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Poitras M, Lebeau M, Plamondon H. The cycle of stress: A systematic review of the impact of chronic psychological stress models on the rodent estrous cycle. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 162:105730. [PMID: 38763179 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105730] [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: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
Stress is known to impair reproduction through interactions between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axes. However, while it is well accepted that stress can alter estrous cycle regularity, a key indicator of female's HPG axis function, effects of different types of psychological stress have been inconsistent. This systematic review evaluated the impact of rodent models of psychological stress on estrous cyclicity, while reporting biological parameters pertaining to HPA or HPG axis function assessed within these studies. We performed a systematic database search and included articles that implemented a psychological stress model in rodents and reported estrous cyclicity for at least two cycles after initiation of stress. Of the 32 studies included, 62.5% reported post-stress alterations to estrous cyclicity, with Chronic Mild Stress (CMS) models showing the most conclusive effects. Twenty-five studies measured HPG or HPA axis markers, with cycle disruptions being commonly observed in parallel with altered estradiol and increased corticosterone levels. Our review highlights gaps in reporting estrous cyclicity assessments and makes recommendations to improve comparability between studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilou Poitras
- Cerebro Vascular Accidents and Behavioural Recovery Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Madison Lebeau
- Cerebro Vascular Accidents and Behavioural Recovery Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Hélène Plamondon
- Cerebro Vascular Accidents and Behavioural Recovery Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
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2
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Minshall BL, Skipper RA, Riddle CA, Wasylyshyn CF, Claflin DI, Quinn JJ. Sex differences in acute early life stress-enhanced fear learning in adult rats. Dev Psychobiol 2024; 66:e22511. [PMID: 38837722 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22511] [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: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Patients diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) present with a spectrum of debilitating anxiety symptoms resulting from exposure to trauma. Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with anxiety and PTSD compared to men; however, the reason for this vulnerability remains unknown. We conducted four experiments where we first demonstrated a female vulnerability to stress-enhanced fear learning (SEFL) with a moderate, acute early life stress (aELS) exposure (4 footshocks in a single session), compared to a more intense aELS exposure (15 footshocks in a single session) where males and females demonstrated comparable SEFL. Next, we demonstrated that this female vulnerability does not result from differences in footshock reactivity or contextual fear conditioning during the aELS exposure. Finally, using gonadectomy or sham surgeries in adult male and female rats, we showed that circulating levels of gonadal steroid hormones at the time of adult fear conditioning do not explain the female vulnerability to SEFL. Additional research is needed to determine whether this vulnerability can be explained by organizational effects of gonadal steroid hormones or differences in sex chromosome gene expression. Doing so is critical for a better understanding of increased female vulnerability to certain psychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brianna L Minshall
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
| | - Rachel A Skipper
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
| | - Collin A Riddle
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
| | - Catherine F Wasylyshyn
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
| | - Dragana I Claflin
- Department of Psychology, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Jennifer J Quinn
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
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3
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Ren Z, Xiao L, Xie Y, Huang Z, Lin S, Si L, Wang G. Effects of testosterone dose on depression-like behavior among castrated adult male rats. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2024; 165:107046. [PMID: 38626557 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107046] [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: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
Previous research has shown a decrease in serum testosterone levels in male patients with depression. In recent years, the results of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) to improve depression have been mixed. Using the classic CUMS model, we induced depressive-like behaviors in rats and observed a decrease in their serum testosterone levels along with an increase in androgen receptor expression in the hippocampus. We then performed castration and sham surgery on male rats and found that testosterone deprivation led to the manifestation of depressive-like behavior that could be ameliorated by TRT. Through a repeated measures experiment consisting of five blocks over a period of 25 days, we discovered that the reduction in depressive-like behavior in testosterone-deprived rats began 22 days after drug administration (0.5 and 0.25 mg/rat). Furthermore, rats in 0.5mgT group showed the most significant improvements. Subsequently, this dose was used in CUMS rats and reduced the occurrence of depressive-like behaviors. Our study has demonstrated the complex interplay between depression and testosterone, as well as the intricate dose-response relationship between TRT and reduction in depression. Our research supports the use of TRT to alleviate depression, but dosage and duration of treatment are critical factors in determining efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyu Ren
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, People's Republic of China
| | - Ling Xiao
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, People's Republic of China; Institute of Neuropsychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, People's Republic of China
| | - Yinping Xie
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, People's Republic of China; Institute of Neuropsychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhengyuan Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, People's Republic of China
| | - Shanshan Lin
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, People's Republic of China
| | - Lujia Si
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, People's Republic of China
| | - Gaohua Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, People's Republic of China; Institute of Neuropsychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, People's Republic of China; Taikang center for life and medical sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, People's Republic of China.
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4
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PILLEROVÁ M, PASTOREK M, BORBÉLYOVÁ V, RILJAK V, FRICK KM, HODOSY J, TÓTHOVÁ Ľ. Sex steroid hormones in depressive disorders as a basis for new potential treatment strategies. Physiol Res 2022; 71:S187-S202. [PMID: 36647907 PMCID: PMC9906660 DOI: 10.33549/physiolres.935001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The sex steroid hormones (SSHs) such as testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, and their metabolites have important organizational and activational impacts on the brain during critical periods of brain development and in adulthood. A variety of slow and rapid mechanisms mediate both organizational and activational processes via intracellular or membrane receptors for SSHs. Physiological concentrations and distribution of SSHs in the brain result in normal brain development. Nevertheless, dysregulation of hormonal equilibrium may result in several mood disorders, including depressive disorders, later in adolescence or adulthood. Gender differences in cognitive abilities, emotions as well as the 2-3 times higher prevalence of depressive disorders in females, were already described. This implies that SSHs may play a role in the development of depressive disorders. In this review, we discuss preclinical and clinical studies linked to SSHs and development of depressive disorders. Our secondary aim includes a review of up-to-date knowledge about molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of depressive disorders. Understanding these molecular mechanisms might lead to significant treatment adjustments for patients with depressive disorders and to an amelioration of clinical outcomes for these patients. Nevertheless, the impact of SSHs on the brain in the context of the development of depressive disorders, progression, and treatment responsiveness is complex in nature, and depends upon several factors in concert such as gender, age, comorbidities, and general health conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam PILLEROVÁ
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Michal PASTOREK
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Veronika BORBÉLYOVÁ
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Vladimír RILJAK
- Institute of Physiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Karyn M. FRICK
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Július HODOSY
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Ľubomíra TÓTHOVÁ
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
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Grigoryan GA, Pavlova IV, Zaichenko MI. Effects of Social Isolation on the Development of Anxiety and Depression-Like Behavior in Model Experiments in Animals. NEUROSCIENCE AND BEHAVIORAL PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 52:722-738. [PMID: 36119650 PMCID: PMC9471030 DOI: 10.1007/s11055-022-01297-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
This review describes the role of social isolation in the development of anxiety and depression-like behavior in rodents. The duration of social isolation, age from onset of social isolation, sex, species, and strain of animals, the nature of the model used, and other factors have been shown to have influences. The molecular-cellular mechanisms of development of anxiety and depression-like behavior under the influence of social isolation and the roles of the HHAS, oxidative and nitrosative stress, neuroinflammation, BDNF, neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity, as well as monoamines in these mechanisms are discussed. This review presents data on sex differences in the effects of social isolation, along with the effects of interactions with other types of stress, and the roles of an enriched environment and other factors in ameliorating the negative sequelae of social isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. A. Grigoryan
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - I. V. Pavlova
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - M. I. Zaichenko
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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6
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The differential effects of brief environmental enrichment following social isolation in rats. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE, & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:818-832. [PMID: 35199313 PMCID: PMC8865499 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-00989-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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7
