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Oliver D, Chesney E, Cullen AE, Davies C, Englund A, Gifford G, Kerins S, Lalousis PA, Logeswaran Y, Merritt K, Zahid U, Crossley NA, McCutcheon RA, McGuire P, Fusar-Poli P. Exploring causal mechanisms of psychosis risk. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 162:105699. [PMID: 38710421 PMCID: PMC11250118 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Robust epidemiological evidence of risk and protective factors for psychosis is essential to inform preventive interventions. Previous evidence syntheses have classified these risk and protective factors according to their strength of association with psychosis. In this critical review we appraise the distinct and overlapping mechanisms of 25 key environmental risk factors for psychosis, and link these to mechanistic pathways that may contribute to neurochemical alterations hypothesised to underlie psychotic symptoms. We then discuss the implications of our findings for future research, specifically considering interactions between factors, exploring universal and subgroup-specific factors, improving understanding of temporality and risk dynamics, standardising operationalisation and measurement of risk and protective factors, and developing preventive interventions targeting risk and protective factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic Oliver
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK; OPEN Early Detection Service, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK; Early Psychosis: Interventions and Clinical-Detection (EPIC) Lab, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Edward Chesney
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Addictions Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, 4 Windsor Walk, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Alexis E Cullen
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
| | - Cathy Davies
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Amir Englund
- Addictions Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, 4 Windsor Walk, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - George Gifford
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sarah Kerins
- Early Psychosis: Interventions and Clinical-Detection (EPIC) Lab, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Paris Alexandros Lalousis
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Yanakan Logeswaran
- Early Psychosis: Interventions and Clinical-Detection (EPIC) Lab, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Department of Biostatistics & Health Informatics, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Kate Merritt
- Division of Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health, UCL, London, UK
| | - Uzma Zahid
- Department of Psychology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Nicolas A Crossley
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile
| | - Robert A McCutcheon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Philip McGuire
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK; OPEN Early Detection Service, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Paolo Fusar-Poli
- Early Psychosis: Interventions and Clinical-Detection (EPIC) Lab, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich, Munich, Germany; Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; OASIS Service, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE11 5DL, UK
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Uliana DL, Lisboa JRF, Gomes FV, Grace AA. The excitatory-inhibitory balance as a target for the development of novel drugs to treat schizophrenia. Biochem Pharmacol 2024:116298. [PMID: 38782077 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The intricate balance between excitation and inhibition (E/I) in the brain plays a crucial role in normative information processing. Dysfunctions in the E/I balance have been implicated in various psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia (SCZ). In particular, abnormalities in GABAergic signaling, specifically in parvalbumin (PV)-containing interneurons, have been consistently observed in SCZ pathophysiology. PV interneuron function is vital for maintaining an ideal E/I balance, and alterations in PV interneuron-mediated inhibition contribute to circuit deficits observed in SCZ, including hippocampus hyperactivity and midbrain dopamine system overdrive. While current antipsychotic medications primarily target D2 dopamine receptors and are effective primarily in treating positive symptoms, novel therapeutic strategies aiming to restore the E/I balance could potentially mitigate not only positive symptoms but also negative symptoms and cognitive deficits. This could involve, for instance, increasing the inhibitory drive onto excitatory neurons or decreasing the putative enhanced pyramidal neuron activity due to functional loss of PV interneurons. Compounds targeting the glycine site at glutamate NMDA receptors and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors on PV interneurons that can increase PV interneuron drive, as well as drugs that increase the postsynaptic action of GABA, such as positive allosteric modulators of α5-GABA-A receptors, and decrease glutamatergic output, such as mGluR2/3 agonists, represent promising approaches. Preventive strategies aiming at E/I balance also represent a path to reduce the risk of transitioning to SCZ in high-risk individuals. Therefore, compounds with novel mechanisms targeting E/I balance provide optimism for more effective and tailored interventions in the management of SCZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela L Uliana
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Joao Roberto F Lisboa
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Felipe V Gomes
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Anthony A Grace
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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Santos-Silva T, Colodete DAE, Lisboa JRF, Silva Freitas Í, Lopes CFB, Hadera V, Lima TSA, Souza AJ, Gomes FV. Perineuronal nets as regulators of parvalbumin interneuron function: Factors implicated in their formation and degradation. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2024; 134:614-628. [PMID: 38426366 DOI: 10.1111/bcpt.13994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
The brain extracellular matrix (ECM) has garnered increasing attention as a fundamental component of brain function in a predominantly "neuron-centric" paradigm. Particularly, the perineuronal nets (PNNs), a specialized net-like structure formed by ECM aggregates, play significant roles in brain development and physiology. PNNs enwrap synaptic junctions in various brain regions, precisely balancing new synaptic formation and long-term stabilization, and are highly dynamic entities that change in response to environmental stimuli, especially during the neurodevelopmental period. They are found mainly surrounding parvalbumin (PV)-expressing GABAergic interneurons, being proposed to promote PV interneuron maturation and protect them against oxidative stress and neurotoxic agents. This structural and functional proximity underscores the crucial role of PNNs in modulating PV interneuron function, which is critical for the excitatory/inhibitory balance and, consequently, higher-level behaviours. This review delves into the molecular underpinnings governing PNNs formation and degradation, elucidating their functional interactions with PV interneurons. In the broader physiological context and brain-related disorders, we also explore their intricate relationship with other molecules, such as reactive oxygen species and metalloproteinases, as well as glial cells. Additionally, we discuss potential therapeutic strategies for modulating PNNs in brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thamyris Santos-Silva
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Debora A E Colodete
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | | | - Ícaro Silva Freitas
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Caio Fábio Baeta Lopes
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Victor Hadera
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Thaís Santos Almeida Lima
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Adriana Jesus Souza
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Felipe V Gomes
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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Zhou Z, Jones K, Ivleva EI, Colon-Perez L. Macro- and Micro-Structural Alterations in the Midbrain in Early Psychosis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.10.588901. [PMID: 38645197 PMCID: PMC11030414 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.10.588901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Introduction Early psychosis (EP) is a critical period in the course of psychotic disorders during which the brain is thought to undergo rapid and significant functional and structural changes 1 . Growing evidence suggests that the advent of psychotic disorders is early alterations in the brain's functional connectivity and structure, leading to aberrant neural network organization. The Human Connectome Project (HCP) is a global effort to map the human brain's connectivity in healthy and disease populations; within HCP, there is a specific dataset that focuses on the EP subjects (i.e., those within five years of the initial psychotic episode) (HCP-EP), which is the focus of our study. Given the critically important role of the midbrain function and structure in psychotic disorders (cite), and EP in particular (cite), we specifically focused on the midbrain macro- and micro-structural alterations and their association with clinical outcomes in HCP-EP. Methods We examined macro- and micro-structural brain alterations in the HCP-EP sample (n=179: EP, n=123, Controls, n=56) as well as their associations with behavioral measures (i.e., symptoms severity) using a stepwise approach, incorporating a multimodal MRI analysis procedure. First, Deformation Based Morphometry (DBM) was carried out on the whole brain 3 Tesla T1w images to examine gross brain anatomy (i.e., seed-based and voxel-based volumes). Second, we extracted Fractional Anisotropy (FA), Axial Diffusivity (AD), and Mean Diffusivity (MD) indices from the Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) data; a midbrain mask was created based on FreeSurfer v.6.0 atlas. Third, we employed Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) to determine microstructural alterations in white matter tracts within the midbrain and broader regions. Finally, we conducted correlation analyses to examine associations between the DBM-, DTI- and TBSS-based outcomes and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores. Results DBM analysis showed alterations in the hippocampus, midbrain, and caudate/putamen. A DTI voxel-based analysis shows midbrain reductions in FA and AD and increases in MD; meanwhile, the hippocampus shows an increase in FA and a decrease in AD and MD. Several key brain regions also show alterations in DTI indices (e.g., insula, caudate, prefrontal cortex). A seed-based analysis centered around a midbrain region of interest obtained from freesurfer segmentation confirms the voxel-based analysis of DTI indices. TBSS successfully captured structural differences within the midbrain and complementary alterations in other main white matter tracts, such as the corticospinal tract and cingulum, suggesting early altered brain connectivity in EP. Correlations between these quantities in the EP group and behavioral scores (i.e., PANSS and CAINS tests) were explored. It was found that midbrain volume noticeably correlates with the Cognitive score of PA and all DTI metrics. FA correlates with the several dimensions of the PANSS, while AD and MD do not show many associations with PANSS or CAINS. Conclusions Our findings contribute to understanding the midbrain-focused circuitry involvement in EP and complimentary alteration in EP. Our work provides a path for future investigations to inform specific brain-based biomarkers of EP and their relationships to clinical manifestations of the psychosis course.
