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Almeida FB, Nin MS, Barros HMT. The role of allopregnanolone in depressive-like behaviors: Focus on neurotrophic proteins. Neurobiol Stress 2020; 12:100218. [PMID: 32435667 PMCID: PMC7231971 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2020.100218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Allopregnanolone (3α,5α-tetrahydroprogesterone; pharmaceutical formulation: brexanolone) is a neurosteroid that has recently been approved for the treatment of postpartum depression, promising to fill part of a long-lasting gap in the effectiveness of pharmacotherapies for depressive disorders. In this review, we explore the experimental research that characterized the antidepressant-like effects of allopregnanolone, with a particular focus on the neurotrophic adaptations induced by this neurosteroid in preclinical studies. We demonstrate that there is a consistent decrease in allopregnanolone levels in limbic brain areas in rodents submitted to stress-induced models of depression, such as social isolation and chronic unpredictable stress. Further, both the drug-induced upregulation of allopregnanolone or its direct administration reduce depressive-like behaviors in models such as the forced swim test. The main drugs of interest that upregulate allopregnanolone levels are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which present the neurosteroidogenic property even in lower, non-SSRI doses. Finally, we explore how these antidepressant-like behaviors are related to neurogenesis, particularly in the hippocampus. The protagonist in this mechanism is likely the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BFNF), which is decreased in animal models of depression and may be restored by the normalization of allopregnanolone levels. The role of an interaction between GABA and the neurotrophic mechanisms needs to be further investigated.
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Key Words
- 3α,5α-tetrahydroprogesterone
- BDNF
- BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor
- Brexanolone
- CSF, cerebrospinal fluid
- CUS, chronic unpredictable stress
- Depression
- EKR, extracellular signal-regulated kinase
- FST, forced swim test
- GABA, γ-aminobutyric acid
- GABAAR, GABA type A receptor
- HSD, hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase
- NGF, nerve growth factor
- Neurosteroid
- PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder
- PXR, pregnane xenobiotic receptor
- SBSS, selective brain steroidogenic stimulant
- SSRI, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
- Selective brain steroidogenic stimulant
- THP, tetrahydroprogesterone
- TSPO, 18 kDa translocator protein
- TrkB, tropomyosin receptor kinase B
- USV, ultrasonic vocalization
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Borges Almeida
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences: Pharmacology and Toxicology, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), 90050-170, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Maurício Schüler Nin
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences: Pharmacology and Toxicology, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), 90050-170, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Centro Universitário Metodista do IPA, 90420-060, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Biological Sciences: Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), 90040-060, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Helena Maria Tannhauser Barros
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences: Pharmacology and Toxicology, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), 90050-170, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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Xu L, Wang J. Food restriction in adolescence increases emotional disorder-like behaviors in adult rats. J Chem Neuroanat 2019; 104:101731. [PMID: 31862402 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2019.101731] [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: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 12/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/15/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
This study was designed to investigate the neuronal mechanism underlying the influence of early-life food restriction on the central nervous system and subsequent behaviors in adult rats. Several behavioral paradigms were tested in rats, including sucrose negative contrast test, forced swimming test (FST) and elevated plus maze test (EPM). in vivo intracellular electrophysiological recordings were conducted in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LAT). Finally, the levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY) were examined using immunohistochemistry. Food restriction during adolescence reduced sucrose preference in adult rats. Adolescent food restriction increased total immobile time in the FST and reduced the latency in rats to the first bout of immobility. In the EPM test, rats that experienced food restriction in adolescence and tested four weeks later spent less time than unrestricted controls in the open arm. In addition, chronic food restriction in adolescence increased in vivo LAT neuronal excitability in adulthood. Finally, NPY immunoreactivity in the LAT was reduced in rats that experienced chronic food restriction in adolescence compared to controls. Our results suggest that food restriction in adolescence increases emotional disorder-like behaviors in adult life, in which NPY production regulates the LAT-dependent behaviors and may underly the vulnerability to emotional disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Xu
- Department of Electrophysiological Examination, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou 061001, Hebei Province, China
| | - Jinfeng Wang
- Department of Electrophysiological Examination, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou 061001, Hebei Province, China.