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Safarpour S, Ghasemi-Kasman M, Safarpour S, Darban YM. Effects of Di-2-Ethylhexyl Phthalate on Central Nervous System Functions: A Narrative Review. Curr Neuropharmacol 2022; 20:766-776. [PMID: 34259148 PMCID: PMC9878957 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x19666210713122517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Phthalates are widely used in the plastics industry. Di-2-Ethylhexyl Phthalate (DEHP) is one of the most important phthalate metabolites that disrupt the function of endocrine glands. Exposure to DEHP causes numerous effects on animals, humans, and the environment. Low doses of DEHP increase neurotoxicity in the nervous system that has arisen deep concerns due to the widespread nature of DEHP exposure and its high absorption during brain development. OBJECTIVE In this review article, we evaluated the impacts of DEHP exposure from birth to adulthood on neurobehavioral damages. Then, the possible mechanisms of DEHP-induced neurobehavioral impairment were discussed. METHODOLOGY Peer-reviewed articles were extracted through Embase, PubMed, and Google Scholar till the year 2021. RESULTS The results showed that exposure to DEHP during pregnancy and infancy leads to memory loss and irreversible nervous system damage. CONCLUSION Overall, it seems that increased levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory mediators possess a pivotal role in DEHP-induced neurobehavioral impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soheila Safarpour
- Student Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran;,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Maryam Ghasemi-Kasman
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran;,Neuroscience Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran;,Address correspondence to this author at the Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 4136747176, Babol, Iran; Tel/Fax: +98-11-32190557; E-mail:
| | - Samaneh Safarpour
- Department of Biochemistry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
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Williams ES, Mazei-Robison M, Robison AJ. Sex Differences in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Preclinical Animal Models for the Study of Depression. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2022; 14:a039198. [PMID: 34404738 PMCID: PMC8886985 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a039198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Depression and related mood disorders constitute an enormous burden on health, quality of life, and the global economy, and women have roughly twice the lifetime risk of men for experiencing depression. Here, we review sex differences in human brain physiology that may be connected to the increased susceptibility of women to major depressive disorder (MDD). Moreover, we summarize decades of preclinical research using animal models for the study of mood dysfunction that uncover some of the potential molecular, cellular, and circuit-level mechanisms that may underlie sex differences and disease etiology. We place particular emphasis on a series of recent studies demonstrating the central contribution of the circuit projecting from ventral hippocampus to nucleus accumbens and how inherent sex differences in the excitability of this circuit may predict and drive depression-related behaviors. The findings covered in this review underscore the continued need for studies using preclinical models and circuit-specific strategies for uncovering molecular and physiological mechanisms that could lead to potential sex-specific diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, and/or treatments for MDD and other mood disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth S Williams
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | | | - A J Robison
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
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9
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Sex Differences in Anxiety and Depression: What Can (and Cannot) Preclinical Studies Tell Us? SEXES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/sexes3010012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the gender perspective in scientific research and sex differences in biological studies on emotional disorders have become increasingly important. However, sex bias in basic research on anxiety and depression is still far from being covered. This review addresses the study of sex differences in the field of anxiety and depression using animal models that consider this issue so far. What can preclinical studies tell us and what are their main limitations? First, we describe the behavioral tests most frequently used in preclinical research to assess depressive-like and anxiety-like behaviors in rodents. Then, we analyze the main findings, strengths, and weaknesses of rodent models of anxiety and depression, dividing them into three main categories: sex chromosome complement-biased sex differences; gonadal hormone-biased sex differences; environmental-biased sex differences. Regardless of the animal model used, none can reproduce all the characteristics of such complex and multifactorial pathologies as anxiety and depressive disorders; however, each animal model contributes to elucidating the bases that underlie these disorders. The importance is highlighted of considering sex differences in the responses that emerge from each model.
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Kowalczyk J, Nakos-Bimpos M, Polissidis A, Dalla C, Kokras N, Skalicka-Woźniak K, Budzyńska B. Imperatorin Influences Depressive-like Behaviors: A Preclinical Study on Behavioral and Neurochemical Sex Differences. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27041179. [PMID: 35208969 PMCID: PMC8875245 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27041179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Imperatorin, a naturally derived furanocoumarin, exerts promising neuropharmacological properties. Therefore, it might be applicable in the treatment of brain diseases such as depression. In the present project, we aimed to investigate the sex-dependent effects of imperatorin (1, 5, and 10 mg/kg) on behavior and neurochemistry associated with antidepressant effects. The depressive-like behaviors of male and female Swiss mice were investigated in a forced swim test (FST). Subsequently, High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used to evaluate the level of serotonin, its metabolite, 5-HIAA, and noradrenaline, in mouse brains. The study revealed that only males responded to imperatorin (1 and 5 mg/kg) treatment and caused an antidepressant effect, such as with respect to depressive-like behaviors, lowering immobility time and increasing immobility latency. The HPLC analysis demonstrated that serotonin levels in the prefrontal cortex of females decreased with the middle dose of imperatorin (5 mg/kg), while in the male prefrontal cortex, the lower dose (1 mg/kg) boosted serotonin levels. There were no evident changes observed with respect to noradrenaline and serotonin metabolite levels in the male hippocampus. To conclude, we propose that imperatorin has antidepressant potential, seemingly only in males, influencing brain serotonin level, but the direct mechanism of action requires further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Kowalczyk
- Independent Laboratory of Behavioral Studies, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 4, 20-090 Lublin, Poland; (J.K.); (B.B.)
| | - Modestos Nakos-Bimpos
- Center of Clinical, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (M.N.-B.); (A.P.)
| | - Alexia Polissidis
- Center of Clinical, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (M.N.-B.); (A.P.)
| | - Christina Dalla
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (C.D.); (N.K.)
| | - Nikolaos Kokras
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (C.D.); (N.K.)
- First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece
| | - Krystyna Skalicka-Woźniak
- Department of Natural Products Chemistry, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodźki Street, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
- Correspondence:
| | - Barbara Budzyńska
- Independent Laboratory of Behavioral Studies, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 4, 20-090 Lublin, Poland; (J.K.); (B.B.)
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Blankers SA, Galea LA. Androgens and Adult Neurogenesis in the Hippocampus. ANDROGENS: CLINICAL RESEARCH AND THERAPEUTICS 2021; 2:203-215. [PMID: 35024692 PMCID: PMC8744005 DOI: 10.1089/andro.2021.0016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus is modulated by steroid hormones, including androgens, in male rodents. In this review, we summarize research showing that chronic exposure to androgens, such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, enhances the survival of new neurons in the dentate gyrus of male, but not female, rodents, via the androgen receptor. However, the neurogenesis promoting the effect of androgens in the dentate gyrus may be limited to younger adulthood as it is not evident in middle-aged male rodents. Although direct exposure to androgens in adult or middle age does not significantly influence neurogenesis in female rodents, the aromatase inhibitor letrozole enhances neurogenesis in the hippocampus of middle-aged female mice. Unlike other androgens, androgenic anabolic steroids reduce neurogenesis in the hippocampus of male rodents. Collectively, the research indicates that the ability of androgens to enhance hippocampal neurogenesis in adult rodents is dependent on dose, androgen type, sex, duration, and age. We discuss these findings and how androgens may be influencing neuroprotection, via neurogenesis in the hippocampus, in the context of health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha A. Blankers
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Liisa A.M. Galea
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Department of Psychology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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Ellis SN, Honeycutt JA. Sex Differences in Affective Dysfunction and Alterations in Parvalbumin in Rodent Models of Early Life Adversity. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:741454. [PMID: 34803622 PMCID: PMC8600234 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.741454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The early life environment markedly influences brain and behavioral development, with adverse experiences associated with increased risk of anxiety and depressive phenotypes, particularly in females. Indeed, early life adversity (ELA) in humans (i.e., caregiver deprivation, maltreatment) and rodents (i.e., maternal separation, resource scarcity) is associated with sex-specific emergence of anxious and depressive behaviors. Although these disorders show clear sex differences in humans, little attention has been paid toward evaluating sex as a biological variable in models of affective dysfunction; however, recent rodent work suggests sex-specific effects. Two widely used rodent models of ELA approximate caregiver deprivation (i.e., maternal separation) and resource scarcity (i.e., limited bedding). While these approaches model aspects of ELA experienced in humans, they span different portions of the pre-weaning developmental period and may therefore differentially contribute to underlying mechanistic risk. This is borne out in the literature, where evidence suggests differences in trajectories of behavior depending on the type of ELA and/or sex; however, the neural underpinning of these differences is not well understood. Because anxiety and depression are thought to involve dysregulation in the balance of excitatory and inhibitory signaling in ELA-vulnerable brain regions (e.g., prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus), outcomes are likely driven by alterations in local and/or circuit-specific inhibitory activity. The most abundant GABAergic subtypes in the brain, accounting for approximately 40% of inhibitory neurons, contain the calcium-binding protein Parvalbumin (PV). As PV-expressing neurons have perisomatic and proximal dendritic targets on pyramidal neurons, they are well-positioned to regulate excitatory/inhibitory balance. Recent evidence suggests that PV outcomes following ELA are sex, age, and region-specific and may be influenced by the type and timing of ELA. Here, we suggest the possibility of a combined role of PV and sex hormones driving differences in behavioral outcomes associated with affective dysfunction following ELA. This review evaluates the literature across models of ELA to characterize neural (PV) and behavioral (anxiety- and depressive-like) outcomes as a function of sex and age. Additionally, we detail a putative mechanistic role of PV on ELA-related outcomes and discuss evidence suggesting hormone influences on PV expression/function which may help to explain sex differences in ELA outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seneca N Ellis