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Davies C, Bossong MG, Martins D, Wilson R, Appiah-Kusi E, Blest-Hopley G, Zelaya F, Allen P, Brammer M, Perez J, McGuire P, Bhattacharyya S. Increased hippocampal blood flow in people at clinical high risk for psychosis and effects of cannabidiol. Psychol Med 2024; 54:993-1003. [PMID: 37845827 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723002775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hippocampal hyperperfusion has been observed in people at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR), is associated with adverse longitudinal outcomes and represents a potential treatment target for novel pharmacotherapies. Whether cannabidiol (CBD) has ameliorative effects on hippocampal blood flow (rCBF) in CHR patients remains unknown. METHODS Using a double-blind, parallel-group design, 33 CHR patients were randomized to a single oral 600 mg dose of CBD or placebo; 19 healthy controls did not receive any drug. Hippocampal rCBF was measured using Arterial Spin Labeling. We examined differences relating to CHR status (controls v. placebo), effects of CBD in CHR (placebo v. CBD) and linear between-group relationships, such that placebo > CBD > controls or controls > CBD > placebo, using a combination of hypothesis-driven and exploratory wholebrain analyses. RESULTS Placebo-treated patients had significantly higher hippocampal rCBF bilaterally (all pFWE<0.01) compared to healthy controls. There were no suprathreshold effects in the CBD v. placebo contrast. However, we found a significant linear relationship in the right hippocampus (pFWE = 0.035) such that rCBF was highest in the placebo group, lowest in controls and intermediate in the CBD group. Exploratory wholebrain results replicated previous findings of hyperperfusion in the hippocampus, striatum and midbrain in CHR patients, and provided novel evidence of increased rCBF in inferior-temporal and lateral-occipital regions in patients under CBD compared to placebo. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that hippocampal blood flow is elevated in the CHR state and may be partially normalized by a single dose of CBD. CBD therefore merits further investigation as a potential novel treatment for this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathy Davies
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Matthijs G Bossong
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel Martins
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Robin Wilson
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Elizabeth Appiah-Kusi
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Grace Blest-Hopley
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Fernando Zelaya
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Paul Allen
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Michael Brammer
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Jesus Perez
- CAMEO Early Intervention Service, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
- Institute of Biomedical Research (IBSAL), Department of Medicine, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Philip McGuire
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Sagnik Bhattacharyya
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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Santos-Silva T, Lopes CFB, Hazar Ülgen D, Guimarães DA, Guimarães FS, Alberici LC, Sandi C, Gomes FV. Adolescent Stress-Induced Ventral Hippocampus Redox Dysregulation Underlies Behavioral Deficits and Excitatory/Inhibitory Imbalance Related to Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2024:sbae033. [PMID: 38525594 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbae033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS Redox dysregulation has been proposed as a convergent point of childhood trauma and the emergence of psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia (SCZ). A critical region particularly vulnerable to environmental insults during adolescence is the ventral hippocampus (vHip). However, the impact of severe stress on vHip redox states and their functional consequences, including behavioral and electrophysiological changes related to SCZ, are not entirely understood. STUDY DESIGN After exposing adolescent animals to physical stress (postnatal day, PND31-40), we explored social and cognitive behaviors (PND47-49), the basal activity of pyramidal glutamate neurons, the number of parvalbumin (PV) interneurons, and the transcriptomic signature of the vHip (PND51). We also evaluated the impact of stress on the redox system, including mitochondrial respiratory function, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and glutathione (GSH) levels in the vHip and serum. STUDY RESULTS Adolescent-stressed animals exhibited loss of sociability, cognitive impairment, and vHip excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) imbalance. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling unveiled the impact of stress on redox system- and synaptic-related genes. Stress impacted mitochondrial respiratory function and changes in ROS levels in the vHip. GSH and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) levels were elevated in the serum of stressed animals, while GSSG was also increased in the vHip and negatively correlated with sociability. Additionally, PV interneuron deficits in the vHip caused by adolescent stress were associated with oxidative stress. CONCLUSIONS Our results highlight the negative impact of adolescent stress on vHip redox regulation and mitochondrial function, which are partially associated with E/I imbalance and behavioral abnormalities related to SCZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thamyris Santos-Silva
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Caio Fábio Baeta Lopes
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Ribeirão Preto Pharmaceutical Sciences School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Doğukan Hazar Ülgen
- Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Danielle A Guimarães
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Francisco S Guimarães
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Luciane Carla Alberici
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Ribeirão Preto Pharmaceutical Sciences School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Carmen Sandi
- Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Felipe V Gomes
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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Chopra S, Segal A, Oldham S, Holmes A, Sabaroedin K, Orchard ER, Francey SM, O’Donoghue B, Cropley V, Nelson B, Graham J, Baldwin L, Tiego J, Yuen HP, Allott K, Alvarez-Jimenez M, Harrigan S, Fulcher BD, Aquino K, Pantelis C, Wood SJ, Bellgrove M, McGorry PD, Fornito A. Network-Based Spreading of Gray Matter Changes Across Different Stages of Psychosis. JAMA Psychiatry 2023; 80:1246-1257. [PMID: 37728918 PMCID: PMC10512169 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.3293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Importance Psychotic illness is associated with anatomically distributed gray matter reductions that can worsen with illness progression, but the mechanisms underlying the specific spatial patterning of these changes is unknown. Objective To test the hypothesis that brain network architecture constrains cross-sectional and longitudinal gray matter alterations across different stages of psychotic illness and to identify whether certain brain regions act as putative epicenters from which volume loss spreads. Design, Settings, and Participants This case-control study included 534 individuals from 4 cohorts, spanning early and late stages of psychotic illness. Early-stage cohorts included patients with antipsychotic-naive first-episode psychosis (n = 59) and a group of patients receiving medications within 3 years of psychosis onset (n = 121). Late-stage cohorts comprised 2 independent samples of people with established schizophrenia (n = 136). Each patient group had a corresponding matched control group (n = 218). A sample of healthy adults (n = 356) was used to derive representative structural and functional brain networks for modeling of network-based spreading processes. Longitudinal illness-related and antipsychotic-related gray matter changes over 3 and 12 months were examined using a triple-blind randomized placebo-control magnetic resonance imaging study of the antipsychotic-naive patients. All data were collected between April 29, 2008, and January 15, 2020, and analyses were performed between March 1, 2021, and January 14, 2023. Main Outcomes and Measures Coordinated deformation models were used to estimate the extent of gray matter volume (GMV) change in each of 332 parcellated areas by the volume changes observed in areas to which they were structurally or functionally coupled. To identify putative epicenters of volume loss, a network diffusion model was used to simulate the spread of pathology from different seed regions. Correlations between estimated and empirical spatial patterns of GMV alterations were used to quantify model performance. Results Of 534 included individuals, 354 (66.3%) were men, and the mean (SD) age was 28.4 (7.4) years. In both early and late stages of illness, spatial patterns of cross-sectional volume differences between patients and controls were more accurately estimated by coordinated deformation models constrained by structural, rather than functional, network architecture (r range, >0.46 to <0.57; P < .01). The same model also robustly estimated longitudinal volume changes related to illness (r ≥ 0.52; P < .001) and antipsychotic exposure (r ≥ 0.50; P < .004). Network diffusion modeling consistently identified, across all 4 data sets, the anterior hippocampus as a putative epicenter of pathological spread in psychosis. Epicenters of longitudinal GMV loss were apparent in posterior cortex early in the illness and shifted to the prefrontal cortex with illness progression. Conclusion and Relevance These findings highlight a central role for white matter fibers as conduits for the spread of pathology across different stages of psychotic illness, mirroring findings reported in neurodegenerative conditions. The structural connectome thus represents a fundamental constraint on brain changes in psychosis, regardless of whether these changes are caused by illness or medication. Moreover, the anterior hippocampus represents a putative epicenter of early brain pathology from which dysfunction may spread to affect connected areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sidhant Chopra
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Ashlea Segal
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stuart Oldham
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alexander Holmes
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kristina Sabaroedin
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Radiology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Paediatrics, Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Edwina R. Orchard
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Child Study Centre, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Shona M. Francey
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Brian O’Donoghue
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Vanessa Cropley
- Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Barnaby Nelson
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jessica Graham
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Lara Baldwin
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jeggan Tiego
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hok Pan Yuen
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kelly Allott
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mario Alvarez-Jimenez
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Susy Harrigan
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Global and Population Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australian
| | - Ben D. Fulcher
- School of Physics, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kevin Aquino
- School of Physics, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Centre for Complex Systems, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Christos Pantelis
- Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia
- NorthWestern Mental Health, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Western Health Sunshine Hospital, St Albans, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stephen J. Wood
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Bellgrove
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Patrick D. McGorry
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alex Fornito
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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Pelgrim TAD, Ramaekers JG, Wall MB, Freeman TP, Bossong MG. Acute effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on resting state connectivity networks and impact of COMT genotype: A multi-site pharmacological fMRI study. Drug Alcohol Depend 2023; 251:110925. [PMID: 37598453 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.110925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cannabis produces various acute psychotropic effects, with marked individual differences. Cannabis use is a risk factor for developing psychotic disorders. The main component responsible for these effects is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Here we investigated the neural basis of acute THC effects and its modulation by catechol-methyl-transferase (COMT) Val158Met genotype. METHODS Resting state functional MRI data of healthy occasional cannabis users were combined and re-analyzed from three double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject pharmacological functional magnetic resonance imaging studies (total N=87). Functional connectivity after placebo and THC was compared in three functional networks (salience, executive and default mode network) and a network implicated in psychosis (the hippocampus-midbrain-striatum network). COMT genotype modulation of subjective effects and connectivity was examined. RESULTS THC reduced connectivity in the salience network, specifically from the right insula to both the left insula and anterior cingulate cortex. We found a trend towards decreased connectivity in the hippocampus-midbrain-striatum network after THC. COMT genotype modulated subjective effects of THC, with strongest dysphoric reactions in Met/Met individuals. In addition, reduced connectivity after THC was demonstrated in the hippocampus-midbrain-striatum network of Met/Met individuals only. CONCLUSIONS In this large multisite study we found that THC robustly decreases connectivity in the salience network, involved in processing awareness and salient information. Connectivity changes in the hippocampus-midbrain-striatum network may reflect the acute psychotic-like effects of THC. COMT genotype modulation of THC's impact on subjective effects and functional connectivity provides further evidence for involvement of prefrontal dopamine levels in the acute effects of cannabis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teuntje A D Pelgrim
- Department of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Parnassia Psychiatric Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Johannes G Ramaekers
- Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Invicro London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK; Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK; Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, London, UK
| | - Tom P Freeman
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Matthijs G Bossong
- Department of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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Grace AA, Uliana DL. Insights into the Mechanism of Action of Antipsychotic Drugs Derived from Animal Models: Standard of Care versus Novel Targets. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12374. [PMID: 37569748 PMCID: PMC10418544 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241512374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic intervention for schizophrenia relies on blockade of dopamine D2 receptors in the associative striatum; however, there is little evidence for baseline overdrive of the dopamine system. Instead, the dopamine system is in a hyper-responsive state due to excessive drive by the hippocampus. This causes more dopamine neurons to be in a spontaneously active, hyper-responsive state. Antipsychotic drugs alleviate this by causing depolarization block, or excessive depolarization-induced dopamine neuron inactivation. Indeed, both first- and second-generation antipsychotic drugs cause depolarization block in the ventral tegmentum to relieve positive symptoms, whereas first-generation drugs also cause depolarization in the nigrostriatal dopamine system to lead to extrapyramidal side effects. However, by blocking dopamine receptors, these drugs are activating multiple synapses downstream from the proposed site of pathology: the loss of inhibitory influence over the hippocampus. An overactive hippocampus not only drives the dopamine-dependent positive symptoms, but via its projections to the amygdala and the neocortex can also drive negative and cognitive symptoms, respectively. On this basis, a novel class of drugs that can reverse schizophrenia at the site of pathology, i.e., the hippocampal overdrive, could be effective in alleviating all three classes of symptoms of schizophrenia while also being better tolerated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony A. Grace
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA;
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that has a significant socioeconomic impact worldwide. Antipsychotic drugs targeting dopamine transmission alleviate psychotic symptoms but with limited efficacy and tolerability. Animal models have long proven useful for drug discovery. The continued need for new treatment highlights the importance of animal models to study schizophrenia. The lack of new therapeutic compounds combined with the shortcomings of clinical design studies potentially decreased the enthusiasm for animal model use. RECENT FINDINGS In the current review, we discuss the central role of animal models for schizophrenia in providing new insights into neurobiological features and therapeutic development. The US National Institute of Mental Health released the Research Domain Criteria to guide preclinical model studies. Here, we point out the advances of this approach and debate its potential limitations when using animal models to study schizophrenia from the drug discovery perspective. SUMMARY Cross-validated animal models for schizophrenia are crucial to comprehend the cause, pathophysiology, and behavioral and biological features of the disease, to advance prevention and treatment, and the need to carefully evaluate and select appropriate paradigms when investigating novel therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela L Uliana
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Felipe V Gomes
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Anthony A Grace
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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11
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High levels of childhood trauma associated with changes in hippocampal functional activity and connectivity in young adults during novelty salience. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2023:10.1007/s00406-023-01564-3. [PMID: 36738332 PMCID: PMC10359215 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-023-01564-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Childhood trauma (CT) has been linked to increased risk for psychosis. Moreover, CT has been linked to psychosis phenotypes such as impaired cognitive and sensory functions involved in the detection of novel sensory stimuli. Our objective was to investigate if CT was associated with changes in hippocampal and superior temporal gyrus functional activation and connectivity during a novelty detection task. Fifty-eight young adults were assigned to High-CT (n = 28) and Low-CT (n = 24) groups based on their scores on the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ) and underwent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging during an auditory oddball task (AOT). Relative to the Low CT group, High CT participants showed reduced functional activation in the left hippocampus during the unpredictable tone condition of the AOT. Furthermore, in the High CT group, psychophysiological interaction analysis revealed hypoconnectivity between the hippocampus and temporal and medial regions. The present study indicates both altered hippocampal activation and hippocampal-temporal-prefrontal connectivity during novelty detection in individuals that experienced CT, similarly to that reported in psychosis risk populations. Early stressful experiences and environments may alter hippocampal function during salient events, mediating the relationship between childhood trauma and psychosis risk.
