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de Lima RMS, da Mata MJ, Santos JCPD, Costa L, Marques VHM, Bento LVDS, Lugon MDMV, Arcego DM, Barauna VG, Bittencourt AS, Bittencourt APSDV. Exploring the role of environmental enrichment and early life adversity on emotional development. Behav Brain Res 2024; 472:115147. [PMID: 39029628 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024]
Abstract
Early life adversity has been linked with a higher probability of developing behavioral impairments and environmental manipulation is a strategy that may reduce the negative effects of exposure to adversity in early life. Here, we focused on exploring the influence of environmental enrichment (EE) as a protective factor in the context of early life adversity. We hypothesized that 24 hours of maternal deprivation (MD), in the second week of life, could induce anxiety-like behavior alterations and that exposure to EE could induce resilience to these behaviors due to alterations in the serotonergic system. Male Wistar rats were exposed to MD, on postnatal days 11 and 13, and to EE, after weaning. In adulthood, we performed a series of behavioral tests for fear, anxiety, and locomotor activity. We also measured the levels of serotonin in the amygdala and dorsal raphe nucleus. Our results revealed that MD does not impact fear behavior or the levels of serotonin, while EE decreases locomotor activity in a novel environment and enhances exploration in the predator odor test. EE also decreases serotonin in the amygdala and increases its turnover rate levels. Our findings provide insights into the critical timeframe during which stress exposure impacts the development and confirm that exposure to EE has an independent and protective effect for anxiety-like behaviors later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randriely Merscher Sobreira de Lima
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica e Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
| | - Martielo Januario da Mata
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica e Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Espírito Santo, Brazil
| | - Josefa Cristina Pereira Dos Santos
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica e Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Espírito Santo, Brazil
| | - Ludhielle Costa
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica e Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Espírito Santo, Brazil
| | - Victor Hugo Moreira Marques
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica e Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Espírito Santo, Brazil
| | - Lucas Victor Dos Santos Bento
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica e Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Espírito Santo, Brazil
| | - Marcelo di Marcello Valladão Lugon
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica e Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Espírito Santo, Brazil
| | - Danusa Mar Arcego
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Valério Garrone Barauna
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Espírito Santo, Brazil
| | - Athelson Stefanon Bittencourt
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica e Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Espírito Santo, Brazil; Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Espírito Santo, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Santana de Vasconcellos Bittencourt
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Espírito Santo, Brazil
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Joushi S, Taherizadeh Z, Eghbalian M, Esmaeilpour K, Sheibani V. Boosting decision-making in rat models of early-life adversity with environmental enrichment and intranasal oxytocin. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2024; 165:107050. [PMID: 38677097 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107050] [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: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
Impaired decision-making constitutes a fundamental issue in numerous psychiatric disorders. Extensive research has established that early life adversity (ELA) increases vulnerability to psychiatric disorders later in life. ELA in human neonates is associated with changes in cognitive, emotional, as well as reward-related processing. Maternal separation (MS) is an established animal model of ELA and has been shown to be associated with decision-making deficits. On the other hand, enriched environment (EE) and intranasal oxytocin (OT) administration have been demonstrated to have beneficial effects on decision-making in humans or animals. Given these considerations, our investigation sought to explore the impact of brief exposure to EE and intranasal OT administration on the decision-making abilities of adolescent rats that had experienced MS during infancy. The experimental protocol involved subjecting rat pups to the MS regimen for 180 min per day from postnatal day (PND) 1 to PND 21. Then, from PND 22 to PND 34, the rats were exposed to EE and/or received intranasal OT (2 μg/μl) for seven days. The assessment of decision-making abilities, using a rat gambling task (RGT), commenced during adolescence. Our findings revealed that MS led to impaired decision-making and a decreased percentage of advantageous choices. However, exposure to brief EE or intranasal OT administration mitigated the deficits induced by MS and improved the decision-making skills of maternally-separated rats. Furthermore, combination of these treatments did not yield additional benefits. These results suggest that EE and OT may hold promise as therapeutic interventions to enhance certain aspects of cognitive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Joushi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Zahra Taherizadeh