- Program in Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, United States
| | - Jennifer A Honeycutt
- Program in Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, United States.,Department of Psychology, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, United States
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13
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Dávila-Hernández A, González-González R, Guzmán-Velázquez S, Hernández Hernández OT, Zamudio SR, Martínez-Mota L. Antidepressant-like effects of acupuncture via modulation of corticosterone, sex hormones, and hippocampal BDNF expression in male rats. Brain Res Bull 2021; 173:53-65. [PMID: 33991609 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2021.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Post-weaning social isolated rodents exhibit pathophysiological changes associated with depression including adrenal axis hyperactivity, gonadal hormone level disturbances, molecular alterations in hippocampus, and immobility behavior in the forced swimming test (FST). Although acupuncture by absorbable thread implantation (acu-catgut, AC) elicits antidepressant-like effects in social isolated rats, AC effects on neuroendocrine and hippocampal molecular alterations have been less characterized. OBJECTIVE To investigate the participation of gonadal hormones, corticosterone, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) hippocampal expression, on the AC antidepressant-like effects in social isolated male rats. METHODS Sprague-Dawley male rats were raised in social isolation (SI) or standard conditions, for 11 weeks. AC (on Baihui (Du20), Yintang (E X-HN3), Shenshu (BL 23), Pishu (BL 20), Ganshu (BL 18), Xinshu (BL 15) and Guanyuan (Ren 4)), or Sham-AC (puncturing of acupoints without embedding the thread), was applied during the last three weeks of isolation period. Rats were evaluated in the FST; hormones plasmatic levels and hippocampal BDNF content were quantified by ELISA and Western blotting, respectively. RESULTS Social isolated rats showed more immobility in the FST and had lower testosterone and estradiol levels, higher corticosterone levels, and reduced hippocampal BDNF content than controls. BDNF level in hippocampus inversely correlated to depression-like behavior. AC but not sham-AC normalized immobility behavior, steroid hormone levels, and BDNF content, as in rats raised in a social environment. CONCLUSIONS AC antidepressant effect could be related to an improvement of hippocampal BDNF protein expression, as well as corticosterone and sex hormones disturbances associated with prolonged exposure to stress caused by social isolation. Present findings have implications for depression treatment in individuals early exposed to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amalia Dávila-Hernández
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Departamento de Fisiología, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Roberto González-González
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Escuela Nacional de Medicina y Homeopatía, Departamento de Posgrado e Investigación, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Sonia Guzmán-Velázquez
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Departamento de Fisiología, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Olivia Tania Hernández Hernández
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología Research Fellow Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Sergio R Zamudio
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Departamento de Fisiología, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Lucía Martínez-Mota
- Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
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14
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Akbarabadi A, Sadat-Shirazi MS, Kabbaj M, Nouri Zadeh-Tehrani S, Khalifeh S, Pirri F, Zarrindast MR. Effects of Morphine and Maternal Care on Behaviors and Protein Expression of Male Offspring. Neuroscience 2021; 466:58-76. [PMID: 33915201 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Genes and environment interact during development to alter gene expression and behavior. Parental morphine exposure before conception has devastating effects on the offspring. In the present study, we evaluated the role of maternal care in the intergenerational effect of maternal morphine exposure. Female rats received morphine or saline for ten days and were drugfree for another ten days. Thereafter, they were allowed to mate with drug-naïve male rats. When pups were born, they were cross-fostered to assess the contribution of maternal care versus morphine effects on the offspring. Adult male offspring were examined for anxiety-like behavior, spatial memory, and obsessive-compulsive-like behavior. To determine the mechanisms underlying the observed behavioral changes, protein levels of acetylated histone H3, BDNF, Trk-B, NMDA subunits, p-CREB, and 5-HT3R were measured in the brain. Our results indicate that maternal caregiving is impaired in morphine-abstinent mothers. Interestingly, maternal care behaviors were also affected in drug-naïve mothers that raised offspring of morphine-exposed mothers. In addition, the offspring of morphine abstinent and non-drug dependent mothers, when raised by morphine abstinent mothers, exhibited more anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behaviors and impaired spatial memory. These altered behaviors were associated with alterations in the levels of the above-mentioned proteins. These data illustrate the intergenerational effects of maternal morphine exposure on offspring behaviors. Moreover, exposure to morphine before gestation not only affects maternal care and offspring behavior, but also has negative consequences on behaviors and protein expression in adoptive mothers of affected offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ardeshir Akbarabadi
- Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Mohamed Kabbaj
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1270, United States; Program of Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1270, United States
| | | | - Solmaz Khalifeh
- Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Center (CNRC), Tehran Medical Sciences, Amir-Almomenin Hospital, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fardad Pirri
- Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad-Reza Zarrindast
- Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Center (CNRC), Tehran Medical Sciences, Amir-Almomenin Hospital, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
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15
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Saavedra JS, Garrett PI, Honeycutt SC, Peterson AM, White JW, Hillhouse TM. Assessment of the rapid and sustained antidepressant-like effects of dextromethorphan in mice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2020; 197:173003. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2020.173003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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16
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Spritzer MD, Roy EA. Testosterone and Adult Neurogenesis. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10020225. [PMID: 32028656 PMCID: PMC7072323 DOI: 10.3390/biom10020225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
It is now well established that neurogenesis occurs throughout adulthood in select brain regions, but the functional significance of adult neurogenesis remains unclear. There is considerable evidence that steroid hormones modulate various stages of adult neurogenesis, and this review provides a focused summary of the effects of testosterone on adult neurogenesis. Initial evidence came from field studies with birds and wild rodent populations. Subsequent experiments with laboratory rodents have tested the effects of testosterone and its steroid metabolites upon adult neurogenesis, as well as the functional consequences of induced changes in neurogenesis. These experiments have provided clear evidence that testosterone increases adult neurogenesis within the dentate gyrus region of the hippocampus through an androgen-dependent pathway. Most evidence indicates that androgens selectively enhance the survival of newly generated neurons, while having little effect on cell proliferation. Whether this is a result of androgens acting directly on receptors of new neurons remains unclear, and indirect routes involving brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glucocorticoids may be involved. In vitro experiments suggest that testosterone has broad-ranging neuroprotective effects, which will be briefly reviewed. A better understanding of the effects of testosterone upon adult neurogenesis could shed light on neurological diseases that show sex differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D. Spritzer
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: 802-443-5676
| | - Ethan A. Roy
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA;
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17
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Khakpay R, Khakpai F. Modulation of anxiety behavior in gonadectomized animals. Acta Neurobiol Exp (Wars) 2020. [DOI: 10.21307/ane-2020-019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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18
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Hillerer KM, Slattery DA, Pletzer B. Neurobiological mechanisms underlying sex-related differences in stress-related disorders: Effects of neuroactive steroids on the hippocampus. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 55:100796. [PMID: 31580837 PMCID: PMC7115954 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Men and women differ in their vulnerability to a variety of stress-related illnesses, but the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are not well understood. This is likely due to a comparative dearth of neurobiological studies that assess male and female rodents at the same time, while human neuroimaging studies often don't model sex as a variable of interest. These sex differences are often attributed to the actions of sex hormones, i.e. estrogens, progestogens and androgens. In this review, we summarize the results on sex hormone actions in the hippocampus and seek to bridge the gap between animal models and findings in humans. However, while effects of sex hormones on the hippocampus are largely consistent in animals and humans, methodological differences challenge the comparability of animal and human studies on stress effects. We summarise our current understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie sex-related differences in behavior and discuss implications for stress-related illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina M Hillerer
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Salzburger Landeskrankenhaus (SALK), Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), Clinical Research Center Salzburg (CRCS), Salzburg, Austria.