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Tatemoto P, Bernardino T, Alves L, Zanella AJ. Sham-Chewing in Sows Is Associated With Decreased Fear Responses in Their Offspring. Front Vet Sci 2019; 6:390. [PMID: 31803762 PMCID: PMC6877698 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We hypothesized that sham-chewing expressed by the dam during gestation affects fetus programming. The goal of this study was to assess the effects of maternal sham-chewing on offspring welfare indicators, such as behavior and physiology. Sows that exhibited consistent sham-chewing on at least two of 6 days of observation (N = 7) were compared with sows that had never performed sham-chewing (non-sham-chewing sows; N = 4) during these 6 days. Salivary samples from sows and piglets were collected and cortisol concentrations were analyzed to assess the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis activity as cortisol is a physiological indicator of welfare. Moreover, placental tissue was collected, right after farrowing, to assess cortisol and cortisone concentration. Piglet behavior and fear tests were performed after weaning (one couple per sow). In the fear tests, data was collected in an open field test to determine the states of fear indicators. Non-sham-chewing sows had lower concentrations of cortisol on days 91 and 92 of gestation in the morning. In addition to this, placental cortisol was higher among sham-chewing sows than non-sham-chewing sows. In the open field test, piglets born from non-sham-chewing sows demonstrated more latency to move in the arena and less activity, indicating more fear. Based on our data, we concluded that the expression of maternal sham-chewing is related to less fear in their offspring. Although stereotypies have been studied, attention has not been devoted to the effects of the prenatal period in considering a fetal reprogramming approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Tatemoto
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, Center for Comparative Studies in Sustainability, Health and Welfare, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, FMVZ, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Miragaia AS, de Oliveira Wertheimer GS, Consoli AC, Cabbia R, Longo BM, Girardi CEN, Suchecki D. Maternal Deprivation Increases Anxiety- and Depressive-Like Behaviors in an Age-Dependent Fashion and Reduces Neuropeptide Y Expression in the Amygdala and Hippocampus of Male and Female Young Adult Rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:159. [PMID: 30131681 PMCID: PMC6090069 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal deprivation for 24 h produces an immediate increase in basal and stress-induced corticosterone (CORT) secretion. Given the impact of elevated CORT levels on brain development, the goal of the present study was to characterize the effects of maternal deprivation at postnatal days 3 (DEP3) or 11 (DEP11) on emotional behavior and neuropeptide Y immunoreactivity (NPY-ir) in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and dorsal hippocampus (dHPC) of male and female rats. Litters were distributed in control non-deprived (CTL), DEP3, or DEP11 groups. In Experiment 1, within each litter, one male and one female were submitted to one of the following tests: novelty suppressed feeding (NSF), sucrose negative contrast test (SNCT), and forced swimming test (FST), between postnatal days 52 and 60. In Experiment 2, two males and two females per litter were exposed to the elevated plus maze and 1 h later, perfused for investigation of NPY-ir, on PND 52. The results showed that DEP3 rats displayed greater anxiety-like behavior in the NSF and EPM, compared to CTL and DEP11 counterparts. In the SNCT, DEP3 and DEP11 males showed less suppression of the lower sucrose concentration intake, whereas all females suppressed less than males. Both manipulated groups displayed more immobility in the FST, although this effect was greater in DEP3 than in DEP11 rats. NPY-ir was reduced in DEP3 and DEP11 males and females in the BLA, whereas in the dHPC, DEP3 males showed less NPY-ir than DEP11, which, in turn, presented less NPY-ir than CTL rats. Females showed less NPY-ir than males in both structures. Because the deprivation effects were more intense in DEP3 than in DEP11, in Experiment 3, the frequency of nursing posture, licking-grooming, and interaction with pups was assessed upon litter reunion with mothers. Mothers of DEP11 litters engaged more in anogenital licking than mothers of DEP3 litters. The present results indicate that maternal deprivation changed affective behavior with greater impact in the earlier age and reduced the expression of NPY in emotion-related brain areas. The age-dependent differential effects of deprivation on maternal behavior could, at least in part, explain the outcomes in young adult rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra S Miragaia
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | | | - Amanda C Consoli
