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Collins JM, Keane JM, Deady C, Khashan AS, McCarthy FP, O'Keeffe GW, Clarke G, Cryan JF, Caputi V, O'Mahony SM. Prenatal Stress Impacts Foetal Neurodevelopment: Temporal Windows of Gestational Vulnerability. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024:105793. [PMID: 38971516 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105793] [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: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
Prenatal maternal stressors ranging in severity from everyday occurrences/hassles to the experience of traumatic events negatively impact neurodevelopment, increasing the risk for the onset of psychopathology in the offspring. Notably, the timing of prenatal stress exposure plays a critical role in determining the nature and severity of subsequent neurodevelopmental outcomes. In this review, we evaluate the empirical evidence regarding temporal windows of heightened vulnerability to prenatal stress with respect to motor, cognitive, language, and behavioural development in both human and animal studies. We also explore potential temporal windows whereby several mechanisms may mediate prenatal stress-induced neurodevelopmental effects, namely, excessive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity, altered serotonin signalling and sympathetic-adrenal-medullary system, changes in placental function, immune system dysregulation, and alterations of the gut microbiota. While broadly defined developmental windows are apparent for specific psychopathological outcomes, inconsistencies arise when more complex cognitive and behavioural outcomes are considered. Novel approaches to track molecular markers reflective of the underlying aetiologies throughout gestation to identify tractable biomolecular signatures corresponding to critical vulnerability periods are urgently required.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M Collins
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
| | - James M Keane
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
| | - Clara Deady
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
| | - Ali S Khashan
- School of Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; The Irish Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research (INFANT), Cork University Maternity Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
| | - Fergus P McCarthy
- The Irish Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research (INFANT), Cork University Maternity Hospital, Cork, Ireland; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
| | - Gerard W O'Keeffe
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; The Irish Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research (INFANT), Cork University Maternity Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
| | - Gerard Clarke
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; The Irish Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research (INFANT), Cork University Maternity Hospital, Cork, Ireland; Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioural Science, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
| | - John F Cryan
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
| | - Valentina Caputi
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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2
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Brown ER, Gettler LT, Rosenbaum S. Effects of social environments on male primate HPG and HPA axis developmental programming. Dev Psychobiol 2024; 66:e22491. [PMID: 38698633 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22491] [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: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Developmental plasticity is particularly important for humans and other primates because of our extended period of growth and maturation, during which our phenotypes adaptively respond to environmental cues. The hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axes are likely to be principal targets of developmental "programming" given their roles in coordinating fitness-relevant aspects of the phenotype, including sexual development, adult reproductive and social strategies, and internal responses to the external environment. In social animals, including humans, the social environment is believed to be an important source of cues to which these axes may adaptively respond. The effects of early social environments on the HPA axis have been widely studied in humans, and to some extent, in other primates, but there are still major gaps in knowledge specifically relating to males. There has also been relatively little research examining the role that social environments play in developmental programming of the HPG axis or the HPA/HPG interface, and what does exist disproportionately focuses on females. These topics are likely understudied in males in part due to the difficulty of identifying developmental milestones in males relative to females and the general quiescence of the HPG axis prior to maturation. However, there are clear indicators that early life social environments matter for both sexes. In this review, we examine what is known about the impact of social environments on HPG and HPA axis programming during male development in humans and nonhuman primates, including the role that epigenetic mechanisms may play in this programming. We conclude by highlighting important next steps in this research area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ella R Brown
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
- Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Stacy Rosenbaum
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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3
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Nazzari S, Grumi S, Mambretti F, Villa M, Giorda R, Bordoni M, Pansarasa O, Borgatti R, Provenzi L. Sex-dimorphic pathways in the associations between maternal trait anxiety, infant BDNF methylation, and negative emotionality. Dev Psychopathol 2024; 36:908-918. [PMID: 36855816 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579423000172] [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] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Maternal antenatal anxiety is an emerging risk factor for child emotional development. Both sex and epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, may contribute to the embedding of maternal distress into emotional outcomes. Here, we investigated sex-dependent patterns in the association between antenatal maternal trait anxiety, methylation of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene (BDNF DNAm), and infant negative emotionality (NE). Mother-infant dyads (N = 276) were recruited at delivery. Maternal trait anxiety, as a marker of antenatal chronic stress exposure, was assessed soon after delivery using the Stait-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y). Infants' BDNF DNAm at birth was assessed in 11 CpG sites in buccal cells whereas infants' NE was assessed at 3 (N = 225) and 6 months (N = 189) using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R). Hierarchical linear analyses showed that higher maternal antenatal anxiety was associated with greater 6-month-olds' NE. Furthermore, maternal antenatal anxiety predicted greater infants' BDNF DNAm in five CpG sites in males but not in females. Higher methylation at these sites was associated with greater 3-to-6-month NE increase, independently of infants' sex. Maternal antenatal anxiety emerged as a risk factor for infant's NE. BDNF DNAm might mediate this effect in males. These results may inform the development of strategies to promote mothers and infants' emotional well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Nazzari
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Serena Grumi
- Developmental Psychobiology Lab, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Fabiana Mambretti
- Molecular Biology Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Marco Villa
- Molecular Biology Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Roberto Giorda
- Molecular Biology Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Matteo Bordoni
- Cellular Models and Neuroepigenetics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Orietta Pansarasa
- Cellular Models and Neuroepigenetics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Renato Borgatti
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Developmental Psychobiology Lab, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Livio Provenzi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Developmental Psychobiology Lab, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
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4
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Lopes NA, Ambeskovic M, King SE, Faraji J, Soltanpour N, Falkenberg EA, Scheidl T, Patel M, Fang X, Metz GAS, Olson DM. Environmental Enrichment Promotes Transgenerational Programming of Uterine Inflammatory and Stress Markers Comparable to Gestational Chronic Variable Stress. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043734. [PMID: 36835144 PMCID: PMC9962069 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Prenatal maternal stress is linked to adverse pregnancy and infant outcomes, including shortened gestation lengths, low birth weights, cardio-metabolic dysfunction, and cognitive and behavioural problems. Stress disrupts the homeostatic milieu of pregnancy by altering inflammatory and neuroendocrine mediators. These stress-induced phenotypic changes can be passed on to the offspring epigenetically. We investigated the effects of gestational chronic variable stress (CVS) in rats using restraint and social isolation stress in the parental F0 generation and its transgenerational transmission across three generations of female offspring (F1-F3). A subset of F1 rats was housed in an enriched environment (EE) to mitigate the adverse effects of CVS. We found that CVS is transmitted across generations and induces inflammatory changes in the uterus. CVS did not alter any gestational lengths or birth weights. However, inflammatory and endocrine markers changed in the uterine tissues of stressed mothers and their offspring, suggesting that stress is transgenerationally transmitted. The F2 offspring reared in EE had increased birth weights, but their uterine gene expression patterns remained comparable to those of stressed animals. Thus, ancestral CVS induced changes transgenerationally in fetal programming of uterine stress markers over three generations of offspring, and EE housing did not mitigate these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nayara A. Lopes
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Mirela Ambeskovic
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Stephanie E. King
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Jamshid Faraji
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Nasrin Soltanpour
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Erin A. Falkenberg
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Taylor Scheidl
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Mansi Patel
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Xin Fang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Gerlinde A. S. Metz
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
- Correspondence: (G.A.S.M.); (D.M.O.); Tel.: +1-403-394-3992 (G.A.S.M.); +1-780-492-8559 (D.M.O.)