| | - David A Slattery
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Belinda Pletzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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19
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Duarte-Guterman P, Lieblich SE, Wainwright SR, Chow C, Chaiton JA, Watson NV, Galea LAM. Androgens Enhance Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Males but Not Females in an Age-Dependent Manner. Endocrinology 2019; 160:2128-2136. [PMID: 31219567 PMCID: PMC6736050 DOI: 10.1210/en.2019-00114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Androgens (testosterone and DHT) increase adult hippocampal neurogenesis by increasing survival of new neurons in male rats and mice via an androgen receptor pathway, but it is not known whether androgens regulate neurogenesis in female rats and whether the effect is age-dependent. We investigated the effects of DHT, a potent androgen, on neurogenesis in young adult and middle-aged male and female rats. Rats were gonadectomized and injected with the DNA synthesis marker bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). The following day, rats began receiving daily injections of oil or DHT for 30 days. We evaluated cell proliferation (Ki67) and survival of new neurons (BrdU and BrdU/NeuN) in the hippocampus of male and female rats by using immunohistochemistry. As expected, DHT increased the number of BrdU+ cells in young males but surprisingly not in middle-aged males or in young and middle-aged females. In middle age, DHT increased the proportion of BrdU/NeuN cells, an effect driven by females. Androgen receptor expression also increased with aging in both female and male rats, which may contribute to a lack of DHT neurogenic effect in middle age. Our results indicate that DHT regulates adult hippocampal neurogenesis in a sex- and age-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Duarte-Guterman
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health and Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Stephanie E Lieblich
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health and Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Steven R Wainwright
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health and Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Carmen Chow
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health and Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jessica A Chaiton
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health and Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Neil V Watson
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Liisa A M Galea
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health and Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Correspondence: Liisa A. M. Galea, PhD, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, 2215 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada. E-mail:
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20
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Turkson S, Kloster A, Hamilton PJ, Neigh GN. Neuroendocrine drivers of risk and resilience: The influence of metabolism & mitochondria. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 54:100770. [PMID: 31288042 PMCID: PMC6886586 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The manifestation of risk versus resilience has been considered from varying perspectives including genetics, epigenetics, early life experiences, and type and intensity of the challenge with which the organism is faced. Although all of these factors are central to determining risk and resilience, the current review focuses on what may be a final common pathway: metabolism. When an organism is faced with a perturbation to the environment, whether internal or external, appropriate energy allocation is essential to resolving the divergence from equilibrium. This review examines the potential role of metabolism in the manifestation of stress-induced neural compromise. In addition, this review details the current state of knowledge on neuroendocrine factors which are poised to set the tone of the metabolic response to a systemic challenge. The goal is to provide an essential framework for understanding stress in a metabolic context and appreciation for key neuroendocrine signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susie Turkson
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Alix Kloster
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Peter J Hamilton
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Gretchen N Neigh
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States.
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21
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Prenatal Androgenization Induces Anxiety-Like Behavior in Female Rats, Associated with Reduction of Inhibitory Interneurons and Increased BDNF in Hippocampus and Cortex. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2019; 2019:3426092. [PMID: 31281833 PMCID: PMC6590533 DOI: 10.1155/2019/3426092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety is one of the most frequent psychiatric disorders. Despite the fact that most studies describe an anxiolytic effect of testosterone, hyperandrogenemia in mothers is assumed to be related to an increased risk of mood disorders in their offspring. An increasing body of scientific evidence suggests that an altered expression of interneuronal markers of the hippocampus may be the cause of anxiety. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of maternal hyperandrogenemia on behavioral parameters of anxiety-like behavior, neuropeptide Y (NPY) and parvalbumin (PV) expression in the hippocampus, and the level of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Pregnant female Wistar albino rats were treated with testosterone undecanoate on the 20th day of gestation. Anxiety-like behavior in adult female offspring was evaluated by the elevated plus maze test and the open field. The number of PV and NPY immunoreactive cells in the hippocampus was determined immunohistochemically. The level of BDNF expression in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex was analyzed with the Western blot test. Prenatal hyperandrogenization increased anxiety-like behavior in female offspring and decreased expression of NPY+ and PV+ in the CA1 region of the hippocampus as compared to the control group. BDNF expression in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of prenatally androgenized female offspring was significantly increased in comparison with the controls. Prenatal hyperandrogenization may be the cause of anxiety-like behavior in female offspring. Decrease in NPY and PV expression in the hippocampus may explain the possible mechanism of hyperandrogenization induced anxiety.
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22
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Anxiety-like behaviour assessments of adolescent rats after repeated maternal separation during early life. Neuroreport 2019; 29:643-649. [PMID: 29561529 PMCID: PMC5959263 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000001010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Maternal separation (MS) plays a central role in developing physiology and psychology during the individual ontogeny process. MS is used to research the neurobiological mechanisms of mental disorders and early life stress. In this study, we investigated the effects of repeated MS and early handling (EH) on locomotor activity in an open-field test, a light–dark box test and an elevated plus-maze test of adolescent rats. The results showed that MS reduced locomotor activities in the open-field test, and increased anxiety-like behaviours in the light–dark box test and the elevated plus-maze test in adolescent rats. These tests indicated that early life stress caused by MS might induce anxiety-like behaviours during adolescence. However, compared with the control group, both the MS and EH groups showed conflicting anxiety levels. The results also suggested that females were more prone to showing anxiety-like behaviour compared with males when suffering from high-intensity stimulation. However, because of the low anxiety level associated with EH, the sex difference in behaviour was not significant. The present study provides novel insights into the effects of MS and EH on behaviour, which shows unique anxiety levels different in adolescent male and female rats.
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23
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Ma L, Xu Y, Wang G, Li R. What do we know about sex differences in depression: A review of animal models and potential mechanisms. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2019; 89:48-56. [PMID: 30165122 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.08.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Revised: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Clinical studies have shown that women are more susceptible to depression than men. Sex differences in depression have been associated with social, cultural, as well as biological factors. In spite of extensive preclinical studies in animal models for depression that have been used for understanding the mechanisms of the disease as well as for new drug development, a substantive lack of attention on sex-specific phenotypes in depression might mask the effect of sex on the outcome. In this review article, we summarize findings on the influence of sex on behavior in the most commonly used animal models for depression. We also discuss the potential underlying mechanisms of such sex-dependent variation in the phenotype, particularly in the neuroendocrine system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Ma
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100088, China
| | - Yong Xu
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100088, China
| | - Gang Wang
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100088, China.
| | - Rena Li
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100088, China; Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100012, China; Center for Hormone Advanced Science and Education, Roskamp Institute, Sarasota, FL 34243, USA.
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24
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Eid RS, Gobinath AR, Galea LAM. Sex differences in depression: Insights from clinical and preclinical studies. Prog Neurobiol 2019; 176:86-102. [PMID: 30721749 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2019.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 209] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Depression represents a global mental health concern, and disproportionally affects women as they are twice more likely to be diagnosed than men. In this review, we provide a summary of evidence to support the notion that differences in depression between men and women span multiple facets of the disease, including epidemiology, symptomology, treatment, and pathophysiology. Through a lens of biological sex, we overview depression-related transcriptional patterns, changes in neuroanatomy and neuroplasticity, and immune signatures. We acknowledge the unique physiological and behavioral demands of pregnancy and motherhood by devoting special attention to depression occurring in the peripartum period. Specifically, we discuss issues surrounding the presentation, time course, treatment, and neurobiology of peripartum depression. We write this review with the intention of highlighting the encouraging advancements in our understanding of sex differences in depression, while underscoring the gaps that remain. A more systematic consideration of biological sex as a variable in depression research will be critical in the discovery and development of pharmacotherapies that are efficacious for both men and women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rand S Eid
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Aarthi R Gobinath
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Liisa A M Galea
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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25