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rafael Cabbia
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Beatriz M Longo
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carlos E N Girardi
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Deborah Suchecki
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Smirnov K, Tsvetaeva D, Sitnikova E. Neonatal whisker trimming in WAG/Rij rat pups causes developmental delay, encourages maternal care and affects exploratory activity in adulthood. Brain Res Bull 2018; 140:120-131. [PMID: 29684552 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2018.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2018] [Revised: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
WAG/Rij rats are genetically predisposed to absence epilepsy. Maternal behavior in WAG/Rij female rats is known to differ from that in non-epileptic females. We hypothesize that (1) mother's behavior may be changed as response to changes in pup's conditions; (2) sensory deprivation at the neonatal age affect learning and behavior in adulthood. All whiskers in WAG/Rij rat pups were trimmed daily during PN1-PN8. Maternal behavior was examined during the same period. It was found that in the control group, WAG/Rij females often demonstrated abnormally long (>1 min) repetitive purposeless stereotypical actions that were roughly classified as compulsive-like behavior. Mothers of the trimmed pups showed less compulsive-like behavior and more intensively interacted with pups and built better nests. Rat pups in the trimmed group had lower body weight on PN7-PN19 as compared to the control. In the trimmed group, maturation of motor skills and early behavioral patterns (i.e. walking, grooming, vertical activity, motor functions of forelimbs) showed 1-2 days delay in comparison to the control. At the age of 2-2.5 months, the locomotor activity in the trimmed rats differed from the control, but the level of anxiety was the same (the open field and the elevated plus maze). At the age of 6 months, the trimmed and control rats showed no differences in conditioned avoidance learning test, therefore, neonatal whisker trimming did not influence fear-based learning abilities in adulthood. It is hypothesized that an enhanced maternal care is capable to modulate development of brain functions in sensory deprived progeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirill Smirnov
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Butlerova str., 5A, Moscow, 117485, Russia.
| | - Daria Tsvetaeva
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Butlerova str., 5A, Moscow, 117485, Russia
| | - Evgenia Sitnikova
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Butlerova str., 5A, Moscow, 117485, Russia
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Popoola DO, Cameron NM. Maternal care-related differences in males and females rats' sensitivity to ethanol and the associations between the GABAergic system and steroids in males. Dev Psychobiol 2018; 60:380-394. [PMID: 29442358 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of maternal care on adolescent ethanol consumption, sensitivity to ethanol-induced hypnosis, as well as gonadal hormones and γ-aminobutyric acid type-A (GABAA ) systems. Long Evans rat dams were categorized by maternal licking/grooming (LG) frequency into High- and Low-LG mothers. Both female and male offspring from Low-LG rats demonstrated a greater sensitivity to ethanol-induced hypnosis in the loss-of-righting-reflex test at ethanol doses of 3.0 and 3.5 g/kg during late-adolescence (postnatal Day 50) but not at mid-adolescence (postnatal Day 42). However, we found no effect of maternal care on consumption of a 5% ethanol solution in a two-bottle choice test. We further investigated the association between the observed variations in sensitivity to ethanol-induced hypnosis and baseline hormonal levels in males. In male offspring from Low-LG mothers compared to High-LG mothers, baseline plasma corticosterone and progesterone levels were higher. GABAA α1 and δ subunit expressions were also higher in the cerebral cortex of Low-LG males but lower in the cerebellar synaptosomal fraction. Early environmental influences on adolescent sensitivity to ethanol-induced hypnosis, consumption, and preference may be mediated by gonadal hormones and possibly through GABAergic functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel O Popoola
- Department of Psychology, Center for Developmental and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York.,Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York.,Behavioral Neuropharmacology and Neuroimaging Laboratory on Addictions, Research Institute on Addictions, University of Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
| | - Nicole M Cameron
- Department of Psychology, Center for Developmental and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York.,Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York
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