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Mostafa Eghbalian
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Khadijeh Esmaeilpour
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran; School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Vahid Sheibani
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
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Ferreira de Sá N, Camarini R, Suchecki D. One day away from mum has lifelong consequences on brain and behaviour. Neuroscience 2023:S0306-4522(23)00276-2. [PMID: 37352967 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
This chapter presents a brief overview of attachment theory and discusses the importance of the neonatal period in shaping an individual's physiological and behavioural responses to stress later in life, with a focus on the role of the parent-infant relationship, particularly in rodents. In rodents, the role of maternal behaviours goes far beyond nutrition, thermoregulation and excretion, acting as hidden regulators of the pup's physiology and development. In this review, we will discuss the inhibitory role of specific maternal behaviours on the ACTH and corticosterone (CORT) stress response. The interest of our group to explore the long-term consequences of maternal deprivation for 24 h (DEP) at different ages (3 days and 11 days) in rats was sparked by its opposite effects on ACTH and CORT levels. In early adulthood, DEP3 animals (males and females alike) show greater negative impact on affective behaviours and stress related parameters than DEP11, indicating that the latter is more resilient in tests of anxiety-like behaviour. These findings create an opportunity to explore the neurobiological underpinnings of vulnerability and resilience to stress-related disorders. The chapter also provides a brief historical overview and highlights the relevance of attachment theory, and how DEP helps to understand the effects of childhood parental loss as a risk factor for depression, schizophrenia, and PTSD in both childhood and adulthood. Furthermore, we present the concept of environmental enrichment (EE), its effects on stress responses and related behavioural changes and its benefits for rats previously subjected to DEP, along with the clinical implications of DEP and EE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natália Ferreira de Sá
- Department of Psychobiology - Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo
| | - Rosana Camarini
- Department of Pharmacology - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo
| | - Deborah Suchecki
- Department of Psychobiology - Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo.
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Zanta NC, Assad N, Suchecki D. Neurobiological mechanisms involved in maternal deprivation-induced behaviours relevant to psychiatric disorders. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1099284. [PMID: 37122626 PMCID: PMC10133561 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1099284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Parental care is essential for proper development of stress response and emotion-related behaviours. Epidemiological studies show that parental loss in childhood represents a major risk factor for the development of mental disorders throughout the lifespan, including schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. In most mammalian species, the mother is the main source of care and maternal behaviours regulate several physiological systems. Maternal deprivation (DEP) for 24 h is a paradigm widely used to disinhibit the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response to stress during the stress hyporesponsive period. In this mini-review we will highlight the main DEP-induced neurobiological and behavioural outcomes, including alterations on stress-related hormones, neurogenesis, neurotransmitter/neuromodulatory systems and neuroinflammation. These neurobiological changes may be reflected by aberrant behaviours, which are relevant to the study of mental disorders. The evidence indicates that DEP consequences depend on the sex, the age when the DEP takes place and the age when the animals are evaluated, reflecting dynamic plasticity and individual variability. Individual variability and sex differences have a great relevance for the study of biological factors of stress resilience and vulnerability and the DEP paradigm is a suitable model for evaluation of phenotypes of stress- and emotion-related psychopathologies.