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Stanikova D, Luck T, Pabst A, Bae YJ, Hinz A, Glaesmer H, Stanik J, Sacher J, Engel C, Enzenbach C, Wirkner K, Ceglarek U, Thiery J, Kratzsch J, Riedel-Heller SG. Associations Between Anxiety, Body Mass Index, and Sex Hormones in Women. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:479. [PMID: 31333520 PMCID: PMC6620895 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Several studies have shown a positive association between anxiety and obesity, particularly in women. We aimed to study whether sex hormone alterations related to obesity might play a role in this association. Patients and methods: Data for this study were obtained from a population-based cohort study (the LIFE-Adult-Study). A total of 3,124 adult women (970 premenopausal and 2,154 postmenopausal) were included into the analyses. The anxiety symptomatology was assessed using the GAD-7 questionnaire (cut-off ≥ 10 points). Sex hormones were measured from fasting serum samples. Results: We did not find significant differences in anxiety prevalence in premenopausal obese women compared with normal-weight controls (4.8% vs. 5.5%). Both obesity and anxiety symptomatology were separately associated with the same sex hormone alteration in premenopausal women: higher total testosterone level (0.97 ± 0.50 in obese vs. 0.86 ± 0.49 nmol/L in normal-weight women, p = 0.026 and 1.04 ± 0.59 in women with vs. 0.88 ± 0.49 nmol/L in women without anxiety symptomatology, p = 0.023). However, women with anxiety symptomatology had non-significantly higher estradiol levels than women without anxiety symptomatology (548.0 ± 507.6 vs. 426.2 ± 474.0 pmol/L), whereas obesity was associated with lower estradiol levels compared with those in normal-weight group (332.7 ± 386.5 vs. 470.8 ± 616.0 pmol/L). Women with anxiety symptomatology had also significantly higher testosterone and estradiol composition (p = 0.006). No associations of sex hormone levels and BMI with anxiety symptomatology in postmenopausal women were found. Conclusions: Although both obesity and anxiety symptomatology were separately associated with higher testosterone level, there was an opposite impact of anxiety and obesity on estradiol levels in premenopausal women. We did not find an evidence that the sex hormone alterations related to obesity are playing a significant role in anxiety symptomatology in premenopausal women. This could be the explanation why we did not find an association between obesity and anxiety. In postmenopausal women, other mechanisms seem to work than in the premenopausal group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Stanikova
- Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Department of Pediatrics, Medical Faculty, Comenius University and National Institute of Children's Health, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Tobias Luck
- Department of Economic and Social Sciences & Institute of Social Medicine, Rehabilitation Sciences and Healthcare Research (ISRV), University of Applied Sciences Nordhausen, Nordhausen, Germany.,LIFE-Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alexander Pabst
- Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Yoon Ju Bae
- Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Andreas Hinz
- Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Heide Glaesmer
- Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Juraj Stanik
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Department of Pediatrics, Medical Faculty, Comenius University and National Institute of Children's Health, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Center for Pediatric Research Leipzig, University Hospital for Children & Adolescents, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Julia Sacher
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Emotion & NeuroimaGinG (EGG) Lab, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Clinic of Cognitive Neurology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christoph Engel
- LIFE-Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Cornelia Enzenbach
- LIFE-Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kerstin Wirkner
- LIFE-Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Uta Ceglarek
- LIFE-Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Joachim Thiery
- LIFE-Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Juergen Kratzsch
- Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Steffi G Riedel-Heller
- Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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26
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LeGates TA, Kvarta MD, Thompson SM. Sex differences in antidepressant efficacy. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:140-154. [PMID: 30082889 PMCID: PMC6235879 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0156-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2018] [Revised: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences have been observed across many psychiatric diseases, especially mood disorders. For major depression, the most prevalent psychiatric disorder, females show a roughly two-fold greater risk as compared to males. Depression is sexually dimorphic with males and females exhibiting differences in clinical presentation, course, and response to antidepressant treatment. In this review, we first discuss sex differences observed in depressed patients, as well as animal models that reveal potential underlying mechanisms. We then discuss antidepressant treatments including their proposed mechanism of action and sex differences observed in treatment response. We include possible mechanisms underlying these sex differences with particular focus on synaptic transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara A. LeGates
- 0000 0001 2175 4264grid.411024.2Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
| | - Mark D. Kvarta
- 0000 0001 2175 4264grid.411024.2Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
| | - Scott M. Thompson
- 0000 0001 2175 4264grid.411024.2Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA ,0000 0001 2175 4264grid.411024.2Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
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27
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Ramzan F, Azam AB, Monks DA, Zovkic IB. Androgen receptor is a negative regulator of contextual fear memory in male mice. Horm Behav 2018; 106:10-18. [PMID: 30172646 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2018] [Revised: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Although sex-hormones have a well-documented role in memory formation, most literature has focused on estrogens, whereas the role of androgens and their receptor (the androgen receptor; AR) in fear memory is relatively unexplored. To address this gap, we used a transgenic mouse model of AR overexpression (CMV-AR) to determine if AR regulates fear memory, and if this effect can be reversed either by the removal of circulating androgens via gonadectomy, or by antagonising AR activity with flutamide. We found that AR overexpression results in reduced freezing in response to foot shock, and that this difference is reversed with both gonadectomy and flutamide treatment. Differences between genotypes were reinstated by testosterone replacement in gonadectomized mice, suggesting that reduced fear memory in mutants results from AR activation by testosterone and is not secondary to group differences in circulating testosterone. Potential transcriptional mechanisms by which CMV-AR exerts its effects on fear memory were assessed by quantitating the expression of memory-related genes in area CA1 of the hippocampus. Several genes that are altered with AR inhibition and activation, including genes that encode for the histone variant H2A.Z, cholinergic receptors, glutamate receptors, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Overall, our findings suggest that AR is a negative regulator of fear memory and identify potential gene targets through which AR may mediate this effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Firyal Ramzan
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada
| | - Amber B Azam
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada
| | - D Ashley Monks
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada; Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada
| | - Iva B Zovkic
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.
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Liang Y, Li J, Jin T, Gu T, Zhu Q, Hu Y, Yang Y, Li J, Wu D, Jiang K, Xu X. Bisphenol-A inhibits improvement of testosterone in anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in gonadectomied male mice. Horm Behav 2018; 102:129-138. [PMID: 29778459 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2018] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a well-known environmental endocrine disruptor. Developmental exposure to BPA affected a variety of behaviors in multiple model organisms. Our recent study found that exposure to BPA during adulthood aggravated anxiety- and depression-like states in male mice but not in females. In this study, 11-w-old gonadectomied (GDX) male mice daily received subcutaneous injections of testosterone propionate (TP, 0.5 mg/kg), TP and BPA (0.04, 0.4, or 4 mg/kg), or vehicle for 45 days. BPA (0.4 or 4 mg/kg) did not affect the elevated plus maze task of GDX mice but shortened the time on open arms and decreased the frequency of head dips of sham and TP-GDX mice. In forced swim task, BPA prolonged the total time of immobility of both sham and TP-GDX mice but not GDX mice. In addition, BPA reduced the levels of T in the serum and the brain of sham and TP-GDX mice. Western blot analysis further showed that BPA reduced the levels of androgen receptor (AR) and GABA(A)α2 receptor of the hippocampus and the amygdala in sham and inhibited the rescue of TP in these proteins levels of GDX mice. Meanwhile, BPA decreased the level of phospho-ERK1/2 in these two brain regions of sham and TP-GDX mice. These results suggest that long-term exposure to BPA inhibited TP-improved anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in GDX male mice. The down-regulated levels of GABA(A)α2 receptor and AR and an inhibited activity of ERK1/2 pathway in the hippocampus and the amygdala may be involved in these process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvfeng Liang
- Chemistry and Life Sciences College, Key Laboratory of Wildlife Biotechnology and Conservation and Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, PR China
| | - Jiahong Li
- Chemistry and Life Sciences College, Key Laboratory of Wildlife Biotechnology and Conservation and Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, PR China
| | - Tao Jin
- Chemistry and Life Sciences College, Key Laboratory of Wildlife Biotechnology and Conservation and Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, PR China
| | - Ting Gu
- Chemistry and Life Sciences College, Key Laboratory of Wildlife Biotechnology and Conservation and Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, PR China
| | - Qingjie Zhu
- Chemistry and Life Sciences College, Key Laboratory of Wildlife Biotechnology and Conservation and Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, PR China
| | - Yizhong Hu
- Chemistry and Life Sciences College, Key Laboratory of Wildlife Biotechnology and Conservation and Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, PR China
| | - Yang Yang
- Chemistry and Life Sciences College, Key Laboratory of Wildlife Biotechnology and Conservation and Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, PR China
| | - Jisui Li
- Chemistry and Life Sciences College, Key Laboratory of Wildlife Biotechnology and Conservation and Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, PR China
| | - Donghong Wu
- Chemistry and Life Sciences College, Key Laboratory of Wildlife Biotechnology and Conservation and Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, PR China
| | - Kesheng Jiang
- Chemistry and Life Sciences College, Key Laboratory of Wildlife Biotechnology and Conservation and Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, PR China
| | - Xiaohong Xu
- Chemistry and Life Sciences College, Key Laboratory of Wildlife Biotechnology and Conservation and Utilization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, PR China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Ecology, Zhejiang Normal University, PR China.
