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Becker L, Mallien AS, Pfeiffer N, Brandwein C, Talbot SR, Bleich A, Palme R, Potschka H, Gass P. Evidence-based severity assessment of the forced swim test in the rat. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0292816. [PMID: 37824495 PMCID: PMC10569541 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The forced swim test (FST) is a traditional assay, which has been used for more than 40 years to assess antidepressant effects of novel drug candidates. In recent years, a debate about the test has focused on the assumption that the FST is highly aversive and burdening for the animals because of the earlier anthropomorphic interpretation and designation as a "behavioral despair test". The Directive 2010/63/EU and the German Animal Welfare law require a prospective severity classification of the planned experimental procedures. Still, an objective examination of the animals' burden in this test has not been performed yet. To fill this gap, we conducted an evidence-based severity assessment of the forced swim test in rats according to a 'standard protocol' with a water temperature of 25°C. We examined parameters representing the physiological and the affective state, and natural as well as locomotion-associated behaviors in three separate experiments to reflect as many dimensions as possible of the animal's condition in the test. Hypothermia was the only effect observed in all animals exposed to the FST when using this standard protocol. Additional adverse effects on body weight, food consumption, and fecal corticosterone metabolite concentrations occurred in response to administration of the antidepressant imipramine, which is frequently used as positive control when testing for antidepressant effects of new substances. We conclude that this version of the FST itself is less severe for the animals than assumed, and we suggest a severity classification of 'moderate' because of the acute and short-lasting effects of hypothermia. To refine the FST according to the 3Rs, we encourage confirming the predictive validity in warmer water temperatures to allow the rats to maintain physiological body temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Becker
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Anne S. Mallien
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Natascha Pfeiffer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Christiane Brandwein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Steven R. Talbot
- Hannover Medical School, Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover, Germany
| | - André Bleich
- Hannover Medical School, Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover, Germany
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Heidrun Potschka
- Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Peter Gass
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
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Radley JJ, Herman JP. Preclinical Models of Chronic Stress: Adaptation or Pathology? Biol Psychiatry 2023; 94:194-202. [PMID: 36631383 PMCID: PMC10166771 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The experience of prolonged stress changes how individuals interact with their environment and process interoceptive cues, with the end goal of optimizing survival and well-being in the face of a now-hostile world. The chronic stress response includes numerous changes consistent with limiting further damage to the organism, including development of passive or active behavioral strategies and metabolic adjustments to alter energy mobilization. These changes are consistent with symptoms of pathology in humans, and as a result, chronic stress has been used as a translational model for diseases such as depression. While it is of heuristic value to understand symptoms of pathology, we argue that the chronic stress response represents a defense mechanism that is, at its core, adaptive in nature. Transition to pathology occurs only after the adaptive capacity of an organism is exhausted. We offer this perspective as a means of framing interpretations of chronic stress studies in animal models and how these data relate to adaptation as opposed to pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason J Radley
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - James P Herman
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio; Cincinnati Veterans Administration Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.
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Duarte JO, Planeta CS, Crestani CC. Vulnerability and resilience to cardiovascular and neuroendocrine effects of stress in adult rats with historical of chronic stress during adolescence. Life Sci 2023; 318:121473. [PMID: 36746355 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2023.121473] [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: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
AIMS This study investigated the influence of exposure to stress during adolescence in autonomic, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine and somatic changes evoked by chronic stress in adult rats. MAIN METHODS Animals were subjected to a 10-days protocol of repeated restraint stress (RRS, habituating) or chronic variable stress (CVS, non-habituating) during adolescence, adulthood, or repeated exposure to either RRS or CVS in adolescence and adulthood (adolescence+adulthood group). The trials to measure autonomic, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine and somatic changes in all experimental groups were performed in adulthood. KEY FINDINGS CVS increased basal circulating corticosterone levels and caused adrenal hypertrophy in the adolescence+adulthood group, an effect not identified in animals subjected to this stressor only in adulthood or adolescence. CVS also caused a sympathetically-mediated resting tachycardia in the adulthood group. This effect of CVS was not identified in the adolescence+adulthood group once the increased cardiac sympathetic activity was buffered by a decrease in intrinsic heart rate in these animals. Moreover, the impairment in baroreflex function observed in the adulthood group subjected to CVS was shifted to an improvement in animals subjected to repeated exposure to this stressor during adolescence and adulthood. The RRS in the adolescence+adulthood group caused a sympathetically-mediated resting tachycardia, which was not observed in the adulthood group. SIGNIFICANCE Our findings suggest that enduring effects of adverse events during adolescence included a vulnerability to neuroendocrine changes and a resilience to autonomic and cardiovascular dysfunctions caused by the CVS. Furthermore, results of RRS indicated a vulnerability to cardiovascular and autonomic changes evoked by homotypic stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josiane O Duarte