| | - David M. Olson
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
- Correspondence: (G.A.S.M.); (D.M.O.); Tel.: +1-403-394-3992 (G.A.S.M.); +1-780-492-8559 (D.M.O.)
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5
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da Costa MS, Luft C, Sbruzzi M, de Oliveira JR, Donadio MVF. Impact of maternal physical exercise on inflammatory and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis markers in the brain and lungs of prenatally stressed neonatal mice. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22330. [PMID: 36282762 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22330] [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: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of maternal exercise on alterations induced by prenatal stress in markers of the inflammatory process and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the brain and lungs of neonatal mice. Female Balb/c mice were divided into three groups: control, prenatal restraint stress, prenatal restraint stress and physical exercise before and during the gestational period. On day 0 (PND0) and 10 (PND10), mice were euthanized for brain and lung analyses. The gene expression of GR, MR, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF in the brain and lungs and the protein expression of MMP-2 in the lungs were analyzed. Maternal exercise reduced IL-6 and IL-10 gene expression in the brain of PND0 mice. Prenatal stress and maternal exercise decreased GR, MR, IL-6, and TNF gene expression in the lungs of PND0 mice. In the hippocampus of PND10 females, exercise inhibited the effects of prenatal stress on the expression of MR, IL-6, and IL-10. In the lungs of PND10 females, exercise prevented the decrease in GR expression caused by prenatal stress. In the hippocampus and lungs of PND10 males, prenatal stress decreased GR gene expression. Our findings confirm the effects induced by prenatal stress and demonstrate that physical exercise before and during the gestational period may have a protective role on inflammatory changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Severo da Costa
- Laboratory of Pediatric Physical Activity, Infant Center, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Laboratory of Cellular Biophysics and Inflammation, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Carolina Luft
- Laboratory of Pediatric Physical Activity, Infant Center, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Laboratory of Cellular Biophysics and Inflammation, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mariana Sbruzzi
- Laboratory of Pediatric Physical Activity, Infant Center, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Laboratory of Cellular Biophysics and Inflammation, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Jarbas Rodrigues de Oliveira
- Laboratory of Cellular Biophysics and Inflammation, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Márcio Vinícius Fagundes Donadio
- Laboratory of Pediatric Physical Activity, Infant Center, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Laboratory of Cellular Biophysics and Inflammation, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Department of Physiotherapy, Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), Barcelona, Spain
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6
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Petković A, Chaudhury D. Encore: Behavioural animal models of stress, depression and mood disorders. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:931964. [PMID: 36004305 PMCID: PMC9395206 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.931964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal studies over the past two decades have led to extensive advances in our understanding of pathogenesis of depressive and mood disorders. Among these, rodent behavioural models proved to be of highest informative value. Here, we present a comprehensive overview of the most popular behavioural models with respect to physiological, circuit, and molecular biological correlates. Behavioural stress paradigms and behavioural tests are assessed in terms of outcomes, strengths, weaknesses, and translational value, especially in the domain of pharmacological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dipesh Chaudhury
- Laboratory of Neural Systems and Behaviour, Department of Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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7
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Sharma R, Frasch MG, Zelgert C, Zimmermann P, Fabre B, Wilson R, Waldenberger M, MacDonald JW, Bammler TK, Lobmaier SM, Antonelli MC. Maternal-fetal stress and DNA methylation signatures in neonatal saliva: an epigenome-wide association study. Clin Epigenetics 2022; 14:87. [PMID: 35836289 PMCID: PMC9281078 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-022-01310-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal stress before, during and after pregnancy has profound effects on the development and lifelong function of the infant's neurocognitive development. We hypothesized that the programming of the central nervous system (CNS), hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system (ANS) induced by prenatal stress (PS) is reflected in electrophysiological and epigenetic biomarkers. In this study, we aimed to find noninvasive epigenetic biomarkers of PS in the newborn salivary DNA. RESULTS A total of 728 pregnant women were screened for stress exposure using Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), 164 women were enrolled, and 114 dyads were analyzed. Prenatal Distress Questionnaire (PDQ) was also administered to assess specific pregnancy worries. Transabdominal fetal electrocardiograms (taECG) were recorded to derive coupling between maternal and fetal heart rates resulting in a 'Fetal Stress Index' (FSI). Upon delivery, we collected maternal hair strands for cortisol measurements and newborn's saliva for epigenetic analyses. DNA was extracted from saliva samples, and DNA methylation was measured using EPIC BeadChip array (850 k CpG sites). Linear regression was used to identify associations between PSS/PDQ/FSI/Cortisol and DNA methylation. We found epigenome-wide significant associations for 5 CpG with PDQ and cortisol at FDR < 5%. Three CpGs were annotated to genes (Illumina Gene annotation file): YAP1, TOMM20 and CSMD1, and two CpGs were located approximately lay at 50 kb from SSBP4 and SCAMP1. In addition, two differentiated methylation regions (DMR) related to maternal stress measures PDQ and cortisol were found: DAXX and ARL4D. CONCLUSIONS Genes annotated to these CpGs were found to be involved in secretion and transportation, nuclear signaling, Hippo signaling pathways, apoptosis, intracellular trafficking and neuronal signaling. Moreover, some CpGs are annotated to genes related to autism, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia. However, our results should be viewed as hypothesis generating until replicated in a larger sample. Early assessment of such noninvasive PS biomarkers will allow timelier detection of babies at risk and a more effective allocation of resources for early intervention programs to improve child development. A biomarker-guided early intervention strategy is the first step in the prevention of future health problems, reducing their personal and societal impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritika Sharma
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Research Unit of Molecular Epidemiology, Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Martin G Frasch
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Center On Human Development and Disability (CHDD), University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Camila Zelgert
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Peter Zimmermann
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Bibiana Fabre
- Instituto de Fisiopatología y Bioquímica Clínica (INFIBIOC), Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Rory Wilson
- Research Unit of Molecular Epidemiology, Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Melanie Waldenberger
- Research Unit of Molecular Epidemiology, Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - James W MacDonald
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Theo K Bammler
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Silvia M Lobmaier
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Marta C Antonelli