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12
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Zhu X, Grace AA. Sex- and exposure age-dependent effects of adolescent stress on ventral tegmental area dopamine system and its afferent regulators. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:611-624. [PMID: 36224257 PMCID: PMC9918682 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01820-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Adolescent stress is a risk factor for schizophrenia. Emerging evidence suggests that age-dependent sensitive windows for childhood trauma are associated more strongly with adult psychosis, but the neurobiological basis and potential sex differences are unknown.Using in vivo electrophysiology and immunohistology in rats, we systematically compared the effects of two age-defined adolescent stress paradigms, prepubertal (postnatal day [PD] 21-30; PreP-S) and postpubertal (PD41-50; PostP-S) foot-shock and restraint combined stress, on ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopaminergic activity, pyramidal neuron activity in the ventral hippocampus (vHipp) and the basolateral amygdala (BLA), corticoamygdalar functional inhibitory control, and vHipp and BLA parvalbumin interneuron (PVI) impairments. These endpoints were selected based on their well-documented roles in the pathophysiology of psychosis.Overall, we found distinct sex- and exposure age-dependent stress vulnerability. Specifically, while males were selectively vulnerable to PreP-S-induced adult VTA dopamine neuron and vHipp hyperactivities, females were selectively vulnerable to PostP-S. These male selective PreP-S effects were correlated with stress-induced aberrant persistent BLA hyperactivity, dysfunctional prefrontal inhibitory control of BLA neurons, and vHipp/BLA PVI impairments. In contrast, female PostP-S only produced vHipp PVI impairments in adults, with the BLA structure and functions largely unaffected.Our results indicated distinct adolescent-sensitive periods during which stress can sex-dependently confer maximal risks to corticolimbic systems to drive dopamine hyperactivity, which provide critical insights into the neurobiological basis for sex-biased stress-related psychopathologies emphasizing but not limited to schizophrenia. Furthermore, our work also provides a framework for future translational research on age-sensitive targeted interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiyu Zhu
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Anthony A. Grace
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA,Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA,Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA,Corresponding author: Anthony A Grace;
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Sabaroedin K, Tiego J, Fornito A. Circuit-Based Approaches to Understanding Corticostriatothalamic Dysfunction Across the Psychosis Continuum. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 93:113-124. [PMID: 36253195 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Dopamine is known to play a role in the pathogenesis of psychotic symptoms, but the mechanisms driving dopaminergic dysfunction in psychosis remain unclear. Considerable attention has focused on the role of corticostriatothalamic (CST) circuits, given that they regulate and are modulated by the activity of dopaminergic cells in the midbrain. Preclinical studies have proposed multiple models of CST dysfunction in psychosis, each prioritizing different brain regions and pathophysiological mechanisms. A particular challenge is that CST circuits have undergone considerable evolutionary modification across mammals, complicating comparisons across species. Here, we consider preclinical models of CST dysfunction in psychosis and evaluate the degree to which they are supported by evidence from human resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging studies conducted across the psychosis continuum, ranging from subclinical schizotypy to established schizophrenia. In partial support of some preclinical models, human studies indicate that dorsal CST and hippocampal-striatal functional dysconnectivity are apparent across the psychosis spectrum and may represent a vulnerability marker for psychosis. In contrast, midbrain dysfunction may emerge when symptoms warrant clinical assistance and may thus be a trigger for illness onset. The major difference between clinical and preclinical findings is the strong involvement of the dorsal CST in the former, consistent with an increasing prominence of this circuitry in the primate brain. We close by underscoring the need for high-resolution characterization of phenotypic heterogeneity in psychosis to develop a refined understanding of how the dysfunction of specific circuit elements gives rise to distinct symptom profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Sabaroedin
- Departments of Radiology and Paediatrics, Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
| | - Jeggan Tiego
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences and Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alex Fornito
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences and Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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Cavichioli AM, Santos-Silva T, Grace AA, Guimarães FS, Gomes FV. Levetiracetam Attenuates Adolescent Stress-induced Behavioral and Electrophysiological Changes Associated With Schizophrenia in Adult Rats. Schizophr Bull 2023; 49:68-77. [PMID: 35988039 PMCID: PMC9810001 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbac106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS Stress during adolescence is a major risk factor for schizophrenia. We have found previously in rats that adolescent stress caused, in adulthood, behavioral changes and enhanced ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine system activity, which were associated with dysregulation of the excitatory-inhibitory (E/I) balance in the ventral hippocampus (vHip). Levetiracetam, an anticonvulsant drug, regulates the release of neurotransmitters, including glutamate, via SV2A inhibition. It also modulates parvalbumin interneuron activity via Kv3.1 channels. Therefore, levetiracetam could ameliorate deficits in the E/I balance. We tested whether levetiracetam attenuate the adolescent stress-induced behavioral changes, vHip hyperactivity, and enhanced VTA dopamine system activity in adult rats. STUDY DESIGN Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a combination of daily footshock (postnatal day [PD] 31-40), and three 1 h-restraint stress sessions (at PD31, 32, and 40). In adulthood (PD62), animals were tested for anxiety responses (elevated plus-maze and light-dark box), social interaction, and cognitive function (novel object recognition test). The activity of vHip pyramidal neurons and VTA dopamine neurons was also recorded. STUDY RESULTS Adolescent stress produced anxiety-like responses and impaired sociability and cognitive function. Levetiracetam (10 mg/kg) reversed these changes. Levetiracetam also reversed the increased VTA dopamine neuron population activity and the enhanced firing rate of vHip pyramidal neurons induced by adolescent stress. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that levetiracetam attenuates the adverse outcomes associated with schizophrenia caused by stress during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreza M Cavichioli
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thamyris Santos-Silva
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Anthony A Grace
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Francisco S Guimarães
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Felipe V Gomes
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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Kaki S, DeRosa H, Timmerman B, Brummelte S, Hunter RG, Kentner AC. Developmental Manipulation-Induced Changes in Cognitive Functioning. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 63:241-289. [PMID: 36029460 PMCID: PMC9971379 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2022_389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with as-yet no identified cause. The use of animals has been critical to teasing apart the potential individual and intersecting roles of genetic and environmental risk factors in the development of schizophrenia. One way to recreate in animals the cognitive impairments seen in people with schizophrenia is to disrupt the prenatal or neonatal environment of laboratory rodent offspring. This approach can result in congruent perturbations in brain physiology, learning, memory, attention, and sensorimotor domains. Experimental designs utilizing such animal models have led to a greatly improved understanding of the biological mechanisms that could underlie the etiology and symptomology of schizophrenia, although there is still more to be discovered. The implementation of the Research and Domain Criterion (RDoC) has been critical in taking a more comprehensive approach to determining neural mechanisms underlying abnormal behavior in people with schizophrenia through its transdiagnostic approach toward targeting mechanisms rather than focusing on symptoms. Here, we describe several neurodevelopmental animal models of schizophrenia using an RDoC perspective approach. The implementation of animal models, combined with an RDoC framework, will bolster schizophrenia research leading to more targeted and likely effective therapeutic interventions resulting in better patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahith Kaki
- School of Arts and Sciences, Health Psychology Program, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Holly DeRosa
- School of Arts and Sciences, Health Psychology Program, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA, USA
- University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brian Timmerman
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Susanne Brummelte
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | | | - Amanda C Kentner
- School of Arts and Sciences, Health Psychology Program, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA, USA.
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Iseli GC, Ulrich S, Schmidt A. Elucidating gut microbiota-hippocampus interactions in emerging psychosis: A new perspective for the development of early interventions for memory impairments. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1098019. [PMID: 37032923 PMCID: PMC10076719 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1098019] [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: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Hippocampal dysregulation might be a key pathophysiological factor for memory impairments in psychosis. Contemporary models particularly postulate that an imbalance of hippocampal glutamate and GABA leads to impaired memory and may thus serve as a therapeutic target to improve memory deficits. However, currently available interventions in early stages of psychosis do not explicitly target hippocampal pathology. A novel approach for manipulating hippocampus-dependent memory processes is provided via the gut microbiota. In this perspective article, we first recapitulate compelling evidence for emerging hippocampus pathology during the development of psychosis. The following sections emphasize the critical role of the gut microbiota in hippocampus plasticity and memory, and summarize existing evidence of gut microbiota alterations in different stages of psychosis. Finally, we propose a novel conceptual roadmap for future studies deciphering gut microbiota-hippocampus synergisms in emerging psychosis and argue that specific microbial supplementation might be promising for improving hippocampus-dependent memory deficits in early stages of psychosis.
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Increased blood neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) associated with early life stress: translational findings in recent-onset schizophrenia and rodent model. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:526. [PMID: 36572669 PMCID: PMC9792518 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02291-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Higher levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and elevated neutrophil counts are consistently reported in the blood of patients with schizophrenia. Stressors during childhood and/or adolescence are major socioenvironmental risk factors for schizophrenia and may contribute to immune dysregulation. Previous studies using blood cytokines to stratify patients with schizophrenia suggest that only a subset presents a low-grade inflammatory state. However, these studies have not addressed whether environmental factors such as childhood maltreatment contributed to identifying inflammatory clusters. Moreover, a neutrophil-related mechanism (Neutrophil Extracellular Traps; NETs) central to both the initiation and chronicity of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases has never been investigated in psychiatry. Elevated NETs in schizophrenia may predispose patients to inflammatory and autoimmune diseases resulting in reduced life expectancy. We, therefore, investigated NETs as a novel mechanism and biological target in early schizophrenia and their role together with IL-6 and childhood maltreatment in identifying cluster subgroups. We found increased NETs in the plasma of patients with early schizophrenia (n = 78) compared to both their unaffected siblings (n = 25) and community controls (n = 78), irrespective of sex, body mass index, psychoactive drug use, or tobacco smoking. Increased NETs in patients were unrelated to antipsychotic treatment, which was further tested in vitro using fresh neutrophils. By applying unsupervised two-step clustering analysis, we integrated values of NETs, IL-6, and childhood maltreatment scores. We identified two main clusters; childhood maltreatment scores and NETs were the most important variables contributing to cluster separation (high-CL1 and low-CL2), while IL-6 was the least contributor. Patients allocated in the high-CL1 (61.5%) had significantly higher childhood maltreatment scores, NETs, and IL-6 levels than the remaining groups (patients low-CL2, siblings, and controls high-CL1 and low-CL2). We complemented these findings with a rat model based on stress exposure during adolescence that results in several schizophrenia-like changes in adulthood. We found that adolescent stressed rats had higher NETs and IL-6 levels in serum compared to non-stressed rats with a tendency to produce more NETs from the bone marrow. Altogether, this study brings a novel cellular-based mechanism in schizophrenia that, combined with early-stress, could be useful to identify subgroups for more personalised treatments.
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Adult stress exposure blunts dopamine system hyperresponsivity in a neurodevelopmental rodent model of schizophrenia. SCHIZOPHRENIA 2022; 8:30. [PMID: 35338155 PMCID: PMC8956652 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-022-00235-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Stress is a major risk factor for the development of both schizophrenia and depression, and comorbidity between the two is common in schizoaffective disorders. However, the effects of stress exposure (i.e. chronic mild stress-CMS) on depression-related phenotypes in a neurodevelopmental model relevant to schizophrenia (i.e. methylazoxymethanol acetate—MAM) have yet to be explored and could provide insight into shared mechanisms of disease. To this end, we combined the prenatal MAM model with adult CMS exposure and explored the resultant pathophysiology using the social approach test (SAT), immobility in the forced swim test (FST) and amphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion (AIH) as depression- and schizophrenia-related endophenotypes and performed extracellular recordings of ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA neurons. MAM rats exhibited a reduction in social approach and increased VTA DA neuron activity compared to SAL rats or CMS groups. Separate cohorts of MAM animals were subjected to FST and AIH testing (counterbalanced order) or FST only. CMS groups exhibited increased FST immobility. Post-FST, both MAM groups (MAM-CON, MAM-CMS) exhibited blunted locomotor response to amphetamine compared with their SAL counterparts exposed to the same tests. Post-FST, MAM rats exhibited comparable VTA population activity to SAL rats, and CMS groups exhibited attenuated VTA population activity. Apomorphine administration results were consistent with the model suggesting that reductions in VTA DA neuron activity in MAM rats following FST exposure resulted from over-excitation, or depolarization block. These data suggest stress-induced DA downregulation in MAM rats, as FST exposure was sufficient to block the DA hyperresponsivity phenotype.