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Drugs and Medicines, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Cleopatra S Planeta
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Drugs and Medicines, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carlos C Crestani
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Drugs and Medicines, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Campos-Cardoso R, Novaes LS, Godoy LD, Dos Santos NB, Perfetto JG, Lazarini-Lopes W, Garcia-Cairasco N, Padovan CM, Munhoz CD. The resilience of adolescent male rats to acute stress-induced delayed anxiety is age-related and glucocorticoid release-dependent. Neuropharmacology 2023; 226:109385. [PMID: 36603798 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109385] [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: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Studies investigated how stressful experiences modulate physiological and behavioral responses and the consequences of stress-induced corticosterone release in anxiety-like behavior. Adolescence is crucial to brain maturation, and several neurobiological changes in this period lead individuals to increased susceptibility or resilience to aversive situations. Despite the effects of stress in adults, information about adolescents' responses to acute stress is lacking. We aimed to understand how adolescence affects acute stress responses. Male adolescent rats (30 days old) were 2 h restrained, and anxiety-like behaviors were measured immediately or 10 days after stress in the elevated plus-maze (EPM) and the light-dark box (LDB) tests. To verify the importance of CORT modulation in stress-induced anxiety, another group of rats was treated, 30 min before restraint, with metyrapone to blunt the stress-induced CORT peak and tested immediately after stress. To show that stress effects on behavior were age-dependent, another set of rats was tested in two different periods - early adolescence (30 days old) and mid-adolescence (40 days old) and were treated or not with metyrapone before the stress session and tested immediately or ten days later in the LDB test. Only early adolescent male rats were resilient to delayed anxiety-like behavior in EPM and LDB tests. Metyrapone treatment increased the rats' exploration immediately and ten days after stress. These data suggest a specific age at which adolescent rats are resilient to the delayed effects of acute restraint stress and that the metyrapone treatment has long-term behavioral consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Campos-Cardoso
- Department of Pharmacology, Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Brazil; Department of Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences, Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Santana Novaes
- Department of Pharmacology, Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Brazil
| | - Lívea Dornela Godoy
- Department of Physiology, Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | | | - Juliano Genaro Perfetto
- Department of Pharmacology, Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Brazil
| | - Willian Lazarini-Lopes
- Department of Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences, Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Norberto Garcia-Cairasco
- Department of Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences, Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil; Department of Physiology, Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Cláudia Maria Padovan
- Department of Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences, Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters at Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Carolina Demarchi Munhoz
- Department of Pharmacology, Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Brazil.
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Vargas Y, Parra-Montes de Oca M, Sánchez-Jaramillo E, Jaimes-Hoy L, Sánchez-Islas E, Uribe RM, Joseph-Bravo P, Charli JL. Sex-dependent and -independent regulation of thyrotropin-releasing hormone expression in the hypothalamic dorsomedial nucleus by negative energy balance, exercise, and chronic stress. Brain Res 2022; 1796:148083. [PMID: 36108782 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2022.148083] [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: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The dorsomedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (DMH) is part of the brain circuits that modulate organism responses to the circadian cycle, energy balance, and psychological stress. A large group of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (Trh) neurons is localized in the DMH; they comprise about one third of the DMH neurons that project to the lateral hypothalamus area (LH). We tested their response to various paradigms. In male Wistar rats, food restriction during adulthood, or chronic variable stress (CVS) during adolescence down-regulated adult DMH Trh mRNA levels compared to those in sedentary animals fed ad libitum; two weeks of voluntary wheel running during adulthood enhanced DMH Trh mRNA levels compared to pair-fed rats. Except for their magnitude, female responses to exercise were like those in male rats; in contrast, in female rats CVS did not change DMH Trh mRNA levels. A very strong negative correlation between DMH Trh mRNA levels and serum corticosterone concentration in rats of either sex was lost in CVS rats. CVS canceled the response to food restriction, but not that to exercise in either sex. TRH receptor 1 (Trhr) cells were numerous along the rostro-caudal extent of the medial LH. In either sex, fasting during adulthood reduced DMH Trh mRNA levels, and increased LH Trhr mRNA levels, suggesting fasting may inhibit the activity of TRHDMH->LH neurons. Thus, in Wistar rats DMH Trh mRNA levels are regulated by negative energy balance, exercise and chronic variable stress through sex-dependent and -independent pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yamili Vargas
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, Mexico
| | - Marco Parra-Montes de Oca
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, Mexico
| | - Edith Sánchez-Jaramillo
- Laboratorio de Neuroendocrinología Molecular, Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz (INPRFM), Ciudad de México 14370, Mexico
| | - Lorraine Jaimes-Hoy
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, Mexico
| | - Eduardo Sánchez-Islas
- Departamento de Neuromorfología Funcional, Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz (INPRFM), Ciudad de México 14370, Mexico
| | - Rosa María Uribe
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, Mexico
| | - Patricia Joseph-Bravo
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, Mexico
| | - Jean-Louis Charli
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, Mexico.