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
- Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. E. De Robertis", Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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8
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Soler CT, Kanders SH, Olofsdotter S, Vadlin S, Åslund C, Nilsson KW. Exploration of the Moderating Effects of Physical Activity and Early Life Stress on the Relation between Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) rs6265 Variants and Depressive Symptoms among Adolescents. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:1236. [PMID: 35886019 PMCID: PMC9319123 DOI: 10.3390/genes13071236] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Depression affects one in five persons at 18 years of age. Allele A of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) rs6265 is considered to be a risk factor for depression. Previous studies of the interaction between BDNF rs6265, early adversity, and/or physical activity have shown mixed results. In this study, we explored the relation between BDNF rs6265 polymorphism and childhood stress, as well as the moderating effect of physical activity in relation to depressive symptoms using binary logistic regressions and process models 1, 2 and 3 applied to data obtained at three times (waves 1, 2 and 3) from the Survey of Adolescent Life in Västmanland cohort study (SALVe). Results revealed that both childhood stress and physical activity had a moderation effect; physical activity in wave 1 with an R2 change = 0.006, p = 0.013, and the Johnson−Neyman regions of significance (RoS) below 1.259, p = 0.05 for 11.97%; childhood stress in wave 2 with the R2 change = 0.008, p = 0 002, and RoS below 1.561 with 26.71% and >4.515 with 18.20%; and a three-way interaction in wave 1 in genotype AA carriers. These results suggest that allele A is susceptible to physical activity (positive environment) and childhood stress (negative environment).
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Affiliation(s)
- Catalina Torres Soler
- Centre for Clinical Research, Region Västmanland, Uppsala University, 72189 Västerås, Sweden; (C.T.S.); (S.O.); (S.V.); (C.Å.); (K.W.N.)
| | - Sofia H. Kanders
- Centre for Clinical Research, Region Västmanland, Uppsala University, 72189 Västerås, Sweden; (C.T.S.); (S.O.); (S.V.); (C.Å.); (K.W.N.)
| | - Susanne Olofsdotter
- Centre for Clinical Research, Region Västmanland, Uppsala University, 72189 Västerås, Sweden; (C.T.S.); (S.O.); (S.V.); (C.Å.); (K.W.N.)
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, 75142 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sofia Vadlin
- Centre for Clinical Research, Region Västmanland, Uppsala University, 72189 Västerås, Sweden; (C.T.S.); (S.O.); (S.V.); (C.Å.); (K.W.N.)
| | - Cecilia Åslund
- Centre for Clinical Research, Region Västmanland, Uppsala University, 72189 Västerås, Sweden; (C.T.S.); (S.O.); (S.V.); (C.Å.); (K.W.N.)
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, 75122 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Kent W. Nilsson
- Centre for Clinical Research, Region Västmanland, Uppsala University, 72189 Västerås, Sweden; (C.T.S.); (S.O.); (S.V.); (C.Å.); (K.W.N.)
- The School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, 72123 Västerås, Sweden
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9
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Provenzi L, Villa M, Mambretti F, Citterio A, Grumi S, Bertazzoli E, Biasucci G, Decembrino L, Gardella B, Giacchero R, Magnani ML, Nacinovich R, Pisoni C, Prefumo F, Orcesi S, Scelsa B, Giorda R, Borgatti R. Is Brain-Derived Neurotropic Factor Methylation Involved in the Association Between Prenatal Stress and Maternal Postnatal Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic? Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:950455. [PMID: 35911240 PMCID: PMC9329563 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.950455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic is a collective trauma that may expose susceptible individuals to high levels of stress. Pregnant women represent a high-risk population, considering that pregnancy is a period of heightened neuroplasticity and susceptibility to stress through epigenetic mechanisms. Previous studies showed that the methylation status of the BDNF gene is linked with prenatal stress exposure. The goals of this study were (a) to assess the association between pandemic-related stress and postnatal anxiety and (b) to investigate the potential role of maternal BDNF methylation as a significant mediator of this association. METHODS In the present study, we report data on the association among pandemic-related stress during pregnancy, maternal BDNF methylation, and postnatal anxiety symptoms. Pandemic-related stress and postnatal anxiety were assessed through self-report instruments. BDNF methylation was estimated in 11 CpG sites in DNA from mothers' buccal cells. Complete data were available from 108 mothers. RESULTS Results showed that pandemic-related stress was associated with an increased risk of postnatal anxiety, r = 0.20, p < 0.05. CpG-specific BDNF methylation was significantly associated with both prenatal pandemic-related stress, r = 0.21, p < 0.05, and postnatal maternal anxious symptoms, r = 0.25, p = 0.01. Moreover, a complete mediation by the BDNF CpG6 methylation emerged between pandemic-related stress during pregnancy and postnatal maternal anxiety, ACME = 0.66, p < 0.05. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that BDNF epigenetic regulation by pandemic-related stress might contribute to increase the risk of anxiety in mothers. Policymakers should prioritize the promotion of health and wellbeing in pregnant women and mothers during the present healthcare emergency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livio Provenzi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Marco Villa
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | | | | | - Serena Grumi
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Barbara Gardella
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | | | | | - Renata Nacinovich
- ASST Monza, Monza, Italy.,Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Federico Prefumo
- ASST Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy.,Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Simona Orcesi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | | | - Roberto Giorda
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Renato Borgatti
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
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10
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MacLeod KJ, While GM, Uller T. Viviparous mothers impose stronger glucocorticoid-mediated maternal stress effects on their offspring than oviparous mothers. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:17238-17259. [PMID: 34938505 PMCID: PMC8668768 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal stress during gestation has the potential to affect offspring development via changes in maternal physiology, such as increases in circulating levels of glucocorticoid hormones that are typical after exposure to a stressor. While the effects of elevated maternal glucocorticoids on offspring phenotype (i.e., "glucocorticoid-mediated maternal effects") have been relatively well established in laboratory studies, it remains poorly understood how strong and consistent such effects are in natural populations. Using a meta-analysis of studies of wild mammals, birds, and reptiles, we investigate the evidence for effects of elevated maternal glucocorticoids on offspring phenotype and investigate key moderators that might influence the strength and direction of these effects. In particular, we investigate the potential importance of reproductive mode (viviparity vs. oviparity). We show that glucocorticoid-mediated maternal effects are stronger, and likely more deleterious, in mammals and viviparous squamate reptiles compared with birds, turtles, and oviparous squamates. No other moderators (timing and type of manipulation, age at offspring measurement, or type of trait measured) were significant predictors of the strength or direction of the phenotypic effects on offspring. These results provide evidence that the evolution of a prolonged physiological association between embryo and mother sets the stage for maladaptive, or adaptive, prenatal stress effects in vertebrates driven by glucocorticoid elevation.