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Barroca NCB, Della Santa G, Suchecki D, García-Cairasco N, Umeoka EHDL. Challenges in the use of animal models and perspectives for a translational view of stress and psychopathologies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 140:104771. [PMID: 35817171 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The neurobiology and development of treatments for stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders rely heavily on animal models. However, the complexity of these disorders makes it difficult to model them entirely, so only specific features of human psychopathology are emulated and these models should be used with great caution. Importantly, the effects of stress depend on multiple factors, like duration, context of exposure, and individual variability. Here we present a review on pre-clinical studies of stress-related disorders, especially those developed to model posttraumatic stress disorder, major depression, and anxiety. Animal models provide relevant evidence of the underpinnings of these disorders, as long as face, construct, and predictive validities are fulfilled. The translational challenges faced by scholars include reductionism and anthropomorphic/anthropocentric interpretation of the results instead of a more naturalistic and evolutionary understanding of animal behavior that must be overcome to offer a meaningful model. Other limitations are low statistical power of analysis, poor evaluation of individual variability, sex differences, and possible conflicting effects of stressors depending on specific windows in the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nayara Cobra Barreiro Barroca
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavioral Science, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Giovanna Della Santa
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavioral Science, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Deborah Suchecki
- Department of Psychobiology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Norberto García-Cairasco
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavioral Science, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Department of Physiology, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Henrique de Lima Umeoka
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavioral Science, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; School of Medicine, University Center UniCerrado, Goiatuba, GO, Brazil
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Pourié G, Guéant JL, Quadros EV. Behavioral profile of vitamin B 12 deficiency: A reflection of impaired brain development, neuronal stress and altered neuroplasticity. VITAMINS AND HORMONES 2022; 119:377-404. [PMID: 35337627 DOI: 10.1016/bs.vh.2022.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Our understanding of brain biology and function is one of the least characterized and therefore, there are no effective treatments for most of neurological disorders. The influence of vitamins, and particularly vitamin B12, in neurodegenerative disease is demonstrated but largely unresolved. Behaviors are often quantified to attest brain dysfunction alone or in parallel with neuro-imaging to identify regions involved. Nevertheless, attention should be paid to extending observations made in animal models to humans, since, first, behavioral tests have to be adjusted in each model to address the initial question and second, because brain analysis should not be conducted for a whole organ but rather to specific sub-structures to better define function. Indeed, cognitive functions such as psychiatric disorders and learning and memory are often cited as the most impacted by a vitamin B12 deficiency. In addition, differential dysfunctions and mechanisms could be defined according sub-populations and ages. Vitamin B12 enters the cell bound to Transcobalamin, through the Transcobalamin Receptor and serves in two cell compartments, the lipid metabolism in the mitochondrion and the one-carbon metabolism involved in methylation reactions. Dysfunctions in these mechanisms can lead to two majors outcomes; axons demyelinisation and upregulation of cellular stress involving mislocalization of RNA binding proteins such as the ELAVL1/HuR or the dysregulation of pro- or anti-oxidant NUDT15, TXNRD1, VPO1 and ROC genes. Finally, it appears that apart from developmental problems that have to be identified and treated as early as possible, other therapeutic approaches for behavioral dysfunctions should investigate cellular methylation, oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grégory Pourié
- Université de Lorraine, Inserm, UMRS 1256, NGERE-Nutrition, Genetics, and Environmental Risk Exposure, Nancy, France.
| | - Jean-Louis Guéant
- Université de Lorraine, Inserm, UMRS 1256, NGERE-Nutrition, Genetics, and Environmental Risk Exposure, Nancy, France; CHRU-Nancy, National Center of Inborn Errors of Metabolism, Nancy, France
| | - Edward V Quadros
- Department of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, United States
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Zanta NC, Suchecki D, Girardi CEN. Early life stress alters emotional learning in a sex- and age-dependent manner with no impact on emotional behaviors. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:e22182. [PMID: 34423425 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Neonatal adversity can impact neurodevelopmental trajectories. This study examined the long-term effects of maternal deprivation on day 9 (DEP9), associated or not to a stressor (saline injection [SAL]), on contextual fear conditioning (Experiment 1) and emotional behaviors (Experiment 2) in Wistar rats. Whole litters were either assigned to DEP9 or control groups, and on day 10, half of the litters in each group received an SAL or not (NSAL). DEP9-SAL male adolescents showed the longest freezing time and DEP9 adult males froze more than females. Females exhibited less anxiety-like behavior than males; DEP9-SAL females spent more time in the open arms and DEP9 males visited less the extremity of the open arm in the elevated plus maze. Early life stress increased conditioned and innate fear in males, but not in females, indicating a clear sexual dimorphism in the response to potentially threatening stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natália C Zanta
- Department of Psychobiology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Deborah Suchecki
- Department of Psychobiology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
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