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Mahony C, O'Ryan C. A molecular framework for autistic experiences: Mitochondrial allostatic load as a mediator between autism and psychopathology. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:985713. [PMID: 36506457 PMCID: PMC9732262 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.985713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular autism research is evolving toward a biopsychosocial framework that is more informed by autistic experiences. In this context, research aims are moving away from correcting external autistic behaviors and toward alleviating internal distress. Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASCs) are associated with high rates of depression, suicidality and other comorbid psychopathologies, but this relationship is poorly understood. Here, we integrate emerging characterizations of internal autistic experiences within a molecular framework to yield insight into the prevalence of psychopathology in ASC. We demonstrate that descriptions of social camouflaging and autistic burnout resonate closely with the accepted definitions for early life stress (ELS) and chronic adolescent stress (CAS). We propose that social camouflaging could be considered a distinct form of CAS that contributes to allostatic overload, culminating in a pathophysiological state that is experienced as autistic burnout. Autistic burnout is thought to contribute to psychopathology via psychological and physiological mechanisms, but these remain largely unexplored by molecular researchers. Building on converging fields in molecular neuroscience, we discuss the substantial evidence implicating mitochondrial dysfunction in ASC to propose a novel role for mitochondrial allostatic load in the relationship between autism and psychopathology. An interplay between mitochondrial, neuroimmune and neuroendocrine signaling is increasingly implicated in stress-related psychopathologies, and these molecular players are also associated with neurodevelopmental, neurophysiological and neurochemical aspects of ASC. Together, this suggests an increased exposure and underlying molecular susceptibility to ELS that increases the risk of psychopathology in ASC. This article describes an integrative framework shaped by autistic experiences that highlights novel avenues for molecular research into mechanisms that directly affect the quality of life and wellbeing of autistic individuals. Moreover, this framework emphasizes the need for increased access to diagnoses, accommodations, and resources to improve mental health outcomes in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Colleen O'Ryan
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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7
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Dearing C, Handa RJ, Myers B. Sex differences in autonomic responses to stress: implications for cardiometabolic physiology. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2022; 323:E281-E289. [PMID: 35793480 PMCID: PMC9448273 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00058.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Chronic stress is a significant risk factor for negative health outcomes. Furthermore, imbalance of autonomic nervous system control leads to dysregulation of physiological responses to stress and contributes to the pathogenesis of cardiometabolic and psychiatric disorders. However, research on autonomic stress responses has historically focused on males, despite evidence that females are disproportionality affected by stress-related disorders. Accordingly, this mini-review focuses on the influence of biological sex on autonomic responses to stress in humans and rodent models. The reviewed literature points to sex differences in the consequences of chronic stress, including cardiovascular and metabolic disease. We also explore basic rodent studies of sex-specific autonomic responses to stress with a focus on sex hormones and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation of cardiovascular and metabolic physiology. Ultimately, emerging evidence of sex differences in autonomic-endocrine integration highlights the importance of sex-specific studies to understand and treat cardiometabolic dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carley Dearing
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Brent Myers
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
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Cotella EM, Nawreen N, Moloney RD, Martelle SE, Oshima KM, Lemen P, NiBlack JN, Julakanti RR, Fitzgerald M, Baccei ML, Herman JP. Adolescent Stress Confers Resilience to Traumatic Stress Later in Life: Role of the Prefrontal Cortex. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 3:274-282. [PMID: 37124346 PMCID: PMC10140393 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2022.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Adolescent brains are sensitive to stressors. However, under certain circumstances, developmental stress can promote an adaptive phenotype, allowing individuals to cope better with adverse situations in adulthood, thereby contributing to resilience. Methods Sprague Dawley rats (50 males, 48 females) were subjected to adolescent chronic variable stress (adol CVS) for 2 weeks at postnatal day 45. At postnatal day 85, a group was subjected to single prolonged stress (SPS). After a week, animals were evaluated in an auditory-cued fear conditioning paradigm, and neuronal recruitment during reinstatement was assessed by Fos expression. Patch clamp electrophysiology (17-35 cells/group) was performed in male rats to examine physiological changes associated with resilience. Results Adol CVS blocked fear potentiation evoked by SPS. We observed that SPS impaired extinction (males) and enhanced reinstatement (both sexes) of the conditioned freezing response. Prior adol CVS prevented both effects. SPS effects were associated with a reduction of infralimbic (IL) cortex neuronal recruitment after reinstatement in males and increased engagement of the central amygdala in females, both also prevented by adol CVS, suggesting different neurocircuits involved in generating resilience between sexes. We explored the mechanism behind reduced IL recruitment in males by studying the intrinsic excitability of IL pyramidal neurons. SPS reduced excitability of IL neurons, and prior adol CVS prevented this effect. Conclusions Our data indicate that adolescent stress can impart resilience to the effects of traumatic stress on neuroplasticity and behavior. Our data provide a mechanistic link behind developmental stress-induced behavioral resilience and prefrontal (IL) cortical excitability in males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelin M. Cotella