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11
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Pallarés ME, Monteleone MC, Pastor V, Grillo Balboa J, Alzamendi A, Brocco MA, Antonelli MC. Early-Life Stress Reprograms Stress-Coping Abilities in Male and Female Juvenile Rats. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 58:5837-5856. [PMID: 34409559 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-021-02527-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal stress (PS) is a major risk factor for the development of emotional disorders in adulthood that may be mediated by an altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response to stress. Although the early onset of stress-related disorders is recognized as a major public health problem, to date, there are relatively few studies that have examined the incidence of early-life stressors in younger individuals. In this study, we assessed PS impact on the stress-coping response of juvenile offspring in behavioral tests and in the induced molecular changes in the hippocampus. Furthermore, we assessed if pregnancy stress could be driving changes in patterns of maternal behavior during early lactation. We found that PS modified stress-coping abilities of both sex offspring. In the hippocampus, PS increased the expression of bdnf-IV and crfr1 and induced sex difference changes on glucocorticoids and BDNF mRNA receptor levels. PS changed the hippocampal epigenetic landscape mainly in male offspring. Stress during pregnancy enhanced pup-directed behavior of stressed dams. Our study indicates that exposure to PS, in addition to enhanced maternal behavior, induces dynamic neurobehavioral variations at juvenile ages of the offspring that should be considered adaptive or maladaptive, depending on the characteristics of the confronting environment. Our present results highlight the importance to further explore risk factors that appear early in life that will be important to allow timely prevention strategies to later vulnerability to stress-related disorders.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Female
- Male
- Pregnancy
- Rats
- Adaptation, Psychological
- Anxiety/etiology
- Anxiety/genetics
- Anxiety/physiopathology
- Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/biosynthesis
- Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/genetics
- Corticosterone/blood
- Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone/biosynthesis
- Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone/genetics
- Elevated Plus Maze Test
- Gene Expression Regulation
- Glucocorticoids/biosynthesis
- Glucocorticoids/genetics
- Hippocampus/embryology
- Hippocampus/physiology
- Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/embryology
- Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/physiopathology
- Lactation/physiology
- Lactation/psychology
- Maternal Behavior
- Pituitary-Adrenal System/embryology
- Pituitary-Adrenal System/physiopathology
- Pregnancy Complications/physiopathology
- Pregnancy Complications/psychology
- Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
- Rats, Wistar
- Receptor, trkB/biosynthesis
- Receptor, trkB/genetics
- Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone/biosynthesis
- Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone/genetics
- Receptors, Glucocorticoid/biosynthesis
- Receptors, Glucocorticoid/genetics
- Restraint, Physical/adverse effects
- Sex Characteristics
- Stress, Physiological/physiology
- Stress, Psychological/physiopathology
- Swimming
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Affiliation(s)
- María Eugenia Pallarés
- Laboratorio de Neuroprogramación Perinatal del Neurodesarrollo, Instituto de Biología Celular Y Neurociencias "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (IBCN)- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 2155 Paraguay St. CABA, C1121ABG, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Melisa Carolina Monteleone
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas (IIB), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Verónica Pastor
- Laboratorio de Neuroprogramación Perinatal del Neurodesarrollo, Instituto de Biología Celular Y Neurociencias "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (IBCN)- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 2155 Paraguay St. CABA, C1121ABG, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jazmín Grillo Balboa
- Laboratorio de Neuroprogramación Perinatal del Neurodesarrollo, Instituto de Biología Celular Y Neurociencias "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (IBCN)- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 2155 Paraguay St. CABA, C1121ABG, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ana Alzamendi
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Marcela Adriana Brocco
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas (IIB), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Marta Cristina Antonelli
- Laboratorio de Neuroprogramación Perinatal del Neurodesarrollo, Instituto de Biología Celular Y Neurociencias "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (IBCN)- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 2155 Paraguay St. CABA, C1121ABG, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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12
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Wang X, Hao JC, Shang B, Yang KL, He XZ, Wang ZL, Jing HL, Cao YJ. Paeoniflorin ameliorates oxidase stress in Glutamate-stimulated SY5Y and prenatally stressed female offspring through Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. J Affect Disord 2021; 294:189-199. [PMID: 34298225 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.07.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal stress (PS) can cause brain retardation, reduce the learning and memory ability of the offspring and significantly increase the incidence of depression in offspring. Paeoniflorin (PF), a kind of monoterpenoid glycoside, is one of the main active ingredients of Chinese Medicine Paeonia lactiflora Pall, has anti-inflammation and potential neuroprotective effects. However, few reports have shown that the neuroprotective effects of PF are exerted through ameliorating Glutamate toxicity in vivo and in vitro. METHODS Here, we used a prenatal restraint stress model and Glu-induced excitotoxic neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells to study the effects of PF. RESULTS Our results showed that PF can ameliorate learning and memory impairments and increases the density of hippocampal neurons, typical Golgi-positive pyramidal cells, and neuronal Neurogranin (Ng) expression in PS rat offspring. Furthermore, PF can significantly up-regulate the decrease of Glu-induced SH-SY5Y cell viability. At the same time, PF can significantly reduce apoptosis, ROS, NO levels, and intracellular Ca2+ concentration, and significantly inhibit the increase of mitochondrial membrane potential. Besides, PF significantly increased the expression of Nrf2 and iNOS, decreased p-JNK/JNK, p-P38/P38, Bax/Bcl-2, active-caspase-3, and active-caspase-9. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that PF may be an effective treatment in preventing the development of PS-induced learning and memory impairment and have therapeutic potential in Glu-related neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Wang
- Biomedicine Key Laboratory of Shaanxi Province, school of pharmacy, Northwest University, Xi'an, China; Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China (Northwest University), Ministry of Education, Xi'an, China
| | - Jin Cheng Hao
- Biomedicine Key Laboratory of Shaanxi Province, school of pharmacy, Northwest University, Xi'an, China; Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China (Northwest University), Ministry of Education, Xi'an, China
| | - Bo Shang
- Biomedicine Key Laboratory of Shaanxi Province, school of pharmacy, Northwest University, Xi'an, China; Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China (Northwest University), Ministry of Education, Xi'an, China
| | - Kai Lin Yang
- Biomedicine Key Laboratory of Shaanxi Province, school of pharmacy, Northwest University, Xi'an, China; Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China (Northwest University), Ministry of Education, Xi'an, China
| | - Xiao Zhou He
- Biomedicine Key Laboratory of Shaanxi Province, school of pharmacy, Northwest University, Xi'an, China; Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China (Northwest University), Ministry of Education, Xi'an, China
| | - Zhao Liang Wang