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Morén C, Treder N, Martínez-Pinteño A, Rodríguez N, Arbelo N, Madero S, Gómez M, Mas S, Gassó P, Parellada E. Systematic Review of the Therapeutic Role of Apoptotic Inhibitors in Neurodegeneration and Their Potential Use in Schizophrenia. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022; 11:2275. [PMID: 36421461 PMCID: PMC9686909 DOI: 10.3390/antiox11112275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SZ) is a deleterious brain disorder affecting cognition, emotion and reality perception. The most widely accepted neurochemical-hypothesis is the imbalance of neurotransmitter-systems. Depleted GABAergic-inhibitory function might produce a regionally-located dopaminergic and glutamatergic-storm in the brain. The dopaminergic-release may underlie the positive psychotic-symptoms while the glutamatergic-release could prompt the primary negative symptoms/cognitive deficits. This may occur due to excessive synaptic-pruning during the neurodevelopmental stages of adolescence/early adulthood. Thus, although SZ is not a neurodegenerative disease, it has been suggested that exaggerated dendritic-apoptosis could explain the limited neuroprogression around its onset. This apoptotic nature of SZ highlights the potential therapeutic action of anti-apoptotic drugs, especially at prodromal stages. If dysregulation of apoptotic mechanisms underlies the molecular basis of SZ, then anti-apoptotic molecules could be a prodromal therapeutic option to halt or prevent SZ. In fact, risk alleles related in apoptotic genes have been recently associated to SZ and shared molecular apoptotic changes are common in the main neurodegenerative disorders and SZ. PRISMA-guidelines were considered. Anti-apoptotic drugs are commonly applied in classic neurodegenerative disorders with promising results. Despite both the apoptotic-hallmarks of SZ and the widespread use of anti-apoptotic targets in neurodegeneration, there is a strikingly scarce number of studies investigating anti-apoptotic approaches in SZ. We analyzed the anti-apoptotic approaches conducted in neurodegeneration and the potential applications of such anti-apoptotic therapies as a promising novel therapeutic strategy, especially during early stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constanza Morén
- Barcelona Clínic Schizophrenia Unit (BCSU), Institute of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience Area, The August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- U722 Group, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras, CIBERER, Carlos III Health Institute, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Basic Clinical Practice, Pharmacology Unit, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nina Treder
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, 6211 LK Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Albert Martínez-Pinteño
- Department of Basic Clinical Practice, Pharmacology Unit, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Natàlia Rodríguez
- Department of Basic Clinical Practice, Pharmacology Unit, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Néstor Arbelo
- Barcelona Clínic Schizophrenia Unit (BCSU), Institute of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- G04 Group, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Carlos III Health Institute, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Santiago Madero
- Barcelona Clínic Schizophrenia Unit (BCSU), Institute of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- G04 Group, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Carlos III Health Institute, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Gómez
- Barcelona Clínic Schizophrenia Unit (BCSU), Institute of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- G04 Group, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Carlos III Health Institute, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry, Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS), 36001 Pontevedra, Spain
| | - Sergi Mas
- Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience Area, The August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Basic Clinical Practice, Pharmacology Unit, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- G04 Group, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Carlos III Health Institute, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Patricia Gassó
- Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience Area, The August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Basic Clinical Practice, Pharmacology Unit, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- G04 Group, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Carlos III Health Institute, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Eduard Parellada
- Barcelona Clínic Schizophrenia Unit (BCSU), Institute of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology Service, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience Area, The August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Basic Clinical Practice, Pharmacology Unit, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- G04 Group, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Carlos III Health Institute, 28029 Madrid, Spain
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Beck K, Arumuham A, Brugger S, McCutcheon RA, Veronese M, Santangelo B, McGinnity CJ, Dunn J, Kaar S, Singh N, Pillinger T, Borgan F, Sementa T, Neji R, Jauhar S, Aigbirhio F, Boros I, Turkheimer F, Hammers A, Lythgoe D, Stone J, Howes OD. The association between N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor availability and glutamate levels: A multi-modal PET-MR brain imaging study in first-episode psychosis and healthy controls. J Psychopharmacol 2022; 36:1051-1060. [PMID: 36120998 DOI: 10.1177/02698811221099643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence from post-mortem studies and in vivo imaging studies suggests there may be reduced N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) levels in the hippocampus in patients with schizophrenia. Other studies have reported increased glutamate in striatum in schizophrenia patients. It has been hypothesised that NMDAR hypofunction leads to the disinhibition of glutamatergic signalling; however, this has not been tested in vivo. METHODS In this study, we investigated the relationship between hippocampal NMDAR and striatal glutamate using simultaneous positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance (PET-MR) imaging. We recruited 40 volunteers to this cross-sectional study; 21 patients with schizophrenia, all in their first episode of illness, and 19 healthy controls. We measured hippocampal NMDAR availability using the PET ligand [18F]GE179. This was indexed relative to whole brain as the distribution volume ratio (DVR). Striatal glutamatergic indices (glutamate and Glx) were acquired simultaneously, using combined PET-MR proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). RESULTS A total of 33 individuals (15 healthy controls, 18 patients) were included in the analyses (mean (SD) age of controls, 27.31 (4.68) years; mean (SD) age of patients, 24.75 (4.33), 27 male and 6 female). We found an inverse relationship between hippocampal DVR and striatal glutamate levels in people with first-episode psychosis (rho = -0.74, p < 0.001) but not in healthy controls (rho = -0.22, p = 0.44). CONCLUSION This study show that lower relative NMDAR availability in the hippocampus may drive increased striatal glutamate levels in patients with schizophrenia. Further work is required to determine whether these findings may yield new targets for drug development in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Beck
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Atheeshaan Arumuham
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Stefan Brugger
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Robert A McCutcheon
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Mattia Veronese
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Barbara Santangelo
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Colm J McGinnity
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Joel Dunn
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Stephen Kaar
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Nisha Singh
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Toby Pillinger
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Faith Borgan
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Teresa Sementa
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Radhouene Neji
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
- MR Research Collaborations, Siemens Healthcare Limited, Frimley, UK
| | - Sameer Jauhar
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Franklin Aigbirhio
- Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Istvan Boros
- Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Federico Turkheimer
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Alexander Hammers
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - David Lythgoe
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - James Stone
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, Eastbourne District General Hospital, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Eastbourne, UK
| | - Oliver D Howes
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
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21
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Uliana DL, Zhu X, Gomes FV, Grace AA. Using animal models for the studies of schizophrenia and depression: The value of translational models for treatment and prevention. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:935320. [PMID: 36090659 PMCID: PMC9449416 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.935320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal models of psychiatric disorders have been highly effective in advancing the field, identifying circuits related to pathophysiology, and identifying novel therapeutic targets. In this review, we show how animal models, particularly those based on development, have provided essential information regarding circuits involved in disorders, disease progression, and novel targets for intervention and potentially prevention. Nonetheless, in recent years there has been a pushback, largely driven by the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), to shift away from animal models and instead focus on circuits in normal subjects. This has been driven primarily from a lack of discovery of new effective therapeutic targets, and the failure of targets based on preclinical research to show efficacy. We discuss why animal models of complex disorders, when strongly cross-validated by clinical research, are essential to understand disease etiology as well as pathophysiology, and direct new drug discovery. Issues related to shortcomings in clinical trial design that confound translation from animal models as well as the failure to take patient pharmacological history into account are proposed to be a source of the failure of what are likely effective compounds from showing promise in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela L. Uliana
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Xiyu Zhu
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Felipe V. Gomes
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Anthony A. Grace
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Anthony A. Grace,
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22
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Sved AF, Weeks JJ, Grace AA, Smith TT, Donny EC. Monoamine oxidase inhibition in cigarette smokers: From preclinical studies to tobacco product regulation. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:886496. [PMID: 36051642 PMCID: PMC9424897 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.886496] [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: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity is reduced in cigarette smokers and this may promote the reinforcing actions of nicotine, thereby enhancing the addictive properties of cigarettes. At present, it is unclear how cigarette smoking leads to MAO inhibition, but preclinical studies in rodents show that MAO inhibition increases nicotine self-administration, especially at low doses of nicotine. This effect of MAO inhibition develops slowly, likely due to plasticity of brain monoamine systems; studies relying on acute MAO inhibition are unlikely to replicate what happens with smoking. Given that MAO inhibition may reduce the threshold level at which nicotine becomes reinforcing, it is important to consider this in the context of very low nicotine content (VLNC) cigarettes and potential tobacco product regulation. It is also important to consider how this interaction between MAO inhibition and the reinforcing actions of nicotine may be modified in populations that are particularly vulnerable to nicotine dependence. In the context of these issues, we show that the MAO-inhibiting action of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) is similar in VLNC cigarettes and cigarettes with a standard nicotine content. In addition, we present evidence that in a rodent model of schizophrenia the effect of MAO inhibition to enhance nicotine self-administration is absent, and speculate how this may relate to brain serotonin systems. These issues are relevant to the MAO-inhibiting effect of cigarette smoking and its implications to tobacco product regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan F. Sved
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Alan F. Sved,
| | - Jillian J. Weeks
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Anthony A. Grace
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Tracy T. Smith
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Eric C. Donny
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, United States
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23
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Białoń M, Wąsik A. Advantages and Limitations of Animal Schizophrenia Models. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23115968. [PMID: 35682647 PMCID: PMC9181262 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23115968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Mental illness modeling is still a major challenge for scientists. Animal models of schizophrenia are essential to gain a better understanding of the disease etiopathology and mechanism of action of currently used antipsychotic drugs and help in the search for new and more effective therapies. We can distinguish among pharmacological, genetic, and neurodevelopmental models offering various neuroanatomical disorders and a different spectrum of symptoms of schizophrenia. Modeling schizophrenia is based on inducing damage or changes in the activity of relevant regions in the rodent brain (mainly the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus). Such artificially induced dysfunctions approximately correspond to the lesions found in patients with schizophrenia. However, notably, animal models of mental illness have numerous limitations and never fully reflect the disease state observed in humans.