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Chronic Treatment with Fluoxetine or Clozapine of Socially Isolated Rats Prevents Subsector-Specific Reduction of Parvalbumin Immunoreactive Cells in the Hippocampus. Neuroscience 2018; 371:384-394. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Revised: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 12/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Gheorghe A, Qiu W, Galea LAM. Hormonal Regulation of Hippocampal Neurogenesis: Implications for Depression and Exercise. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2018; 43:379-421. [PMID: 30414016 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2018_62] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Adult hippocampal neurogenesis exists in all mammalian species, including humans, and although there has been considerable research investigating the function and regulation of neurogenesis, there remain many open questions surrounding the complexity of this phenomenon. This stems partially from the fact that neurogenesis is a multistage process that involves proliferation, differentiation, migration, survival, and eventual integration of new cells into the existing hippocampal circuitry, each of which can be independently influenced. The function of adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus is related to stress regulation, behavioral efficacy of antidepressants, long-term spatial memory, forgetting, and pattern separation. Steroid hormones influence the regulation of hippocampal neurogenesis, stress regulation, and cognition and differently in males and females. In this chapter, we will briefly tap into the complex network of steroid hormone modulation of neurogenesis in the hippocampus with specific emphasis on stress, testosterone, and estrogen. We examine the possible role of neurogenesis in the etiology of depression and influencing treatment by examining the influence of both pharmacological (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants) treatments and non-pharmacological (exercise) remedies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Gheorghe
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Wansu Qiu
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Liisa A M Galea
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. .,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. .,Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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Fluoxetine reverses behavior changes in socially isolated rats: role of the hippocampal GSH-dependent defense system and proinflammatory cytokines. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2017; 267:737-749. [PMID: 28474231 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-017-0807-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 05/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Exposure of an organism to chronic social isolation (CSIS) has been shown to have an important role in depression. Fluoxetine (Flx) is a first-line treatment for depression; however, its downstream mechanisms of action beyond serotonergic signaling remain ill-defined. We investigated the effect of 3 weeks of Flx (15 mg/kg/day) treatment on behavioral changes and protein expression/activity of the GSH-dependent defense system, including reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GLR), and glutathione S-transferase (GST), as well as catalase (CAT), in the hippocampus of rats exposed to 6 weeks of CSIS. The subcellular distributions of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), as well as, cytosolic IL-1β and IL-6 protein expression, were also determined. CSIS induced depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors, evidenced by a decrease in sucrose preference and an increase in the number of buried marbles. Moreover, CSIS compromised redox homeostasis, targeting enzymes such as GPx, CAT, GST, and caused NF-κB nuclear translocation with a concomitant increase in IL-6 protein expression, without an effect on IL-1β. Flx treatment reversed CSIS-induced depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors, modulated GSH-dependent defense by increasing GLR and GST activity, and suppressed NF-κB activation and cytosolic IL-6 protein expression in socially isolated rats. The present study suggests that changes in the GSH-dependent defense system, NF-κB activation and increased IL-6 protein expression may have a role in social isolation-induced changes in a rat model of depression and anxiety, and contributes to our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the antidepressant and anti-inflammatory activity of Flx in socially isolated rats.
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32
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Todorović N, Filipović D. The antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effects of fluoxetine and clozapine in chronically isolated rats involve inhibition of hippocampal TNF-α. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2017; 163:57-65. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2017.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Revised: 10/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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33
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Green A, Esser MJ, Perrot TS. Developmental expression of anxiety and depressive behaviours after prenatal predator exposure and early life homecage enhancement. Behav Brain Res 2017; 346:122-136. [PMID: 29183765 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.11.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Stressful events during gestation can have sex-specific effects on brain and behaviour, and may contribute to some of the differences observed in adult stress responding and psychopathology. We investigated the impact of a novel repeated prenatal psychological stress (prenatal predator exposure - PPS) during the last week of gestation in rats on offspring behaviours related to social interaction (play behaviour), open field test (OFT), forced swim test (FST) and sucrose preference test (SP) during the juvenile period and in adulthood. We further examined the role of postnatal environmental, using an enhanced housing condition (EHC), to prevent/rescue any changes. Some effects on anxiety, anhedonia, and stress-related coping behaviours (e.g., OFT, SP and OFT) did not emerge until adulthood. PPS increased OFT anxiety behaviours in adult males, and some OFT and SP behaviours in adult females. Contrary to this, EHC had few independent effects; most were apparent only when combined with PPS. In keeping with age-group differences, juvenile behaviours did not necessarily predict the same adult behaviours although juvenile OFT rearing and freezing, and juvenile FST immobility did predict adult FST immobility and sucrose preference, suggesting that some aspects of depressive behaviours may emerge early and predict adult vulnerability or coping behaviours. Together, these results suggest an important, though complex, role for early life psychological stressors and early life behaviours in creating an adult vulnerability to anxiety or depressive disorders and that environmental factors further modulate the effects of the prenatal stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Green
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
| | - Michael J Esser
- Department of Pediatrics, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Tara S Perrot
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Brain Repair Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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34
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Zaletel I, Filipović D, Puškaš N. Hippocampal BDNF in physiological conditions and social isolation. Rev Neurosci 2017; 28:675-692. [DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2016-0072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
AbstractExposure of an organism to chronic psychosocial stress may affect brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression that has been implicated in the etiology of psychiatric disorders, such as depression. Given that depression in humans has been linked with social stress, the chronic social stress paradigms for modeling psychiatric disorders in animals have thus been developed. Chronic social isolation in animal models generally causes changes in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning, associated with anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors. Also, this chronic stress causes downregulation of BDNF protein and mRNA in the hippocampus, a stress-sensitive brain region closely related to the pathophysiology of depression. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge regarding the structure, function, intracellular signaling, inter-individual differences and epigenetic regulation of BDNF in both physiological conditions and depression and changes in corticosterone levels, as a marker of stress response. Since BDNF levels are age dependent in humans and rodents, this review will also highlight the effects of adolescent and adult chronic social isolation models of both genders on the BDNF expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Zaletel
- Institute of Histology and Embryology “Aleksandar Ð. Kostić”, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Dragana Filipović
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, Institute of Nuclear Sciences “Vinča”, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Nela Puškaš
- Institute of Histology and Embryology “Aleksandar Ð. Kostić”, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Višegradska 26, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
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35
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Domonkos E, Borbélyová V, Csongová M, Bosý M, Kačmárová M, Ostatníková D, Hodosy J, Celec P. Sex differences and sex hormones in anxiety-like behavior of aging rats. Horm Behav 2017; 93:159-165. [PMID: 28576648 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Revised: 05/17/2017] [Accepted: 05/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences in the prevalence of affective disorders might be attributable to different sex hormone milieu. The effects of short-term sex hormone deficiency on behavior, especially on anxiety have been studied in numerous animal experiments, mainly on young adult rats and mice. However, sex differences in aged animals and the effects of long-term hypogonadism are understudied. The aim of our study was to analyze sex differences in anxiety-like behavior in aged rats and to prove whether they can be attributed to endogenous sex hormone production in males. A battery of tests was performed to assess anxiety-like behavior in aged female, male and gonadectomized male rats castrated before puberty. In addition, the aged gonadectomized male rats were treated with a single injection of estradiol or testosterone or supplemented with estradiol for two-weeks. Female rats displayed a less anxious behavior than male rats in most of the conducted behavioral tests except the light-dark box. Long-term androgen deficiency decreased the sex difference in anxiety either partially (open field, PhenoTyper cage) or completely (elevated plus maze). Neither single injection of sex hormones, nor two-week supplementation of estradiol in gonadectomized aged male rats significantly affected their anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze. In conclusion, our results confirm sex differences in anxiety in aged rats likely mediated by endogenous testosterone production in males. Whether long-term supplementation with exogenous sex hormones could affect anxiety-like behavior in elderly individuals remains to be elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emese Domonkos
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Veronika Borbélyová
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Melinda Csongová
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Martin Bosý
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Mária Kačmárová
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Daniela Ostatníková
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Július Hodosy
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia; Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Peter Celec
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia; Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia; Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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36
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Roelofs S, Nordquist RE, van der Staay FJ. Female and male pigs’ performance in a spatial holeboard and judgment bias task. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2017.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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37
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Prefrontal cortical glutathione-dependent defense and proinflammatory mediators in chronically isolated rats: Modulation by fluoxetine or clozapine. Neuroscience 2017; 355:49-60. [PMID: 28499974 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.04.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Revised: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 04/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Chronic psychosocial stress modulates brain antioxidant systems and causes neuroinflammation that plays a role in the pathophysiology of depression. Although the antidepressant fluoxetine (FLX) represents the first-line treatment for depression and the atypical antipsychotic clozapine (CLZ) is considered as a second-line treatment for psychotic disorders, the downstream mechanisms of action of these treatments, beyond serotonergic or dopaminergic signaling, remain elusive. We examined behavioral changes, glutathione (GSH)-dependent defense and levels of proinflammatory mediators in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of adult male Wistar rats exposed to 21days of chronic social isolation (CSIS). We also tested the ability of FLX (15mg/kg/day) or CLZ (20mg/kg/day), applied during CSIS, to prevent stress-induced changes. CSIS caused depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors, compromised GSH-dependent defense, and induced nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation with a concomitant increase in cytosolic levels of proinflammatory mediators cyclooxigenase-2, interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the PFC. NF-κB activation and proinflammatory response in the PFC were not found in CSIS rats treated with FLX or CLZ. In contrast, only FLX preserved GSH content in CSIS rats. CLZ not only failed to protect against CSIS-induced GSH depletion, but it diminished its levels when applied to non-stressed rats. In conclusion, prefrontal cortical GSH depletion and the proinflammatory response underlying depressive- and anxiety-like states induced by CSIS were prevented by FLX. The protective effect of CLZ, which was equally effective as FLX on the behavioral level, was limited to proinflammatory components. Hence, different mechanisms underlie the protective effects of these two drugs in CSIS rats.