- Biomedicine Key Laboratory of Shaanxi Province, school of pharmacy, Northwest University, Xi'an, China; Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China (Northwest University), Ministry of Education, Xi'an, China
| | - Hui Ling Jing
- Department of Dermatology, Xi'an Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, China
| | - Yan Jun Cao
- Biomedicine Key Laboratory of Shaanxi Province, school of pharmacy, Northwest University, Xi'an, China; Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China (Northwest University), Ministry of Education, Xi'an, China.
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13
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Arabin B, Hellmeyer L, Maul J, Metz GAS. Awareness of maternal stress, consequences for the offspring and the need for early interventions to increase stress resilience. J Perinat Med 2021; 49:979-989. [PMID: 34478615 DOI: 10.1515/jpm-2021-0323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Experimental and clinical studies suggest that prenatal experiences may influence health trajectories up to adulthood and high age. According to the hypothesis of developmental origins of health and disease exposure of pregnant women to stress, nutritional challenges, infection, violence, or war may "program" risks for diseases in later life. Stress and anxieties can exist or be provoked in parents after fertility treatment, after information or diagnosis of fetal abnormalities and demand simultaneous caring concepts to support the parents. In vulnerable groups, it is therefore important to increase the stress resilience to avoid harmful consequences for the growing child. "Enriched environment" defines a key paradigm to decipher how interactions between genes and environment change the structure and function of the brain. The regulation of the fetal hippocampal neurogenesis and morphology during pregnancy is one example of this complex interaction. Animal experiments have demonstrated that an enriched environment can revert consequences of stress in the offspring during critical periods of brain plasticity. Epigenetic markers of stress or wellbeing during pregnancy might even be diagnosed by fragments of placental DNA in the maternal circulation that show characteristic methylation patterns. The development of fetal senses further illustrates how external stimulation may impact individual preferences. Here, we therefore not only discuss how maternal stress influences cognitive development and resilience, but also design possibilities of non-invasive interventions for both mothers and children summarized and evaluated in the light of their potential to improve the health of future generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Arabin
- Clara Angela Foundation, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Obstetrics, Charité, Humboldt University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Hellmeyer
- Clara Angela Foundation, Berlin, Germany.,Vivantes Klinikum im Friedrichshain, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Gerlinde A S Metz
- Clara Angela Foundation, Berlin, Germany.,Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
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14
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Roshan-Milani S, Seyyedabadi B, Saboory E, Parsamanesh N, Mehranfard N. Prenatal stress and increased susceptibility to anxiety-like behaviors: role of neuroinflammation and balance between GABAergic and glutamatergic transmission. Stress 2021; 24:481-495. [PMID: 34180763 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2021.1942828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroplasticity during the prenatal period allows neurons to regenerate anatomically and functionally for re-programming the brain development. During this critical period of fetal programming, the fetus phenotype can change in accordance with environmental stimuli such as stress exposure. Prenatal stress (PS) can exert important effects on brain development and result in permanent alterations with long-lasting consequences on the physiology and behavior of the offspring later in life. Neuroinflammation, as well as GABAergic and glutamatergic dysfunctions, has been implicated as potential mediators of behavioral consequences of PS. Hyperexcitation, due to enhanced excitatory transmission or reduced inhibitory transmission, can promote anxiety. Alterations of the GABAergic and/or glutamatergic signaling during fetal development lead to a severe excitatory/inhibitory imbalance in neuronal circuits, a condition that may account for PS-precipitated anxiety-like behaviors. This review summarizes experimental evidence linking PS to an elevated risk to anxiety-like behaviors and interprets the role of the neuroinflammation and alterations of the brain GABAergic and glutamatergic transmission in this phenomenon. We hypothesize this is an imbalance in GABAergic and glutamatergic circuits (as a direct or indirect consequence of neuroinflammation), which at least partially contributes to PS-precipitated anxiety-like behaviors and primes the brain to be vulnerable to anxiety disorders. Therefore, pharmacological interventions with anti-inflammatory activities and with regulatory effects on the excitatory/inhibitory balance can be attributed to the novel therapeutic target for anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiva Roshan-Milani
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
- Neurophysiology Research Center, Cellular and Molecular Medicine Institute, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
| | | | - Ehsan Saboory
- Zanjan Metabolic Diseases Research Center, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Negin Parsamanesh
- Zanjan Metabolic Diseases Research Center, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Nasrin Mehranfard
- Neurophysiology Research Center, Cellular and Molecular Medicine Institute, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
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15
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Creutzberg KC, Sanson A, Viola TW, Marchisella F, Begni V, Grassi-Oliveira R, Riva MA. Long-lasting effects of prenatal stress on HPA axis and inflammation: A systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis in rodent studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 127:270-283. [PMID: 33951412 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to prenatal stress (PNS) can lead to long-lasting neurobiological and behavioral consequences for the offspring, which may enhance the susceptibility for mental disorders. The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the immune system are two major factors involved in the stress response. Here, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of rodent studies that investigated the effects of PNS exposure on the HPA axis and inflammatory cytokines in adult offspring. Our analysis shows that animals exposed to PNS display a consistent increase in peripheral corticosterone (CORT) levels and central corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), while decreased levels of its receptor 2 (CRHR2). Meta-regression revealed that sex and duration of PNS protocol are covariates that moderate these results. There was no significant effect of PNS in glucocorticoid receptor (GR), CRH receptor 1 (CRHR1), pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Our findings suggest that PNS exposure elicits long-lasting effects on the HPA axis function, providing an important tool to investigate in preclinical settings key pathological aspects related to early-life stress exposure. Furthermore, researchers should be aware of the mixed outcomes of PNS on inflammatory markers in the adult brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Camile Creutzberg
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Alice Sanson
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Thiago Wendt Viola
- School of Medicine, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga 6681, Building 12A, 90619-900, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Francesca Marchisella
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Veronica Begni
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Rodrigo Grassi-Oliveira
- School of Medicine, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga 6681, Building 12A, 90619-900, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Marco Andrea Riva
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy; Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy.