- Department of Pharmacology & Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Nawshaba Nawreen
- Department of Pharmacology & Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Rachel D. Moloney
- Department of Pharmacology & Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Susan E. Martelle
- Department of Pharmacology & Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Kristen M. Oshima
- Department of Pharmacology & Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Paige Lemen
- Department of Pharmacology & Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Jordan N. NiBlack
- Department of Pharmacology & Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Reetu R. Julakanti
- Department of Pharmacology & Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Maureen Fitzgerald
- Department of Pharmacology & Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Mark L. Baccei
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain Research Center, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - James P. Herman
- Department of Pharmacology & Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Address correspondence to James P. Herman, Ph.D.
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Aleksic M, Brkic Z, Petrovic Z, Francija E, Lukic I, Adzic M. Sex‐specific contribution of glucocorticoid receptor alpha isoforms to anxiety and depressive‐like behavior in mice. J Neurosci Res 2022; 100:1239-1253. [DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Minja Aleksic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, “VINČA” Institute of Nuclear Sciences ‐ National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia University of Belgrade Belgrade Serbia
| | - Zeljka Brkic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, “VINČA” Institute of Nuclear Sciences ‐ National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia University of Belgrade Belgrade Serbia
| | - Zorica Petrovic
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience Albert Einstein College of Medicine Bronx New York USA
| | - Ester Francija
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, “VINČA” Institute of Nuclear Sciences ‐ National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia University of Belgrade Belgrade Serbia
| | - Iva Lukic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, “VINČA” Institute of Nuclear Sciences ‐ National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia University of Belgrade Belgrade Serbia
| | - Miroslav Adzic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, “VINČA” Institute of Nuclear Sciences ‐ National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia University of Belgrade Belgrade Serbia
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Dearing C, Morano R, Ptaskiewicz E, Mahbod P, Scheimann JR, Franco-Villanueva A, Wulsin L, Myers B. Glucoregulation and coping behavior after chronic stress in rats: Sex differences across the lifespan. Horm Behav 2021; 136:105060. [PMID: 34537487 PMCID: PMC8629951 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to determine how biological sex shapes behavioral coping and metabolic health across the lifespan after chronic stress. We hypothesized that examining chronic stress-induced behavioral and endocrine outcomes would reveal sex differences in the biological basis of susceptibility. During late adolescence, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats experienced chronic variable stress (CVS). Following completion of CVS, all rats experienced a forced swim test (FST) followed 3 days later by a fasted glucose tolerance test (GTT). The FST was used to determine coping in response to a stressor. Endocrine metabolic function was evaluated in the GTT by measuring glucose and corticosterone, the primary rodent glucocorticoid. Rats then aged to 15 months when the FST and GTT were repeated. In young rats, chronically stressed females exhibited more passive coping and corticosterone release in the FST. Additionally, chronically stressed females had elevated corticosterone and impaired glucose clearance in the GTT. Aging affected all measurements as behavioral and endocrine outcomes were sex specific. Furthermore, regression analysis between hormonal and behavioral responses identified associations depending on sex and stress. Collectively, these data indicate increased female susceptibility to the effects of chronic stress during adolescence. Further, translational investigation of coping style and glucose homeostasis may identify biomarkers for stress-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carley Dearing
- Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States of America
| | - Rachel Morano
- Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States of America
| | - Elaine Ptaskiewicz
- Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States of America
| | - Parinaz Mahbod
- Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States of America
| | - Jessie R Scheimann
- Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States of America
| | - Ana Franco-Villanueva
- Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States of America
| | - Lawson Wulsin
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States of America
| | - Brent Myers
- Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States of America.