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24
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Grinevich VP, Zakirov AN, Berseneva UV, Gerasimova EV, Gainetdinov RR, Budygin EA. Applying a Fast-Scan Cyclic Voltammetry to Explore Dopamine Dynamics in Animal Models of Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Cells 2022; 11:cells11091533. [PMID: 35563838 PMCID: PMC9100021 DOI: 10.3390/cells11091533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Progress in the development of technologies for the real-time monitoring of neurotransmitter dynamics has provided researchers with effective tools for the exploration of etiology and molecular mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders. One of these powerful tools is fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV), a technique which has progressively been used in animal models of diverse pathological conditions associated with alterations in dopamine transmission. Indeed, for several decades FSCV studies have provided substantial insights into our understanding of the role of abnormal dopaminergic transmission in pathogenetic mechanisms of drug and alcohol addiction, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, etc. Here we review the applications of FSCV to research neuropsychiatric disorders with particular attention to recent technological advances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir P. Grinevich
- Department of Neurobiology, Sirius University, 1 Olympic Ave., Sirius, Sochi 353340, Russia; (V.P.G.); (A.N.Z.); (U.V.B.); (E.V.G.); (R.R.G.)
| | - Amir N. Zakirov
- Department of Neurobiology, Sirius University, 1 Olympic Ave., Sirius, Sochi 353340, Russia; (V.P.G.); (A.N.Z.); (U.V.B.); (E.V.G.); (R.R.G.)
| | - Uliana V. Berseneva
- Department of Neurobiology, Sirius University, 1 Olympic Ave., Sirius, Sochi 353340, Russia; (V.P.G.); (A.N.Z.); (U.V.B.); (E.V.G.); (R.R.G.)
| | - Elena V. Gerasimova
- Department of Neurobiology, Sirius University, 1 Olympic Ave., Sirius, Sochi 353340, Russia; (V.P.G.); (A.N.Z.); (U.V.B.); (E.V.G.); (R.R.G.)
| | - Raul R. Gainetdinov
- Department of Neurobiology, Sirius University, 1 Olympic Ave., Sirius, Sochi 353340, Russia; (V.P.G.); (A.N.Z.); (U.V.B.); (E.V.G.); (R.R.G.)
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine and St. Petersburg State University Hospital, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya Emb. 7-9, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | - Evgeny A. Budygin
- Department of Neurobiology, Sirius University, 1 Olympic Ave., Sirius, Sochi 353340, Russia; (V.P.G.); (A.N.Z.); (U.V.B.); (E.V.G.); (R.R.G.)
- Correspondence:
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25
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Zhu X, Grace AA. Use of prepubertal environment enrichment to prevent dopamine dysregulation in a neurodevelopmental rat model of schizophrenia risk. STAR Protoc 2022; 3:101215. [PMID: 35265862 PMCID: PMC8899041 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2022.101215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, we present a protocol for delivering environmental enrichment (EE) in discrete postnatal windows to prevent long-term dopamine neuron dysfunctions in a neurodevelopmental rat model of schizophrenia risk. We describe generation of the schizophrenia model through prenatal treatment of rats with methylazoxymethanol acetate (the MAM model) and the saline-treated controls. We then detail the 10-day or 20-day EE paradigms applied on male rats at different ages. This protocol also includes preparation of control groups in regular environment (RE) cages for comparison. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Zhu and Grace (2021). Protocol to deliver EE in postnatal windows of a rat model of schizophrenia risk Detailed description of supplies and procedures to construct EE boxes Details of animal loading/offloading, cage maintenance, and design of control groups Expected electrophysiological outcomes and troubleshooting of common pitfalls
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26
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Sabaroedin K, Razi A, Chopra S, Tran N, Pozaruk A, Chen Z, Finlay A, Nelson B, Allott K, Alvarez-Jimenez M, Graham J, Yuen HP, Harrigan S, Cropley V, Sharma S, Saluja B, Williams R, Pantelis C, Wood SJ, O’Donoghue B, Francey S, McGorry P, Aquino K, Fornito A. Frontostriatothalamic effective connectivity and dopaminergic function in the psychosis continuum. Brain 2022; 146:372-386. [PMID: 35094052 PMCID: PMC9825436 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Dysfunction of fronto-striato-thalamic (FST) circuits is thought to contribute to dopaminergic dysfunction and symptom onset in psychosis, but it remains unclear whether this dysfunction is driven by aberrant bottom-up subcortical signalling or impaired top-down cortical regulation. We used spectral dynamic causal modelling of resting-state functional MRI to characterize the effective connectivity of dorsal and ventral FST circuits in a sample of 46 antipsychotic-naïve first-episode psychosis patients and 23 controls and an independent sample of 36 patients with established schizophrenia and 100 controls. We also investigated the association between FST effective connectivity and striatal 18F-DOPA uptake in an independent healthy cohort of 33 individuals who underwent concurrent functional MRI and PET. Using a posterior probability threshold of 0.95, we found that midbrain and thalamic connectivity were implicated as dysfunctional across both patient groups. Dysconnectivity in first-episode psychosis patients was mainly restricted to the subcortex, with positive symptom severity being associated with midbrain connectivity. Dysconnectivity between the cortex and subcortical systems was only apparent in established schizophrenia patients. In the healthy 18F-DOPA cohort, we found that striatal dopamine synthesis capacity was associated with the effective connectivity of nigrostriatal and striatothalamic pathways, implicating similar circuits to those associated with psychotic symptom severity in patients. Overall, our findings indicate that subcortical dysconnectivity is evident in the early stages of psychosis, that cortical dysfunction may emerge later in the illness, and that nigrostriatal and striatothalamic signalling are closely related to striatal dopamine synthesis capacity, which is a robust marker for psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Sabaroedin
- Correspondence to: Kristina Sabaroedin Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health 770 Blackburn Road, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia E-mail:
| | - Adeel Razi
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia,Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia,Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Sidhant Chopra
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Nancy Tran
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Andrii Pozaruk
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Zhaolin Chen
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Amy Finlay
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Barnaby Nelson
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia,Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Kelly Allott
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia,Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Mario Alvarez-Jimenez
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia,Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Jessica Graham
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia,Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Hok P Yuen
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia,Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Susy Harrigan
- Department of Social Work, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia,Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville. Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Vanessa Cropley
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Sujit Sharma
- Monash Health, Dandenong, Victoria 3175, Australia
| | | | - Rob Williams
- The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Christos Pantelis
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia,The Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Stephen J Wood
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia,Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia,School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Brian O’Donoghue
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia,Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Shona Francey
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia,Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Patrick McGorry
- Orygen, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia,Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Kevin Aquino
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia,Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Alex Fornito
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia,Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
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27
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What Can We Learn from Animal Models to Study Schizophrenia? ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1400:15-33. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-97182-3_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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28
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El Khoueiry C, Cabungcal JH, Rovó Z, Fournier M, Do KQ, Steullet P. Developmental oxidative stress leads to T-type Ca 2+ channel hypofunction in thalamic reticular nucleus of mouse models pertinent to schizophrenia. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:2042-2051. [PMID: 35079122 PMCID: PMC9126813 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01425-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Impairment of parvalbumin interneurons induced by oxidative stress (OxS) is a "hub" on which converge several genetic and environmental risk factors associated with schizophrenia. In patients, this could be a mechanism leading to anomalies of the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) whose major neuronal population expresses parvalbumin. The TRN shapes the information flow within thalamo-cortical circuits. The low-threshold voltage-gated T-type Ca2+ (T-Ca2+) channels (CaV3.2, CaV3.3) contribute to the excitability and rhythmic bursting of TRN neurons which mediates cortical sleep spindles, known to be affected in schizophrenia. Here, we investigated the impact of OxS during postnatal development and adulthood on firing properties and T-Ca2+ channels of TRN neurons. In Gclm knock-out (KO) mice, which display GSH deficit and OxS in TRN, we found a reduction of T-Ca2+ current density in adulthood, but not at peripuberty. In KO adults, the decreased T-Ca2+ currents were accompanied with a decrease of CaV3.3 expression, and a shift towards more hyperpolarized membrane potentials for burst firing leading to less prominent bursting profile. In young KO mice, an early-life oxidative challenge precipitated the hypofunction of T-Ca2+ channels. This was prevented by a treatment with N-acetylcysteine. The concomitant presence of OxS and hypofunction of T-Ca2+ channels were also observed in TRN of a neurodevelopmental model relevant to psychosis (MAM mice). Collectively, these data indicate that OxS-mediated T-Ca2+ hypofunction in TRN begins early in life. This also points to T-Ca2+ channels as one target of antioxidant-based treatments aiming to mitigate abnormal thalamo-cortical communication and pathogenesis of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinne El Khoueiry
- grid.8515.90000 0001 0423 4662Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Site de Cery, CH-1008 Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jan-Harry Cabungcal
- grid.8515.90000 0001 0423 4662Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Site de Cery, CH-1008 Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Zita Rovó
- grid.8515.90000 0001 0423 4662Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Site de Cery, CH-1008 Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Margot Fournier
- grid.8515.90000 0001 0423 4662Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Site de Cery, CH-1008 Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kim Q. Do
- grid.8515.90000 0001 0423 4662Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Site de Cery, CH-1008 Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Steullet
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Site de Cery, CH-1008, Prilly-Lausanne, Switzerland.
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29
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Arribas M, Solmi M, Thompson T, Oliver D, Fusar-Poli P. Timing of antipsychotics and benzodiazepine initiation during a first episode of psychosis impacts clinical outcomes: Electronic health record cohort study. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:976035. [PMID: 36213895 PMCID: PMC9539549 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.976035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The impact of timing of antipsychotics and benzodiazepine treatment during a first episode of psychosis on clinical outcomes is unknown. We present a RECORD-compliant electronic health record cohort study including patients (n = 4,483, aged 14-35) with a primary diagnosis of any non-organic ICD-10 first episode of psychosis at SLAM-NHS between 2007 and 2017. The impact of antipsychotic timing (prescription > 1 week after a first episode of psychosis) was assessed on the primary outcome (risk of any psychiatric inpatient admission over 6 years), and secondary outcomes (cumulative duration of any psychiatric/medical/accident/emergency [A&E] admission over 6 years). The impact of prescribing benzodiazepine before antipsychotic at any point and of treatment patterns (antipsychotic alone, benzodiazepine alone, combination of antipsychotic with benzodiazepine) within the first week after a first episode of psychosis were also assessed. Survival analyses and zero-inflated negative binomial regressions, adjusted for core covariates, and complementary analyses were employed. Antipsychotic prescribed >1 week after a first episode of psychosis did not affect the risk of any psychiatric admission (HR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.92-1.17, p = 0.557), but increased the duration of any psychiatric (22-28%), medical (78-35%) and A&E (30-34%) admission (months 12-72). Prescribing benzodiazepine before antipsychotic at any point did not affect the risk of any psychiatric admission (HR = 1.03, 95% CI = 0.94-1.13, p = 0.535), but reduced the duration of any psychiatric admission (17-24%, months 12-72), and increased the duration of medical (71-45%, months 12-72) and A&E (26-18%, months 12-36) admission. Prescribing antipsychotic combined with benzodiazepine within the first week after a first episode of psychosis showed better overall clinical outcomes than antipsychotic or benzodiazepine alone. Overall, delaying antipsychotic 1 week after a first episode of psychosis may worsen some clinical outcomes. Early benzodiazepine treatment can be considered with concomitant antipsychotic but not as standalone intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maite Arribas
- Early Psychosis: Interventions and Clinical-Detection (EPIC) Lab, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marco Solmi
- Early Psychosis: Interventions and Clinical-Detection (EPIC) Lab, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.,Department of Mental Health, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Trevor Thompson
- Centre for Chronic Illness and Ageing, University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dominic Oliver
- Early Psychosis: Interventions and Clinical-Detection (EPIC) Lab, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paolo Fusar-Poli
- Early Psychosis: Interventions and Clinical-Detection (EPIC) Lab, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,OASIS Service, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.,National Institute for Health Research, Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, London, United Kingdom
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30
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Thalamic reticular nucleus impairments and abnormal prefrontal control of dopamine system in a developmental model of schizophrenia: prevention by N-acetylcysteine. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:7679-7689. [PMID: 34193975 PMCID: PMC8716611 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01198-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Recent evidence showed thalamic abnormalities in schizophrenia involving disruptions to the parvalbumin neurons in the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN). However, their functional consequences, as well as a potential linkage to oxidative stress, are unclear. The TRN is posited to gate prefrontal control of dopamine neuron activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Thus, we hypothesized that schizophrenia-related TRN abnormalities might contribute to dopamine dysregulation, a well-known feature of the disorder. To test this, in adult rats exposed prenatally to methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM rats), oxidative impairments to the parvalbumin neurons in the anterior TRN were assessed by immunohistochemistry. Using in vivo electrophysiology, we investigated whether inactivation of the prefrontal cortex would produce differential effects on VTA dopamine neurons in MAM rats. We show that MAM rats displayed reduced markers of parvalbumin and wisteria floribunda agglutinin-labeled perineuronal nets, correlating with increased markers of oxidative stress (8-oxo-7, 8-dihydro-20-deoxyguanosine, and 3-nitrotyrosine). Moreover, MAM rats displayed heightened baseline and abnormal prefrontal control of VTA dopamine neuron activity, as tetrodotoxin-induced inactivation of the infralimbic prefrontal cortex decreased the dopamine population activity, contrary to the normal increase in controls. Such dopamine neuron dysregulation was recapitulated by enzymatic perineuronal net digestion in the TRN of normal rats. Furthermore, juvenile (postnatal day 11-25) antioxidant treatment (N-acetyl-cysteine, 900 mg/L drinking water) prevented all these impairments in MAM rats. Our findings suggest that early accumulation of oxidative stress in the TRN may shape the later onset of schizophrenia pathophysiology, highlighting redox regulation as a potential target for early intervention.