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38
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Ovarian hormones modify anxiety behavior and glucocorticoid receptors after chronic social isolation stress. Behav Brain Res 2017; 328:115-122. [PMID: 28408299 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2017] [Revised: 04/06/2017] [Accepted: 04/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Chronic social isolation could lead to a disruption in the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, resulting in anxiety and depressive-like behaviors but cycling estrogens could modify these behaviors. The aim of this study was to determine if changes in ovarian hormones during the normal cycle could interact with social isolation to alter anxiety and depressive-like behaviors. In parallel, we examined the expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and synaptic vesicle protein synaptophysin in the hippocampus and hypothalamus of Sprague Dawley normal cycling female rats. We assigned rats to either isolated or paired housing for 8 weeks. To assess anxiety and depressive-like behaviors, we used the open field test and forced swim test, respectively. Female rats were tested at either diestrus, estrus, or proestrus stage of the estrous cycle. After behaviors, rats were perfused and brains collected. Brain sections containing hippocampus and hypothalamus were analyzed using immunohistochemistry for synaptophysin and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) levels. We found an increase in depressive-like behaviors for isolated animals compared to paired housed rats, regardless of the estrous cycle stage. Interestingly, we found a decrease in anxiety behaviors in females in the estrus stage accompanied by a decrease in GR expression in hippocampal DG and CA3. However, no changes in synaptophysin were observed in any of the areas of studied. Our results support the beneficial effects of circulating ovarian hormones in anxiety, possibly by decreasing GR expression.
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Schutter DJLG, Meuwese R, Bos MGN, Crone EA, Peper JS. Exploring the role of testosterone in the cerebellum link to neuroticism: From adolescence to early adulthood. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2017; 78:203-212. [PMID: 28214680 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2016] [Revised: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Previous research has found an association between a smaller cerebellar volume and higher levels of neuroticism. The steroid hormone testosterone reduces stress responses and the susceptibility to negative mood. Together with in vitro studies showing a positive effect of testosterone on cerebellar gray matter volumes, we set out to explore the role of testosterone in the relation between cerebellar gray matter and neuroticism. Structural magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired, and indices of neurotic personality traits were assessed by administering the depression and anxiety scale of the revised NEO personality inventory and Gray's behavioural avoidance in one hundred and forty-nine healthy volunteers between 12 and 27 years of age. Results demonstrated an inverse relation between total brain corrected cerebellar volumes and neurotic personality traits in adolescents and young adults. In males, higher endogenous testosterone levels were associated with lower scores on neurotic personality traits and larger cerebellar gray matter volumes. No such relations were observed in the female participants. Analyses showed that testosterone significantly mediated the relation between male cerebellar gray matter and measures of neuroticism. Our findings on the interrelations between endogenous testosterone, neuroticism and cerebellar morphology provide a cerebellum-oriented framework for the susceptibility to experience negative emotions and mood in adolescence and early adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis J L G Schutter
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Montessorilaan 3, 6525 HR Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Rosa Meuwese
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, The Netherlands
| | - Marieke G N Bos
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, The Netherlands
| | - Eveline A Crone
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, The Netherlands
| | - Jiska S Peper
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, The Netherlands
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40
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Joksimović J, Selaković D, Jakovljević V, Mihailović V, Katanić J, Boroja T, Rosić G. Alterations of the oxidative status in rat hippocampus and prodepressant effect of chronic testosterone enanthate administration. Mol Cell Biochem 2017; 433:41-50. [DOI: 10.1007/s11010-017-3014-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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41
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Dossat AM, Jourdi H, Wright KN, Strong CE, Sarkar A, Kabbaj M. Viral-mediated Zif268 expression in the prefrontal cortex protects against gonadectomy-induced working memory, long-term memory, and social interaction deficits in male rats. Neuroscience 2017; 340:243-257. [PMID: 27816701 PMCID: PMC5154846 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.10.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Revised: 10/17/2016] [Accepted: 10/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
In humans, some males experience reductions in testosterone levels, as a natural consequence of aging or in the clinical condition termed hypogonadism, which are associated with impaired cognitive performance and mood disorder(s). Some of these behavioral deficits can be reversed by testosterone treatment. Our previous work in rats reported that sex differences in the expression of the transcription factor Zif268, a downstream target of testosterone, within the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) mediates sex differences in social interaction. In the present study, we aimed to examine the effects of gonadectomy (GNX) in male rats on mPFC Zif268 expression, mood and cognitive behaviors. We also examined whether reinstitution of Zif268 in GNX rats will correct some of the behavioral deficits observed following GNX. Our results show that GNX induced a downregulation of Zif268 protein in the mPFC, which was concomitant with impaired memory in the y-maze and spontaneous object recognition test, reduced social interaction time, and depression-like behaviors in the forced swim test. Reinstitution of mPFC Zif268, using a novel adeno-associated-viral (AAV) construct, abrogated GNX-induced working memory and long-term memory impairments, and reductions in social interaction time, but not GNX-induced depression-like behaviors. These findings suggest that mPFC Zif268 exerts beneficial effects on memory and social interaction, and could be a potential target for novel treatments for behavioral impairments observed in hypogonadal and aged men with declining levels of gonadal hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Dossat
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States
| | - Hussam Jourdi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Balamand, Souk-El-Gharb, Mount-Lebanon, Lebanon
| | - Katherine N Wright
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States
| | - Caroline E Strong
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States
| | - Ambalika Sarkar
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States
| | - Mohamed Kabbaj
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States.
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42
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Nikmahzar E, Jahanshahi M, Ghaemi A, Naseri GR, Moharreri AR, Lotfinia AA. Hippocampal serotonin-2A receptor-immunoreactive neurons density increases after testosterone therapy in the gonadectomized male mice. Anat Cell Biol 2016; 49:259-272. [PMID: 28127501 PMCID: PMC5266105 DOI: 10.5115/acb.2016.49.4.259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2016] [Revised: 10/06/2016] [Accepted: 12/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The change of steroid levels may also exert different modulatory effects on the number and class of serotonin receptors present in the plasma membrane. The effects of chronic treatment of testosterone for anxiety were examined and expression of 5-HT2A serotonergic receptor, neuron, astrocyte, and dark neuron density in the hippocampus of gonadectomized male mice was determined. Thirty-six adult male NMRI mice were randomly divided into six groups: intact-no testosterone treatment (No T), gonadectomy (GDX)-No T, GDX-Vehicle, GDX-6.25 mg/kg testosterone (T), GDX-12.5 mg/kg T, and GDX-25 mg/kg T. Anxiety-related behavior was evaluated using elevated plus maze apparatus. The animals were anesthetized after 48 hours after behavioral testing, and decapitated and micron slices were prepared for immunohistochemical as well as histopathological assessment. Subcutaneous injection of testosterone (25 mg/kg) may induce anxiogenic-like behavior in male mice. In addition, immunohistochemical data reveal reduced expression of 5-HT2A serotonergic receptor after gonadectomy in all areas of the hippocampus. However, treatment with testosterone could increase the mean number of dark neurons as well as immunoreactive neurons in CA1 and CA3 area, dose dependently. The density of 5-HT2A receptor-immunoreactive neurons may play a crucial role in the induction of anxiety like behavior. As reduction in such receptor expression have shown to significantly enhance anxiety behaviors. However, replacement of testosterone dose dependently enhances the number of 5-HT2A receptor-immunoreactive neurons and interestingly also reduced anxiety like behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emsehgol Nikmahzar
- Neuroscience Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
| | - Mehrdad Jahanshahi
- Department of Anatomy, Neuroscience Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
| | - Amir Ghaemi
- Shefa Neuroscience Research Center, Tehran, Iran
| | - Gholam Reza Naseri
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
| | - Ali Reza Moharreri
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
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Sarkar A, Kabbaj M. Sex Differences in Effects of Ketamine on Behavior, Spine Density, and Synaptic Proteins in Socially Isolated Rats. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 80:448-456. [PMID: 26957131 PMCID: PMC4940294 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2015] [Revised: 12/18/2015] [Accepted: 12/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The mechanistic underpinnings of sex differences in occurrence of depression and efficacy of antidepressant treatments are poorly understood. We examined the effects of isolation stress (IS) and the fast-acting antidepressant ketamine on anhedonia and depression-like behavior, spine density, and synaptic proteins in male and female rats. METHODS We used a chronic social IS paradigm to test the effects of ketamine (0, 2.5 mg/kg, and 5 mg/kg) on behavior and levels of synaptic proteins synapsin-1, postsynaptic density protein 95, and glutamate receptor 1 in male rats and female rats in diestrus. Medial prefrontal cortex spine density was also examined in male rats and female rats that received ketamine during either the diestrus or the proestrus phase of their estrous cycle. RESULTS Male rats showed anhedonia and depression-like behavior after 8 weeks of IS, concomitant with decreases in spine density and levels of synapsin-1, postsynaptic density protein 95, and glutamate receptor 1 in the medial prefrontal cortex; these changes were reversed by a single injection of ketamine (5 mg/kg). After 11 weeks of IS, female rats showed depression-like behavior but no signs of anhedonia. Although both doses of ketamine rescued depression-like behavior in female rats, the decline observed in synaptic proteins and spine density in IS and in diestrus female rats could not be reversed by ketamine. Spine density was higher in female rats during proestrus than in diestrus. CONCLUSIONS Our findings implicate a role for synaptic proteins synapsin-1, postsynaptic density protein 95, and glutamate receptor 1 and medial prefrontal cortex spine density in the antidepressant effects of ketamine in male rats subjected to IS but not in female rats subjected to IS, suggesting dissimilar underlying mechanisms for efficacy of ketamine in the two sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ambalika Sarkar
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Mohamed Kabbaj
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Program in Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.