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16
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Ward DL, Schroeder L, Pomeroy E, Roy JE, Buck LT, Stock JT, Martin-Gronert M, Ozanne SE, Silcox MT, Viola TB. Early life malnutrition and fluctuating asymmetry in the rat bony labyrinth. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2021; 304:2645-2660. [PMID: 33586866 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Maternal malnutrition during gestation and lactation is known to have adverse effects on offspring. We evaluate the impact of maternal diet on offspring bony labyrinth morphology. The bony labyrinth develops early and is thought to be stable to protect vital sensory organs within. For these reasons, bony labyrinth morphology has been used extensively to assess locomotion, hearing function, and phylogeny in primates and numerous other taxa. While variation related to these parameters has been documented, there is still a component of intraspecific variation that is unexplained. Although the labyrinthine developmental window is small, it may provide the opportunity for developmental instability to produce corresponding shape differences, as measured by fluctuating asymmetry (FA). We hypothesized that (a) offspring with poor maternal diet would exhibit increased FA, but (b) no unilateral shape difference. To test these hypotheses, we used two groups of rats (Rattus norvegicus; Crl:WI[Han] strain), one control group and one group exposed to a isocaloric, protein-restricted maternal diet during gestation and suckling. Individuals were sampled at weaning, sexual maturity, and old age. A Procrustes analysis of variance identified statistically significant FA in all diet-age subgroups. No differences in level of FA were identified among the subgroups, rejecting our first hypothesis. A principal components analysis identified no unilateral shape differences, supporting our second hypothesis. These results indicate that bony labyrinth morphology is remarkably stable and likely protected from a poor maternal diet during development. In light of this result, other factors must be explored to explain intraspecific variation in labyrinthine shape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devin L Ward
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lauren Schroeder
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emma Pomeroy
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jocelyn E Roy
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Laura T Buck
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jay T Stock
- Department of Anthropology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Malgorzata Martin-Gronert
- Metabolic Research Laboratories and MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Susan E Ozanne
- Metabolic Research Laboratories and MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mary T Silcox
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - T Bence Viola
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute for Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation
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17
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Lai JCL, Leung MOY, Lee DYH, Lam YW, Berning K. Biomarking Trait Resilience With Salivary Cortisol in Chinese Undergraduates. Front Psychol 2020; 11:536510. [PMID: 33192778 PMCID: PMC7649282 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.536510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to examine the relationship between trait resilience and salivary cortisol in a group of Chinese undergraduates. The Chinese versions of the Brief Resilience Scale and a measure of optimism, the revised Life Orientation Test were administered to 49 Chinese undergraduates who provided self-collected saliva samples six times per day (immediately after waking; 0.5, 3, 6, and 12 h thereafter; and at bedtime) over 3 consecutive weekdays. The cortisol data were aggregated across the 3 days to examine the association between resilience and components of the diurnal rhythm of cortisol using multiple regression. The results showed that higher resilience was associated with a stronger cortisol response to awakening and a steeper diurnal decline in cortisol from waking to bedtime. Resilience was positively associated with cortisol output over the course of the day but this relationship was not significant (p = 0.065). This pattern of diurnal rhythm is consistent with that typically observed in better adjusted individuals. Generated by an intensive protocol with compliance objectively monitored, these findings clearly indicate the important role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis in health and adjustment and contribute to the growing literature on resilience and cortisol in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian C L Lai
- Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Monique O Y Leung
- Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Daryl Y H Lee
- Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Yun Wah Lam
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Karsten Berning
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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18
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Influence of prenatal stress on metabolic abnormalities induced by postnatal intake of a high-fat diet in BALB/c mice. J Dev Orig Health Dis 2020; 12:721-730. [PMID: 33118903 DOI: 10.1017/s2040174420000987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal insults during fetal development result in increased likelihood of developing chronic disease. Obesity, the biggest risk factor for the development of metabolic disease, is affected by several genetic and environmental factors. High-fat diet (HFD) consumption is usually linked with the development of obesity. The main goal of this study was to analyze the impact of the exposure to a HFD in prenatally stressed animals. For this purpose, we subjected pregnant BALB/c mice to restraint stress for 2 h a day between gestational day (GD) 14 and GD 21. Prenatally stressed and control offspring of both sexes were postnatally exposed to a HFD for 24 weeks. We found that prenatal stress (PS) per se produced disturbances in males such as increased total blood cholesterol and triglycerides, with a decrease in mRNA expression of sirtuin-1. When these animals were fed a HFD, we observed a rise in glucose and insulin levels and an increase in visceral adipose tissue gene expression of leptin, resistin, and interleukin-1 beta. Although females proved to be more resilient to PS consequences, when they were fed a HFD, they showed significant metabolic impairment. In addition to the changes observed in males, females also presented an increase in body weight and adiposity and a rise in cholesterol levels.