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31
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Weeks JJ, Grace AA, Sved AF. Nicotine Administration Normalizes Behavioral and Neurophysiological Perturbations in the MAM Rodent Model of Schizophrenia. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2021; 24:979-987. [PMID: 34622270 PMCID: PMC8653870 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyab064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The present study utilized the methylazoxymethanol (MAM) neurodevelopmental rodent model of schizophrenia (SCZ) to evaluate the hypothesis that individuals with SCZ smoke in an attempt to "self-medicate" their symptoms through nicotine (NIC) intake. METHODS To explore this question, we examined the effects of acute and chronic administration of NIC in 2 established behavioral tests known to be disrupted in the MAM model: prepulse inhibition of startle and novel object recognition. Additionally, we assessed the effects of acute and chronic NIC on 2 indices of the pathophysiology of SCZ modeled by MAM, elevated dopamine neuron population activity in the ventral tegmental area and neuronal activity in the ventral hippocampus, using in vivo electrophysiological recordings. RESULTS Our findings demonstrated that both acute and chronic administration of NIC significantly improved deficits in prepulse inhibition of startle and novel object recognition among MAM rats and normalized elevated ventral tegmental area and ventral hippocampal neuronal activity in these animals. CONCLUSION Together, these findings of NIC-induced improvement of deficits lend support for a "self-medication" hypothesis behind increased cigarette smoking in SCZ and illustrate the potential utility of nicotinic modulation in future pharmacotherapies for certain SCZ symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anthony A Grace
- Center for Neuroscience,Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Alan F Sved
- Center for Neuroscience,Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA,Correspondence: Alan F. Sved, PhD, 210 Langley Hall, Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA ()
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32
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Uscătescu LC, Kronbichler L, Stelzig-Schöler R, Pearce BG, Said-Yürekli S, Reich LA, Weber S, Aichhorn W, Kronbichler M. Effective Connectivity of the Hippocampus Can Differentiate Patients with Schizophrenia from Healthy Controls: A Spectral DCM Approach. Brain Topogr 2021; 34:762-778. [PMID: 34482503 PMCID: PMC8556208 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-021-00868-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
We applied spectral dynamic causal modelling (Friston et al. in Neuroimage 94:396–407. 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.12.009, 2014) to analyze the effective connectivity differences between the nodes of three resting state networks (i.e. default mode network, salience network and dorsal attention network) in a dataset of 31 male healthy controls (HC) and 25 male patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia (SZ). Patients showed increased directed connectivity from the left hippocampus (LHC) to the: dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (DACC), right anterior insula (RAI), left frontal eye fields and the bilateral inferior parietal sulcus (LIPS & RIPS), as well as increased connectivity from the right hippocampus (RHC) to the: bilateral anterior insula (LAI & RAI), right frontal eye fields and RIPS. In SZ, negative symptoms predicted the connectivity strengths from the LHC to: the DACC, the left inferior parietal sulcus (LIPAR) and the RHC, while positive symptoms predicted the connectivity strengths from the LHC to the LIPAR and from the RHC to the LHC. These results reinforce the crucial role of hippocampus dysconnectivity in SZ pathology and its potential as a biomarker of disease severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lavinia Carmen Uscătescu
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Lisa Kronbichler
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian-Doppler Medical Centre, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Renate Stelzig-Schöler
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Christian-Doppler Medical Centre, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Brandy-Gale Pearce
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Christian-Doppler Medical Centre, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Sarah Said-Yürekli
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian-Doppler Medical Centre, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - Stefanie Weber
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Christian-Doppler Medical Centre, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Aichhorn
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Christian-Doppler Medical Centre, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Martin Kronbichler
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- Neuroscience Institute, Christian-Doppler Medical Centre, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
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33
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Alteration of NMDA receptor trafficking as a cellular hallmark of psychosis. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:444. [PMID: 34462417 PMCID: PMC8405679 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01549-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 07/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
A dysfunction of the glutamatergic transmission, especially of the NMDA receptor (NMDAR), constitutes one of the main biological substrate of psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia. The NMDAR signaling hypofunction, through genetic and/or environmental insults, would cause a neurodevelopmental myriad of molecular, cellular, and network alterations that persist throughout life. Yet, the mechanisms underpinning NMDAR dysfunctions remain elusive. Here, we compared the membrane trafficking of NMDAR in three gold-standard models of schizophrenia, i.e., patient's cerebrospinal fluids, genetic manipulations of susceptibility genes, and prenatal developmental alterations. Using a combination of single nanoparticle tracking, electrophysiological, biochemical, and behavioral approaches in rodents, we identified that the NMDAR trafficking in hippocampal neurons was consistently altered in all these different models. Artificial manipulations of the NMDAR surface dynamics with competing ligands or antibody-induced receptor cross-link in the developing rat brain were sufficient to regulate the adult acoustic startle reflex and compensate for an early pathological challenge. Collectively, we show that the NMDAR trafficking is markedly altered in all clinically relevant models of psychosis, opening new avenues of therapeutical strategies.
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34
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Bilecki W, Wawrzczak-Bargieła A, Majcher-Maślanka I, Chmelova M, Maćkowiak M. Inhibition of BET Proteins during Adolescence Affects Prefrontal Cortical Development: Relevance to Schizophrenia. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22168710. [PMID: 34445411 PMCID: PMC8395847 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: The present study investigated the role of proteins from the bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) family in schizophrenia-like abnormalities in a neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia induced by prenatal methylazoxymethanol (MAM) administration (MAM-E17). Methods: An inhibitor of BET proteins, JQ1, was administered during adolescence on postnatal days (P) 23–P29, and behavioural responses (sensorimotor gating, recognition memory) and prefrontal cortical (mPFC) function (long-term potentiation (LTP), molecular and proteomic analyses) studies were performed in adult males and females. Results: Deficits in sensorimotor gating and recognition memory were observed only in MAM-treated males. However, adolescent JQ1 treatment affected animals of both sexes in the control but not MAM-treated groups and reduced behavioural responses in both sexes. An electrophysiological study showed LTP impairments only in male MAM-treated animals, and JQ1 did not affect LTP in the mPFC. In contrast, MAM did not affect activity-dependent gene expression, but JQ1 altered gene expression in both sexes. A proteomic study revealed alterations in MAM-treated groups mainly in males, while JQ1 affected both sexes. Conclusions: MAM-induced schizophrenia-like abnormalities were observed only in males, while adolescent JQ1 treatment affected memory recognition and altered the molecular and proteomic landscape in the mPFC of both sexes. Thus, transient adolescent inhibition of the BET family might prompt permanent alterations in the mPFC.
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35
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Beck K, Arumuham A, Veronese M, Santangelo B, McGinnity CJ, Dunn J, McCutcheon RA, Kaar SJ, Singh N, Pillinger T, Borgan F, Stone J, Jauhar S, Sementa T, Turkheimer F, Hammers A, Howes OD. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor availability in first-episode psychosis: a PET-MR brain imaging study. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:425. [PMID: 34385418 PMCID: PMC8361127 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01540-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction is hypothesised to underlie psychosis but this has not been tested early in illness. To address this, we studied 40 volunteers (21 patients with first-episode psychosis and 19 matched healthy controls) using PET imaging with an NMDAR selective ligand, [18F]GE-179, that binds to the ketamine binding site to index its distribution volume ratio (DVR) and volume of distribution (VT). Hippocampal DVR, but not VT, was significantly lower in patients relative to controls (p = 0.02, Cohen's d = 0.81; p = 0.15, Cohen's d = 0.49), and negatively associated with total (rho = -0.47, p = 0.04), depressive (rho = -0.67, p = 0.002), and general symptom severity (rho = -0.74, p < 0.001). Exploratory analyses found no significant differences in other brain regions (anterior cingulate cortex, thalamus, striatum and temporal cortex). These findings are consistent with the NMDAR hypofunction hypothesis and identify the hippocampus as a key locus for relative NMDAR hypofunction, although further studies should test specificity and causality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Beck
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK.
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK.
| | - Atheeshaan Arumuham
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Mattia Veronese
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Barbara Santangelo
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Colm J McGinnity
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Joel Dunn
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Robert A McCutcheon
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Stephen J Kaar
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Nisha Singh
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Toby Pillinger
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Faith Borgan
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- COMPASS Pathways plc, London, UK
| | - James Stone
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, UK
| | - Sameer Jauhar
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Teresa Sementa
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Federico Turkheimer
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Alexander Hammers
- King's College London & Guy's and St Thomas' PET Centre, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Oliver D Howes
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK.
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
- Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK.
