered LC function, and pathogenesis of posttraumatic stress disorder.
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12
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Optogenetic silencing of a corticotropin-releasing factor pathway from the central amygdala to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis disrupts sustained fear. Mol Psychiatry 2018; 23:914-922. [PMID: 28439099 PMCID: PMC5656568 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2017.79] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2016] [Revised: 02/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The lateral central nucleus of the amygdala (CeAL) and the dorsolateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTDL) coordinate the expression of shorter- and longer-lasting fears, respectively. Less is known about how these structures communicate with each other during fear acquisition. One pathway, from the CeAL to the BNSTDL, is thought to communicate via corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), but studies have yet to examine its function in fear learning and memory. Thus, we developed an adeno-associated viral-based strategy to selectively target CRF neurons with the optogenetic silencer archaerhodopsin tp009 (CRF-ArchT) to examine the role of CeAL CRF neurons and projections to the BNSTDL during the acquisition of contextual fear. Expression of our CRF-ArchT vector injected into the amygdala was restricted to CeAL CRF neurons. Furthermore, CRF axonal projections from the CeAL clustered around BNSTDL CRF cells. Optogenetic silencing of CeAL CRF neurons during contextual fear acquisition disrupted retention test freezing 24 h later, but only at later time points (>6 min) during testing. Silencing CeAL CRF projections in the BNSTDL during contextual fear acquisition produced a similar effect. Baseline contextual freezing, the rate of fear acquisition, freezing in an alternate context after conditioning and responsivity to foot shock were unaffected by optogenetic silencing. Our results highlight how CeAL CRF neurons and projections to the BNSTDL consolidate longer-lasting components of a fear memory. Our findings have implications for understanding how discrete amygdalar CRF pathways modulate longer-lasting fear in anxiety- and trauma-related disorders.
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13
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Borodovitsyna O, Flamini MD, Chandler DJ. Acute Stress Persistently Alters Locus Coeruleus Function and Anxiety-like Behavior in Adolescent Rats. Neuroscience 2018; 373:7-19. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Revised: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 01/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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14
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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.
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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.
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15
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Tinterri A, Deck M, Keita M, Mailhes C, Rubin AN, Kessaris N, Lokmane L, Bielle F, Garel S. Tangential migration of corridor guidepost neurons contributes to anxiety circuits. J Comp Neurol 2017; 526:397-411. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Revised: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Tinterri
- IBENS, Département de Biologie; École normale supérieure, CNRS, Inserm, PSL Research University; Paris France
- Brain Development and Plasticity Team
- Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds, Foundation for Basic Research in Medicine; Mainz Germany
- Ecole de Neurosciences de Paris-Ile de France; Paris France
| | - Marie Deck
- IBENS, Département de Biologie; École normale supérieure, CNRS, Inserm, PSL Research University; Paris France
- Brain Development and Plasticity Team
| | - Maryama Keita
- IBENS, Département de Biologie; École normale supérieure, CNRS, Inserm, PSL Research University; Paris France
- Brain Development and Plasticity Team
| | - Caroline Mailhes
- IBENS, Département de Biologie; École normale supérieure, CNRS, Inserm, PSL Research University; Paris France
- Acute Transgenesis Facility
| | - Anna Noren Rubin
- University College of London, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology; London United Kingdom
| | - Nicoletta Kessaris
- University College of London, Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology; London United Kingdom
| | - Ludmilla Lokmane
- IBENS, Département de Biologie; École normale supérieure, CNRS, Inserm, PSL Research University; Paris France
- Brain Development and Plasticity Team
| | - Franck Bielle
- IBENS, Département de Biologie; École normale supérieure, CNRS, Inserm, PSL Research University; Paris France
- Brain Development and Plasticity Team
- AP-HP, Hôpitaux Universitaires Pitié-Salpêtrière Charles Foix, Service de Neuropathologie; Paris France
| | - Sonia Garel
- IBENS, Département de Biologie; École normale supérieure, CNRS, Inserm, PSL Research University; Paris France
- Brain Development and Plasticity Team
- Ecole de Neurosciences de Paris-Ile de France; Paris France
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16
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Goode TD, Maren S. Role of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in aversive learning and memory. Learn Mem 2017; 24:480-491. [PMID: 28814474 PMCID: PMC5580527 DOI: 10.1101/lm.044206.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Surviving threats in the environment requires brain circuits for detecting (or anticipating) danger and for coordinating appropriate defensive responses (e.g., increased cardiac output, stress hormone release, and freezing behavior). The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a critical interface between the "affective forebrain"-including the amygdala, ventral hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex-and the hypothalamic and brainstem areas that have been implicated in neuroendocrine, autonomic, and behavioral responses to actual or anticipated threats. However, the precise contribution of the BNST to defensive behavior is unclear, both in terms of the antecedent stimuli that mobilize BNST activity and the consequent defensive reactions. For example, it is well known that the BNST is essential for contextual fear conditioning, but dispensable for fear conditioning to discrete conditioned stimuli (CSs), at least as indexed by freezing behavior. However, recent evidence suggests that there are circumstances in which contextual freezing may persist independent of the BNST. Furthermore, the BNST is involved in the reinstatement (or relapse) of conditioned freezing to extinguished discrete CSs. As such, there are critical gaps in understanding how the BNST contributes to fundamental processes involved in Pavlovian fear conditioning. Here, we attempt to provide an integrative account of BNST function in fear conditioning. We discuss distinctions between unconditioned stress and conditioned fear and the role of BNST circuits in organizing behaviors associated with these states. We propose that the BNST mediates conditioned defensive responses-not based on the modality or duration of the antecedent threat or the duration of the behavioral response to the threat-but rather as consequence the ability of an antecedent stimulus to predict when an aversive outcome will occur (i.e., its temporal predictability). We argue that the BNST is not uniquely mobilized by sustained threats or uniquely involved in organizing sustained fear responses. In contrast, we argue that the BNST is involved in organizing fear responses to stimuli that poorly predict when danger will occur, no matter the duration, modality, or complexity of those stimuli. The concepts discussed in this review are critical to understanding the contribution of the human BNST to fear and anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis D Goode
- Institute for Neuroscience and the Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3474, USA
| | - Stephen Maren
- Institute for Neuroscience and the Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3474, USA
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