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19
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20
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Wu R, Xiao D, Shan X, Dong Y, Tao WW. Rapid and Prolonged Antidepressant-like Effect of Crocin Is Associated with GHSR-Mediated Hippocampal Plasticity-related Proteins in Mice Exposed to Prenatal Stress. ACS Chem Neurosci 2020; 11:1159-1170. [PMID: 32203651 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal stress (PNS) has a prolonged and adverse effect on offspring, leading to a significantly increased vulnerability to developing depression in their later life. Traditional therapies have delayed onset and limited efficacy; thus, it remains an urgent need to find novel medications with fast-onset and high-efficacy potentials. Crocin, with its structure clearly examined, has shown antidepressant-like effects. However, few studies extensively investigated its effect especially in mice exposed to PNS. Using an established PNS model, we tested whether crocin could have a rapid and persistent antidepressant-like effect in PNS mice. Growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors were used to test their effects in antidepressant-like effect of crocin. Hippocampal GHSR-PI3K signaling was examined both in PNS mice treated with a single dose of crocin and in combination of GHSR inhibitor. PNS mice showed depression-like behaviors at juvenile and adulthood, and crocin induced an instant and persistent antidepressant-like response in PNS mice in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, crocin increased the expression of hippocampal synaptic plasticity-associated proteins through the restoration of GHSR-PI3K signaling. Inhibitions of both GHSR and PI3K abolished the effect of crocin in alleviating depressive-like behaviors. More importantly, GHSR inhibitor JMV2959 blocked the enhanced expression of hippocampal plasticity-related proteins induced by crocin. The present study demonstrated that crocin induced a fast-onset and prolonged antidepressant effect in PNS mice and suggested that GHSR-PI3K signaling may play a key role in crocin's effect at least partially by a restoration of hippocampal synaptic plasticity-associated proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruyan Wu
- School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225000, China
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo 14203, New York, United States
| | - Dong Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Integrative Biomedicine for Brain Diseases, School of Basic Biomedical Science, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Xin Shan
- Key Laboratory of Integrative Biomedicine for Brain Diseases, School of Basic Biomedical Science, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yu Dong
- Key Laboratory of Integrative Biomedicine for Brain Diseases, School of Basic Biomedical Science, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Wei-Wei Tao
- Key Laboratory of Integrative Biomedicine for Brain Diseases, School of Basic Biomedical Science, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
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21
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Khambadkone SG, Cordner ZA, Tamashiro KLK. Maternal stressors and the developmental origins of neuropsychiatric risk. Front Neuroendocrinol 2020; 57:100834. [PMID: 32084515 PMCID: PMC7243665 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2020.100834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The maternal environment during pregnancy is critical for fetal development and perinatal perturbations can prime offspring disease risk. Here, we briefly review evidence linking two well-characterized maternal stressors - psychosocial stress and infection - to increased neuropsychiatric risk in offspring. In the current climate of increasing obesity and globalization of the Western-style diet, maternal overnutrition emerges as a pressing public health concern. We focus our attention on recent epidemiological and animal model evidence showing that, like psychosocial stress and infection, maternal overnutrition can also increase offspring neuropsychiatric risk. Using lessons learned from the psychosocial stress and infection literature, we discuss how altered maternal and placental physiology in the setting of overnutrition may contribute to abnormal fetal development and resulting neuropsychiatric outcomes. A better understanding of converging pathophysiological pathways shared between stressors may enable development of interventions against neuropsychiatric illnesses that may be beneficial across stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seva G Khambadkone
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Cellular & Molecular Medicine Graduate Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Zachary A Cordner
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Kellie L K Tamashiro
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Cellular & Molecular Medicine Graduate Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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22
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Enayati M, Mosaferi B, Homberg JR, Diniz DM, Salari AA. Prenatal maternal stress alters depression-related symptoms in a strain - and sex-dependent manner in rodent offspring. Life Sci 2020; 251:117597. [PMID: 32243926 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2020.117597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Stress during pregnancy adversely affects foetal development and leads to later behavioural outcomes in offspring. Preclinical studies have reported conflicting effects of prenatal stress on depression-related symptoms in rodent offspring. This study aimed to study the combined effect of strain and sex on prenatal stress outcomes in a single study. To this end, male and female offspring from outbred Wistar and inbred Lewis rats, and outbred NMRI and inbred C57BL6 mice were compared. As outcomes we focussed on depression-related behaviour and related molecular and neurochemical parameters. Prenatally stressed and non-stressed offspring were subjected to the sucrose preference, novelty-suppressed feeding, tail suspension, and forced swim tests. We measured basal and stress-induced corticosterone levels in the serum, and brain-derived-neurotrophic-factor (BDNF), interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, glutamate and serotonin in the brain to determine changes in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-(HPA)-axis function, neuroplasticity, neuroinflammation, and neurotransmission. Our findings revealed that prenatal stress increases depression-like behaviour, HPA-axis (re) activity, pro-inflammatory cytokines and glutamate levels, and decreases BDNF and serotonin levels in a strain and sex-dependent manner in rodent offspring. Overall, male and female Lewis rats, female Wistar rats, male NMRI mice and female C57BL6 mice were found to be most responsive to prenatal stress. Based on these results, we conclude that genetic background and sex contribute to the great diversity in the effects of prenatal maternal stress in rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Enayati
- Salari Institute of Cognitive and Behavioral Disorders (SICBD), Alborz, Karaj, Iran; Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Belal Mosaferi
- Department of Basic Sciences, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, Iran
| | - Judith R Homberg
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Centre for Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Danielle Mendes Diniz
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Centre for Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Ali-Akbar Salari
- Salari Institute of Cognitive and Behavioral Disorders (SICBD), Alborz, Karaj, Iran.