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36
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Kayyal H, Chandran SK, Yiannakas A, Gould N, Khamaisy M, Rosenblum K. Insula to mPFC reciprocal connectivity differentially underlies novel taste neophobic response and learning in mice. eLife 2021; 10:66686. [PMID: 34219650 PMCID: PMC8282338 DOI: 10.7554/elife.66686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To survive in an ever-changing environment, animals must detect and learn salient information. The anterior insular cortex (aIC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are heavily implicated in salience and novelty processing, and specifically, the processing of taste sensory information. Here, we examined the role of aIC-mPFC reciprocal connectivity in novel taste neophobia and memory formation, in mice. Using pERK and neuronal intrinsic properties as markers for neuronal activation, and retrograde AAV (rAAV) constructs for connectivity, we demonstrate a correlation between aIC-mPFC activity and novel taste experience. Furthermore, by expressing inhibitory chemogenetic receptors in these projections, we show that aIC-to-mPFC activity is necessary for both taste neophobia and its attenuation. However, activity within mPFC-to-aIC projections is essential only for the neophobic reaction but not for the learning process. These results provide an insight into the cortical circuitry needed to detect, react to- and learn salient stimuli, a process critically involved in psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haneen Kayyal
- Sagol Department of Neuroscience, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Israel
| | | | - Adonis Yiannakas
- Sagol Department of Neuroscience, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Israel
| | - Nathaniel Gould
- Sagol Department of Neuroscience, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Israel
| | - Mohammad Khamaisy
- Sagol Department of Neuroscience, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Israel
| | - Kobi Rosenblum
- Sagol Department of Neuroscience, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Israel.,Center for Gene Manipulation in the Brain, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Israel
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37
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Modinos G, Richter A, Egerton A, Bonoldi I, Azis M, Antoniades M, Bossong M, Crossley N, Perez J, Stone JM, Veronese M, Zelaya F, Grace AA, Howes OD, Allen P, McGuire P. Interactions between hippocampal activity and striatal dopamine in people at clinical high risk for psychosis: relationship to adverse outcomes. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1468-1474. [PMID: 33941857 PMCID: PMC8209204 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01019-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Preclinical models propose that increased hippocampal activity drives subcortical dopaminergic dysfunction and leads to psychosis-like symptoms and behaviors. Here, we used multimodal neuroimaging to examine the relationship between hippocampal regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and striatal dopamine synthesis capacity in people at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis and investigated its association with subsequent clinical and functional outcomes. Ninety-five participants (67 CHR and 28 healthy controls) underwent arterial spin labeling MRI and 18F-DOPA PET imaging at baseline. CHR participants were followed up for a median of 15 months to determine functional outcomes with the global assessment of function (GAF) scale and clinical outcomes using the comprehensive assessment of at-risk mental states (CAARMS). CHR participants with poor functional outcomes (follow-up GAF < 65, n = 25) showed higher rCBF in the right hippocampus compared to CHRs with good functional outcomes (GAF ≥ 65, n = 25) (pfwe = 0.026). The relationship between rCBF in this right hippocampal region and striatal dopamine synthesis capacity was also significantly different between groups (pfwe = 0.035); the association was negative in CHR with poor outcomes (pfwe = 0.012), but non-significant in CHR with good outcomes. Furthermore, the correlation between right hippocampal rCBF and striatal dopamine function predicted a longitudinal increase in the severity of positive psychotic symptoms within the total CHR group (p = 0.041). There were no differences in rCBF, dopamine, or their associations in the total CHR group relative to controls. These findings indicate that altered interactions between the hippocampus and the subcortical dopamine system are implicated in the pathophysiology of adverse outcomes in the CHR state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma Modinos
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. .,Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. .,MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Anja Richter
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Alice Egerton
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ilaria Bonoldi
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Matilda Azis
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Mathilde Antoniades
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Matthijs Bossong
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Nicolas Crossley
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jesus Perez
- CAMEO Early Intervention in Psychosis Service, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Neuroscience, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - James M Stone
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,South London and Maudsley Foundation NHS Trust, Maudsley Hospital, London, UK
| | - Mattia Veronese
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Fernando Zelaya
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Anthony A Grace
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Oliver D Howes
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK.,South London and Maudsley Foundation NHS Trust, Maudsley Hospital, London, UK.,MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
| | - Paul Allen
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK
| | - Philip McGuire
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK.,South London and Maudsley Foundation NHS Trust, Maudsley Hospital, London, UK
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38
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Gangadin SS, Cahn W, Scheewe TW, Hulshoff Pol HE, Bossong MG. Reduced resting state functional connectivity in the hippocampus-midbrain-striatum network of schizophrenia patients. J Psychiatr Res 2021; 138:83-88. [PMID: 33836433 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.03.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Contemporary preclinical models suggest that abnormal functioning of a brain network consisting of the hippocampus, midbrain and striatum plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Previous neuroimaging studies examined individual aspects of this model in schizophrenia patients and individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis. However, this exact preclinical brain network has not been translated to human neuroimaging studies with schizophrenia patients and therefore it is currently unknown how functioning of this network is altered in patients. Here we investigated resting state functional connectivity in the hippocampus-midbrain-striatum network of schizophrenia patients, using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Based on preclinical models, a network of functionally validated brain regions comprising the anterior subiculum (SUB), limbic striatum (LS), ventral tegmental area (VTA) and associative striatum (AS) was examined in 47 schizophrenia patients and 51 healthy controls. Schizophrenia patients demonstrated significantly lower functional connectivity in this hippocampus-midbrain-striatum network compared with healthy controls (p = 0.036). Particular reductions in connectivity were found between the SUB and LS (0.002 ± 0.315 and 0.116 ± 0.224, p = 0.040) and between the VTA and AS (0.230 ± 0.268 and 0.356 ± 0.285, p = 0.026). In patients, functional connectivity was not significantly associated with positive, negative or general symptom scores. Reduced connectivity is consistent with the concept of functional brain dysconnectivity as a key feature of the disorder. Our results support the notion that functioning of the hippocampus-midbrain-striatum network is significantly altered in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiral S Gangadin
- Department of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Section of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Wiepke Cahn
- Department of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas W Scheewe
- Department of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Hilleke E Hulshoff Pol
- Department of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Matthijs G Bossong
- Department of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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39
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Wang P, Li M, Zhao A, Ma J. Application of animal experimental models in the research of schizophrenia. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2021; 186:209-227. [PMID: 34155806 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a relatively common but serious mental illness that results in a heavy burden to patients, their families, and society. The disease can be triggered by multiple factors, while the specific pathogenesis remains unclear. The development of effective therapeutic drugs for schizophrenia relies on a comprehensive understanding of the basic biology and pathophysiology of the disease. Therefore, effective animal experimental models play a vital role in the study of schizophrenia. Based on different molecular mechanisms and modeling methods, the currently used experimental animal experimental models of schizophrenia can be divided into four categories that can better simulate the clinical symptoms and the interplay between susceptible genes and the environment: neurodevelopmental, drug-induced, genetic-engineering, and genetic-environmental interaction of animal experimental models. Each of these categories contains multiple subtypes, which has its own advantages and disadvantages and therefore requires careful selection in a research application. The emergence and utilization of these models are promising in the prediction of the risk of schizophrenia at the molecular level, which will shed light on effective and targeted treatment at the genetic level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengjie Wang
- Medical Research Center, Xi'an No.3 Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.,Department of Electron Microscope, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Manling Li
- School of Basic Medicine, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Gui Yang, Guizhou, China
| | - Aizhen Zhao
- Medical Research Center, Xi'an No.3 Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jie Ma
- Medical Research Center, Xi'an No.3 Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.,Department of Electron Microscope, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
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40
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Sonnenschein SF, Grace AA. Peripubertal mGluR2/3 Agonist Treatment Prevents Hippocampal Dysfunction and Dopamine System Hyperactivity in Adulthood in MAM Model of Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2021; 47:1806-1814. [PMID: 33928393 PMCID: PMC8530391 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbab047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Pomaglumetad methionil (POM), a group 2 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR2/3) agonist, showed promise as a novel antipsychotic in preclinical research but failed to show efficacy in clinical trials, though it has been suggested that it may be effective in certain patient populations, including early in disease patients. We used the methyazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) rat model of schizophrenia to determine whether POM may prevent the development of dopamine (DA) system dysfunction in a model representative of the hyperdopaminergic state thought to underlie psychosis, compared to control (SAL) rats. MAM and SAL rats were administered either POM (3 mg/kg, i.p.), vehicle (1 ml/kg), or no injection during postnatal day (PD) 31-40. In either late adolescence (PD 47-56) or adulthood (PD 83-96), novel object recognition (NOR) was tested, followed by anesthetized in vivo electrophysiological recordings of VTA DA neuron activity or ventral hippocampal (vHPC) pyramidal neuron activity. MAM rats treated with POM demonstrated increased NOR in adulthood compared to no injection MAM rats, but not compared to vehicle-treated MAM rats. POM-treated MAM rats demonstrated normalized DA neuron population activity and vHPC pyramidal neuron activity compared to vehicle and no injection MAM rats in both late adolescence and adulthood. No significant differences were observed across treatment groups in SAL rats. These results suggest that peripubertal mGluR2/3 agonist administration can prevent the emergence of vHPC pyramidal neuron hyperactivity and increased DA neuron population activity in adult MAM rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan F Sonnenschein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA,To whom correspondence should be addressed; Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 3501 Forbes Ave. Suite 530, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, US; tel: 989-600-9132, fax: 412-624-9198, e-mail:
| | - Anthony A Grace
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
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41
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Functional Coupling within the Mesolimbic Circuit in First-Episode Psychosis. eNeuro 2021; 8:8/2/ENEURO.0097-21.2021. [PMID: 33926908 PMCID: PMC8174039 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0097-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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42
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D’Ambrosio E, Jauhar S, Kim S, Veronese M, Rogdaki M, Pepper F, Bonoldi I, Kotoula V, Kempton MJ, Turkheimer F, Kwon JS, Kim E, Howes OD. The relationship between grey matter volume and striatal dopamine function in psychosis: a multimodal 18F-DOPA PET and voxel-based morphometry study. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:1332-1345. [PMID: 31690805 PMCID: PMC7610423 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0570-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
A leading hypothesis for schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders proposes that cortical brain disruption leads to subcortical dopaminergic dysfunction, which underlies psychosis in the majority of patients who respond to treatment. Although supported by preclinical findings that prefrontal cortical lesions lead to striatal dopamine dysregulation, the relationship between prefrontal structural volume and striatal dopamine function has not been tested in people with psychosis. We therefore investigated the in vivo relationship between striatal dopamine synthesis capacity and prefrontal grey matter volume in treatment-responsive patients with psychosis, and compared them to treatment non-responsive patients, where dopaminergic mechanisms are not thought to be central. Forty patients with psychosis across two independent cohorts underwent 18F-DOPA PET scans to measure dopamine synthesis capacity (indexed as the influx rate constant Kicer) and structural 3T MRI. The PET, but not MR, data have been reported previously. Structural images were processed using DARTEL-VBM. GLM analyses were performed in SPM12 to test the relationship between prefrontal grey matter volume and striatal Kicer. Treatment responders showed a negative correlation between prefrontal grey matter and striatal dopamine synthesis capacity, but this was not evident in treatment non-responders. Specifically, we found an interaction between treatment response, whole striatal dopamine synthesis capacity and grey matter volume in left (pFWE corr. = 0.017) and right (pFWE corr. = 0.042) prefrontal cortex. We replicated the finding in right prefrontal cortex in the independent sample (pFWE corr. = 0.031). The summary effect size was 0.82. Our findings are consistent with the long-standing hypothesis of dysregulation of the striatal dopaminergic system being related to prefrontal cortex pathology in schizophrenia, but critically also extend the hypothesis to indicate it can be applied to treatment-responsive schizophrenia only. This suggests that different mechanisms underlie the pathophysiology of treatment-responsive and treatment-resistant schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico D’Ambrosio
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK,Psychiatric Neuroscience Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Sameer Jauhar
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK,Early Intervention Psychosis Clinical Academic Group, South London & Maudsley NHS Trust, London
| | - Seoyoung Kim
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Mattia Veronese
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Maria Rogdaki
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK,Psychiatric Imaging Group MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Fiona Pepper
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Ilaria Bonoldi
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Vasileia Kotoula
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Matthew J Kempton
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Federico Turkheimer
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Jun Soo Kwon
- Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea,Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Euitae Kim
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Oliver D Howes
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, UK. .,Psychiatric Imaging Group MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W12 0NN, UK.
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43
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Increased Functional Coupling between VTA and Hippocampus during Rest in First-Episode Psychosis. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0375-20.2021. [PMID: 33658310 PMCID: PMC7986546 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0375-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal models suggest that interactions between the hippocampus and ventral tegmental area (VTA) underlie the onset and etiology of psychosis. While a large body of research has separately characterized alterations in hippocampal and VTA function in psychosis, alterations across the VTA and hippocampus have not been characterized in first-episode psychosis (FEP). As the phase of psychosis most proximal to conversion, studies specifically focused on FEP are valuable to psychosis research. Here, we characterize alterations in VTA-hippocampal interactions across male and female human participants experiencing their first episode of psychosis using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI). In comparison to age and sex matched healthy controls (HCs), FEP individuals had significantly greater VTA-hippocampal functional coupling but significantly less VTA-striatal functional coupling. Further, increased VTA-hippocampal functional coupling in FEP correlated with individual differences in psychosis-related symptoms. Together, these findings demonstrate alterations in mesolimbic-hippocampal circuits in FEP and extend prominent animal models of psychosis.