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11
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Romeo RD, Sciortino RK. Age-dependent changes in hormonal stress reactivity following repeated restraint stress throughout adolescence in male rats. Stress 2021; 24:496-503. [PMID: 33587012 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2021.1873945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress-related psychological dysfunctions show a marked increase during adolescence, yet the mechanisms that mediate these vulnerabilities are unknown. Notably, however, adolescence is associated with changes in hormonal stress reactivity mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which might contribute to these dysfunctions. Specifically, pre-adolescent animals display prolonged stress-induced HPA responses compared to adults. Previous experience with stressors further modify these changes in stress reactivity, such that repeated exposure to the same stressor results in an augmented HPA response prior to adolescence, but a habituated response in adulthood. It is unclear when during adolescence the habituated, adult-like response develops to a repeated stressor. Using male rats at various ages that span adolescence (30-70 days of age), we show that by mid-adolescence (i.e. 42 days of age), animals show neither a facilitated nor a habituated HPA hormonal response following four days of repeated restraint stress (4RS) compared to a single restraint session (1RS). We also show that the habituated HPA response to 4RS develops between late-adolescence and young adulthood (i.e. between 56 and 70 days of age, respectively). Further, we find age- and experience-dependent changes in progesterone and testosterone secretion, indicating that the interaction between development and experience affects stress-induced hormonal responses outside of canonical HPA-related hormones. Despite these hormonal differences mediated by age and experience, repeated restraint stress resulted in decreased fecal boli production at all four ages, suggesting dissociation between hormonal and autonomic reactivity during adolescence. These data indicate that HPA plasticity is significantly affected by adolescence and that a habituated hormonal response to homotypic stress does not occur until young adulthood. A greater appreciation of these changes in stress reactivity will contribute to our understanding of the psychological vulnerabilities often associated with stressful adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell D Romeo
- Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience and Behavior, Barnard College of Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rose K Sciortino
- Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience and Behavior, Barnard College of Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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Methods and Challenges in Investigating Sex-Specific Consequences of Social Stressors in Adolescence in Rats: Is It the Stress or the Social or the Stage of Development? Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2021; 54:23-58. [PMID: 34455576 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2021_245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a time of social learning and social restructuring that is accompanied by changes in both the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The activation of these axes by puberty and stressors, respectively, shapes adolescent development. Models of social stress in rats are used to understand the consequences of perturbations of the social environment for ongoing brain development. This paper reviews the challenges in investigating the sex-specific consequences of social stressors, sex differences in the models of social stress used in rats and the sex-specific effects on behaviour and provides an overview of sex differences in HPA responding to stressors, the variability in pubertal development and in strains of rats that require consideration in conducting such research, and directions for future research.
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Moisan MP. Sexual Dimorphism in Glucocorticoid Stress Response. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22063139. [PMID: 33808655 PMCID: PMC8003420 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22063139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic stress is encountered in our everyday life and is thought to contribute to a number of diseases. Many of these stress-related disorders display a sex bias. Because glucocorticoid hormones are the main biological mediator of chronic stress, researchers have been interested in understanding the sexual dimorphism in glucocorticoid stress response to better explain the sex bias in stress-related diseases. Although not yet demonstrated for glucocorticoid regulation, sex chromosomes do influence sex-specific biology as soon as conception. Then a transient rise in testosterone start to shape the male brain during the prenatal period differently to the female brain. These organizational effects are completed just before puberty. The cerebral regions implicated in glucocorticoid regulation at rest and after stress are thereby impacted in a sex-specific manner. After puberty, the high levels of all gonadal hormones will interact with glucocorticoid hormones in specific crosstalk through their respective nuclear receptors. In addition, stress occurring early in life, in particular during the prenatal period and in adolescence will prime in the long-term glucocorticoid stress response through epigenetic mechanisms, again in a sex-specific manner. Altogether, various molecular mechanisms explain sex-specific glucocorticoid stress responses that do not exclude important gender effects in humans.
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Determining effects of adolescent stress exposure on risk for posttraumatic stress disorder in adulthood. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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