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Ma J, Wu CF, Wang F, Yang JY, Dong YX, Su GY, Zhang K, Wang ZQ, Xu LW, Pan X, Zhou TS, Ma P, Song SJ. Neurological mechanism of Xiaochaihutang's antidepressant-like effects to socially isolated adult rats. J Pharm Pharmacol 2016; 68:1340-9. [DOI: 10.1111/jphp.12616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2016] [Accepted: 07/05/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Objectives
Xiaochaihutang (XCHT) has antidepressant effects in multiple animal models of depression in our previous studies. But the antidepressant effects and exact mechanisms of XCHT in a rat model of chronic social isolation stress (CSIS) have never been studied. We therefore aimed to investigate the effects of XCHT on depressive/anxiety-related behaviours of CSIS-exposed rats and understand the neurological mechanism involving neurogenesis.
Methods
We established the CSIS model and then investigated the effects of XCHT on behavioural change. HPLC-MS/MS was adopted to quantify neurotransmitter levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Immunofluorescence technology was used to study the effects of XCHT on neurogenesis; while expressions of 5-HT1A receptor signalling pathway in the hippocampus were measured using Western blotting.
Key Findings
Xiaochaihutang significantly alleviated depressive/anxiety-like behaviours of CSIS-exposed rats. XCHT significantly regulated levels of monoamine neurotransmitters in the CSF without affecting Glu, GABA and ACh. XCHT also significantly increased neurogenesis in CSIS-exposed rats. Additionally, XCHT reversed CSIS-induced decrease of 5-HT1A receptor expression and promoted the expression of BDNF in the hippocampus.
Conclusion
Our results suggest that XCHT could significantly regulate the depressive/anxiety-like behaviours induced by CSIS, which are likely attributed to the promotion of hippocampal neurogenesis and neurotrophin expressions through the activation of serotonergic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Ma
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Chun Fu Wu
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Jing Yu Yang
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Ying Xu Dong
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Guang Yue Su
- Department of Functional Food and Wine, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Kuo Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Zhi Qian Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Long Wen Xu
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Xing Pan
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Ting Shuo Zhou
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Ping Ma
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Shao Jiang Song
- Department of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
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Concordance and incongruence in preclinical anxiety models: Systematic review and meta-analyses. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 68:504-529. [PMID: 27328783 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2015] [Revised: 03/19/2016] [Accepted: 04/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Rodent defense behavior assays have been widely used as preclinical models of anxiety to study possibly therapeutic anxiety-reducing interventions. However, some proposed anxiety-modulating factors - genes, drugs and stressors - have had discordant effects across different studies. To reconcile the effect sizes of purported anxiety factors, we conducted systematic review and meta-analyses of the literature on ten anxiety-linked interventions, as examined in the elevated plus maze, open field and light-dark box assays. Diazepam, 5-HT1A receptor gene knockout and overexpression, SERT gene knockout and overexpression, pain, restraint, social isolation, corticotropin-releasing hormone and Crhr1 were selected for review. Eight interventions had statistically significant effects on rodent anxiety, while Htr1a overexpression and Crh knockout did not. Evidence for publication bias was found in the diazepam, Htt knockout, and social isolation literatures. The Htr1a and Crhr1 results indicate a disconnect between preclinical science and clinical research. Furthermore, the meta-analytic data confirmed that genetic SERT anxiety effects were paradoxical in the context of the clinical use of SERT inhibitors to reduce anxiety.
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Hamson DK, Roes MM, Galea LAM. Sex Hormones and Cognition: Neuroendocrine Influences on Memory and Learning. Compr Physiol 2016; 6:1295-337. [DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c150031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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47
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Mahmoud R, Wainwright SR, Galea LAM. Sex hormones and adult hippocampal neurogenesis: Regulation, implications, and potential mechanisms. Front Neuroendocrinol 2016; 41:129-52. [PMID: 26988999 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2016.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2015] [Revised: 03/12/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Neurogenesis within the adult hippocampus is modulated by endogenous and exogenous factors. Here, we review the role of sex hormones in the regulation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis in males and females. The review is framed around the potential functional implications of sex hormone regulation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis, with a focus on cognitive function and mood regulation, which may be related to sex differences in incidence and severity of dementia and depression. We present findings from preclinical studies of endogenous fluctuations in sex hormones relating to reproductive function and ageing, and from studies of exogenous hormone manipulations. In addition, we discuss the modulating roles of sex, age, and reproductive history on the relationship between sex hormones and neurogenesis. Because sex hormones have diverse targets in the central nervous system, we overview potential mechanisms through which sex hormones may influence hippocampal neurogenesis. Lastly, we advocate for a more systematic consideration of sex and sex hormones in studying the functional implications of adult hippocampal neurogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rand Mahmoud
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Steven R Wainwright
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Liisa A M Galea
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
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Silva K, Carvalho M, Padovan C. Tolerance to repeated stress in rats with lesions of the serotoninergic neurons of the Median Raphe Nucleus and chronically treated with imipramine. Behav Brain Res 2016; 302:220-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2015] [Revised: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Oxidative and nitrosative stress pathways in the brain of socially isolated adult male rats demonstrating depressive- and anxiety-like symptoms. Brain Struct Funct 2016; 222:1-20. [PMID: 27033097 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-016-1218-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2015] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Various stressors may disrupt the redox homeostasis of an organism by causing oxidative and nitrosative stress that may activate stressor-specific pathways and provoke specific responses. Chronic social isolation (CSIS) represents a mild chronic stress that evokes a variety of neurobehavioral changes in rats similar to those observed in people with psychiatric disorders, including depression. Most rodent studies have focused on the effect of social isolation during weaning or adolescence, while its effect in adult rats has not been extensively examined. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge regarding the involvement of oxidative/nitrosative stress pathways in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of adult male rats exposed to CSIS, focusing on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis activity, behavior parameters, antioxidative defense systems, stress signaling mediated by nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and mitochondria-related proapoptotic signaling. Although increased concentrations of corticosterone (CORT) have been shown to induce oxidative and nitrosative stress, we suggest a mechanism underlying the glucocorticoid paradox whereby a state of oxidative/nitrosative stress may exist under basal CORT levels. This review also highlights the differential susceptibility of prefrontal cortex and hippocampus to oxidative stress following CSIS and suggests a possible cellular pathway of stress tolerance that preserves the hippocampus from molecular damage and apoptosis. The differential regulation of the transcriptional factor NF-κB, and the enzymes inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) following CSIS may be one functional difference between the response of the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, thus identifying potentially relevant targets for antidepressant treatment.
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Soultanov V, Fedotova J, Nikitina T, Roschin V, Ordyan N, Hritcu L. Antidepressant-Like Effect of Ropren® in β-Amyloid-(25–35) Rat Model of Alzheimer’s Disease with Altered Levels of Androgens. Mol Neurobiol 2016; 54:2611-2621. [DOI: 10.1007/s12035-016-9848-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2016] [Accepted: 03/09/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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