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44
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Zhu X, Grace AA. Prepubertal Environmental Enrichment Prevents Dopamine Dysregulation and Hippocampal Hyperactivity in MAM Schizophrenia Model Rats. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:298-307. [PMID: 33357630 PMCID: PMC7927755 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a progressive, prolonged course. Early prevention for SCZ is promising but overall lacks support from preclinical evidence. Previous studies have tested environmental enrichment (EE) in certain models of SCZ and discovered a broadly beneficial effect in preventing behavioral abnormalities relevant, yet not specific, to the disorder. Nonetheless, whether EE can prevent dopamine (DA) dysregulation, a hallmark of psychosis and SCZ, had not been tested. METHODS Using the MAM (methylazoxymethanol acetate) rat model of schizophrenia and saline-treated control animals, we investigated the long-term electrophysiological effects of prepubertal (postnatal day 21-40) EE on DA neurons, pyramidal neurons in the ventral hippocampus, and projection neurons in the basolateral amygdala. Anxiety-related behaviors in the elevated plus maze and locomotor responses to amphetamine were also analyzed. RESULTS Prepubertal EE prevented the increased population activity of DA neurons and the associated increase in locomotor response to amphetamine. Prepubertal EE also prevented hyperactivity in the ventral hippocampus but did not prevent hyperactivity in the basolateral amygdala. Anxiety-like behaviors in MAM rats were not ameliorated by prepubertal exposure to EE. CONCLUSIONS Twenty-day prepubertal EE is sufficient to prevent DA hyperresponsivity in the MAM model, measured by electrophysiological recordings and locomotor response to amphetamine. This effect is potentially mediated by normalizing excessive firing in the ventral hippocampus without affecting anxiety-like behaviors and basolateral amygdala firing. This study identified EE as a useful preventative approach that may protect against the pathophysiological development of SCZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiyu Zhu
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
| | - Anthony A Grace
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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45
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P K, F S, A D, P A. High schizotypy traits are associated with reduced hippocampal resting state functional connectivity. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2021; 307:111215. [PMID: 33168329 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2020.111215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Altered hippocampal functioning is proposed to play a critical role in the development of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Previous resting state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs-fMRI) studies report disrupted hippocampal connectivity in patients with psychosis and in individuals with clinical high risk, yet hippocampal connectivity has not been investigated in people with high schizotypy traits. Here we used rs-fMRI to examine hippocampal connectivity in healthy people with low (LS, n = 23) and high levels (HS, n = 22) of schizotypal traits assessed using the Schizotypy Personality Questionnaire. Using a bilateral hippocampal seed region, we examined resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) between hippocampus and striatal, thalamic and prefrontal cortex regions of interest. Compared to LS, HS participants showed lower RSFC between hippocampus and striatum and between hippocampus and thalamus. Whilst the group effect of reduced hippocampal RSFC in striatal and thalamic regions was driven by total schizotypy scores, positive schizotypy subfactor scores were significantly positively correlated with hippocampus-caudate/thalamus RSFC. Group differences in RSFC were not observed between hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. These results demonstrate that subclinical schizotypal traits are associated with altered hippocampal connectivity in striatal and thalamic regions and provide further support that hippocampal dysconnectivity confers risk for schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kozhuharova P
- Centre for Cognition, Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, United Kingdom.
| | - Saviola F
- Centre for Cognition, Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, United Kingdom; Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto (Trento), Italy
| | - Diaconescu A
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain and Therapeutics, Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, CAMH
| | - Allen P
- Centre for Cognition, Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, United Kingdom; Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
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46
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Sonnenschein SF, Grace AA. Emerging therapeutic targets for schizophrenia: a framework for novel treatment strategies for psychosis. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2021; 25:15-26. [PMID: 33170748 PMCID: PMC7855878 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2021.1849144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Antipsychotic drugs are central to the treatment of schizophrenia, but their limitations necessitate improved treatment strategies. Multiple lines of research have implicated glutamatergic dysfunction in the hippocampus as an early source of pathophysiology in schizophrenia. Novel compounds have been designed to treat glutamatergic dysfunction, but they have produced inconsistent results in clinical trials. Areas covered: This review discusses how the hippocampus is thought to drive psychotic symptoms through its influence on the dopamine system. It offers the reader an evaluation of proposed treatment strategies including direct modulation of GABA or glutamate neurotransmission or reducing the deleterious impact of stress on circuit development. Finally, we offer a perspective on aspects of future research that will advance our knowledge and may create new therapeutic opportunities. PubMed was searched for relevant literature between 2010 and 2020 and related studies. Expert opinion: Targeting aberrant excitatory-inhibitory neurotransmission in the hippocampus and its related circuits has the potential to alleviate symptoms and reduce the risk of transition to psychosis if implemented as an early intervention. Longitudinal multimodal brain imaging combined with mechanistic theories generated from animal models can be used to better understand the progression of hippocampal-dopamine circuit dysfunction and heterogeneity in treatment response.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anthony A. Grace
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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47
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Gomes FV, Zhu X, Grace AA. The pathophysiological impact of stress on the dopamine system is dependent on the state of the critical period of vulnerability. Mol Psychiatry 2020; 25:3278-3291. [PMID: 31488866 PMCID: PMC7056584 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0514-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Unregulated stress during critical periods of development is proposed to drive deficits consistent with schizophrenia in adults. If accurate, reopening the critical period could make the adult susceptible to pathology. We evaluated the impact of early adolescent and adult stress exposure (combination of daily footshock for 10 days and 3 restraint sessions) on (1) midbrain dopamine (DA) neuron activity, (2) ventral hippocampal (vHipp) pyramidal neuron activity, and (3) the number of parvalbumin (PV) interneurons in the vHipp and their associated perineuronal nets (PNNs). Ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA neuron population activity and vHipp activity was increased 1-2 and 5-6 weeks post-adolescent stress, along with a decrease in the number of PV+, PNN+, PV + /PNN + cells in the vHipp, which are consistent with the MAM model of schizophrenia. In contrast, adult stress decreased VTA DA neuron population activity only at 1-2 weeks post stress, which is consistent with what has been observed in animal models of depression, without impacting vHipp activity and PV/PNN expression. Administration of valproate (VPA), which can re-instate the critical period of plasticity via histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition, caused adult stress to produce changes similar to those induced by adolescent stress, presumably by increasing stress vulnerability to early adolescent levels. Our findings indicate that timing of stress is a critical determinant of the pathology produced in the adult: adolescent stress led to circuit deficits that recapitulates schizophrenia, whereas adult stress induced a depression-like hypodopaminergic state. Reopening the critical period in the adult restores vulnerability to stress-induced pathology resembling schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe V. Gomes
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Xiyu Zhu
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Anthony A. Grace
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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48
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The mGluR2/3 agonist pomaglumetad methionil normalizes aberrant dopamine neuron activity via action in the ventral hippocampus. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:2106-2113. [PMID: 32663839 PMCID: PMC7547679 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0764-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The group 2 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR2/3) agonist, pomaglumetad methionil (POM), showed promise as a novel antipsychotic in preclinical research but failed to show efficacy in clinical trials, though it has been suggested that it may be effective in certain patient populations. Although previous studies have shown that mGluR2/3 agonists have no effect on dopamine (DA) in wild type rats, we used the methylzoxymethanol acetate (MAM) model to determine whether POM may indirectly normalize DA neuron activity in a model representative of the hyperdopaminergic state thought to underlie psychosis, compared to SAL rats, using in vivo, anesthetized, electrophysiological recordings. POM dose-dependently reduced the number of spontaneously active DA neurons in the VTA of MAM rats to control levels without affecting DA firing in SAL rats, which persisted following 14d repeated treatment with POM. In female MAM rats, POM significantly reduced DA neuron population activity only during proestrous and estrous stages. MAM rats also demonstrated dose-dependent improvement in novel object recognition following acute POM, which was not observed in SAL rats. Similar to the MAM rats, DA neuron population activity was increased in a hippocampal-dependent manner following acute restraint stress. Administration of POM prior to 2 h restraint stress prevented the restraint-induced increase in DA neuron population activity, and this effect was blocked by pretreatment with an mGluR2/3 antagonist. Thus, the ability of POM to reduce the hyperdopaminergic activity in both MAM rats and in wild type rats following restraint stress suggests that it can indirectly regulate DA neuron activity, which may underlie its potential therapeutic effects.
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49
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Davies C, Wilson R, Appiah-Kusi E, Blest-Hopley G, Brammer M, Perez J, Murray RM, Allen P, Bossong MG, McGuire P, Bhattacharyya S. A single dose of cannabidiol modulates medial temporal and striatal function during fear processing in people at clinical high risk for psychosis. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:311. [PMID: 32921794 PMCID: PMC7487274 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-0862-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Emotional dysregulation and anxiety are common in people at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR) and are associated with altered neural responses to emotional stimuli in the striatum and medial temporal lobe. Using a randomised, double-blind, parallel-group design, 33 CHR patients were randomised to a single oral dose of CBD (600 mg) or placebo. Healthy controls (n = 19) were studied under identical conditions but did not receive any drug. Participants were scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a fearful face-processing paradigm. Activation related to the CHR state and to the effects of CBD was examined using a region-of-interest approach. During fear processing, CHR participants receiving placebo (n = 15) showed greater activation than controls (n = 19) in the parahippocampal gyrus but less activation in the striatum. Within these regions, activation in the CHR group that received CBD (n = 15) was intermediate between that of the CHR placebo and control groups. These findings suggest that in CHR patients, CBD modulates brain function in regions implicated in psychosis risk and emotion processing. These findings are similar to those previously evident using a memory paradigm, suggesting that the effects of CBD on medial temporal and striatal function may be task independent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathy Davies
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Robin Wilson
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Elizabeth Appiah-Kusi
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Grace Blest-Hopley
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Michael Brammer
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Jesus Perez
- grid.450563.10000 0004 0412 9303CAMEO Early Intervention Service, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Robin M. Murray
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Paul Allen
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK ,grid.35349.380000 0001 0468 7274Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK ,grid.416167.3Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY USA
| | - Matthijs G. Bossong
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Philip McGuire
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK ,grid.37640.360000 0000 9439 0839National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK ,grid.37640.360000 0000 9439 0839Outreach And Support in South London (OASIS) Service, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Sagnik Bhattacharyya
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
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Egerton A, Grace AA, Stone J, Bossong MG, Sand M, McGuire P. Glutamate in schizophrenia: Neurodevelopmental perspectives and drug development. Schizophr Res 2020; 223:59-70. [PMID: 33071070 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2020.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Research into the neurobiological processes that may lead to the onset of schizophrenia places growing emphasis on the glutamatergic system and brain development. Preclinical studies have shown that neurodevelopmental, genetic, and environmental factors contribute to glutamatergic dysfunction and schizophrenia-related phenotypes. Clinical research has suggested that altered brain glutamate levels may be present before the onset of psychosis and relate to outcome in those at clinical high risk. After psychosis onset, glutamate dysfunction may also relate to the degree of antipsychotic response and clinical outcome. These findings support ongoing efforts to develop pharmacological interventions that target the glutamate system and could suggest that glutamatergic compounds may be more effective in specific patient subgroups or illness stages. In this review, we consider the updated glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia, from a neurodevelopmental perspective, by reviewing recent preclinical and clinical evidence, and discuss the potential implications for novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Egerton
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Anthony A Grace
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - James Stone
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Matthijs G Bossong
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Michael Sand
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Ridgefield, CT, USA
| | - Philip McGuire
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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