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23
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Moura CA, Oliveira MC, Costa LF, Tiago PRF, Holanda VAD, Lima RH, Cagni FC, Lobão-Soares B, Bolaños-Jiménez F, Gavioli EC. Prenatal restraint stress impairs recognition memory in adult male and female offspring. Acta Neuropsychiatr 2020; 32:1-6. [PMID: 31992385 DOI: 10.1017/neu.2020.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Accumulating evidence from preclinical and clinical studies indicates that prenatal exposure to stress impairs the development of the offspring brain and facilitates the emergence of mental illness. This study aims to describe the impact of prenatal restraint stress on cognition and exploration to an unfamiliar environment at adulthood in an outbred strain of mice. METHODS Late pregnant mice were exposed to restraint stress and adult offspring (60 days of age) behaviours were assessed in the object recognition task and open field test. FINDINGS Prenatal stress (PNS) impaired new object recognition in male and female mice. Importantly, the learning deficits in female PNS mice were linked to their estrous cycle. Actually, PNS females in metestrus/diestrus but not in proestrus/estrus phases displayed recognition deficits compared to controls. Concerning locomotion in an unfamiliar environment, male but not female PNS mice displayed significant increase, but showed no differences in the distance travelled within the centre zone of the arena. CONCLUSION Present findings support the view that maternal restraint-stress during late pregnancy impairs recognition memory in both male and female offspring, and in females, this cognitive deficit is dependent on the estrous cycle phase. Ultimately, these data reinforce that PNS is an aetiological component of psychiatric disorders associated with memory deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clarissa A Moura
- Department of Biophysics and Pharmacology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Matheus C Oliveira
- Department of Biophysics and Pharmacology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Layse F Costa
- Department of Biophysics and Pharmacology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Pamella R F Tiago
- Department of Biophysics and Pharmacology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Victor A D Holanda
- Department of Biophysics and Pharmacology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Ramon H Lima
- Department of Biophysics and Pharmacology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Fernanda C Cagni
- Department of Biophysics and Pharmacology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Bruno Lobão-Soares
- Department of Biophysics and Pharmacology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | | | - Elaine C Gavioli
- Department of Biophysics and Pharmacology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
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24
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Maternal stress in Shank3ex4-9 mice increases pup-directed care and alters brain white matter in male offspring. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0224876. [PMID: 31703095 PMCID: PMC6839842 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene-environment interactions contribute to the risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Among environmental factors, prenatal exposure to stress may increase the risk for ASD. To examine if there is an interaction between exposure to maternal stress and reduced dosage or loss of Shank3, wild-type (WT), heterozygous (HET) and homozygous (HOM) female mice carrying a deletion of exons four through nine of Shank3 (Shank3ex4-9) were exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) from prior to conception throughout gestation. This study examined maternal care of these dams and the white matter microstructure in the brains of their adult male offspring. Overall, our findings suggest that maternal exposure to CUMS increased pup-directed care for dams of all three genotypes. Compared to WT and HET dams, HOM dams also exhibited increased maternal care behaviors with increased time spent in the nest and reduced cage exploration, regardless of exposure to CUMS. Diffusion tensor imaging showed higher mean fractional anisotropy in the hippocampal stratum radiatum of WT and HOM male offspring from dams exposed to CUMS and HOM offspring from unexposed dams, compared to WT male offspring from unexposed dams. These data support that CUMS in Shank3-mutant dams results in subtle maternal care alterations and long-lasting changes in the white matter of the hippocampus of their offspring.
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25
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Cox DA, Gottschalk MG, Stelzhammer V, Wesseling H, Cooper JD, Bahn S. Evaluation of molecular brain changes associated with environmental stress in rodent models compared to human major depressive disorder: A proteomic systems approach. World J Biol Psychiatry 2019; 19:S63-S74. [PMID: 27784204 DOI: 10.1080/15622975.2016.1252465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Rodent models of major depressive disorder (MDD) are indispensable when screening for novel treatments, but assessing their translational relevance with human brain pathology has proved difficult. METHODS Using a novel systems approach, proteomics data obtained from post-mortem MDD anterior prefrontal cortex tissue (n = 12) and matched controls (n = 23) were compared with equivalent data from three commonly used preclinical models exposed to environmental stressors (chronic mild stress, prenatal stress and social defeat). Functional pathophysiological features associated with depression-like behaviour were identified in these models through enrichment of protein-protein interaction networks. A cross-species comparison evaluated which model(s) represent human MDD pathology most closely. RESULTS Seven functional domains associated with MDD and represented across at least two models such as "carbohydrate metabolism and cellular respiration" were identified. Through statistical evaluation using kernel-based machine learning techniques, the social defeat model was found to represent MDD brain changes most closely for four of the seven domains. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to apply a method for directly evaluating the relevance of the molecular pathology of multiple animal models to human MDD on the functional level. The methodology and findings outlined here could help to overcome translational obstacles of preclinical psychiatric research.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Alan Cox
- a Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology , University of Cambridge , Cambridge , United Kingdom
| | - Michael Gerd Gottschalk
- a Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology , University of Cambridge , Cambridge , United Kingdom
| | - Viktoria Stelzhammer
- a Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology , University of Cambridge , Cambridge , United Kingdom
| | - Hendrik Wesseling
- a Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology , University of Cambridge , Cambridge , United Kingdom
| | - Jason David Cooper
- a Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology , University of Cambridge , Cambridge , United Kingdom
| | - Sabine Bahn
- a Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology , University of Cambridge , Cambridge , United Kingdom
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26
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Mahmoudi E, Sahraei H, Bahari Z, Afarinesh MR, Jahromi GP, Hatef B, Meftahi GH. Prenatal Immobilization Stress-Induced Spatial Memory, Depression and Anxiety-Like Behavior Deficit on the F1 Generation in the Female Mice: Possible Involvement of the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. NEUROCHEM J+ 2019. [DOI: 10.1134/s1819712419020065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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27
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Cutuli D, Berretta E, Laricchiuta D, Caporali P, Gelfo F, Petrosini L. Pre-reproductive Parental Enriching Experiences Influence Progeny's Developmental Trajectories. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:254. [PMID: 30483072 PMCID: PMC6240645 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
While the positive effects of environmental enrichment (EE) applied after weaning, in adulthood, during aging, or even in the presence of brain damage have been widely described, the transgenerational effects of pre-reproductive EE have been less examined. And yet, this issue is remarkable given that parental environmental experience may imprint offspring’s phenotype over generations through many epigenetic processes. Interactions between individual and environment take place lifelong even before conception. In fact, the environment pre-reproductively experienced by the mother and/or the father exerts a substantial impact on neural development and motor and cognitive performances of the offspring, even if not directly exposed to social, cognitive, physical and/or motor enrichment. Furthermore, pre-reproductive parental enrichment exerts a transgenerational impact on coping response to stress as well as on the social behavior of the offspring. Among the effects of pre-reproductive parental EE, a potentiation of the maternal care and a decrease in global methylation levels in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of the progeny have been described. Finally, pre-reproductive EE modifies different pathways of neuromodulation in the brain of the offspring (involving brain-derived neurotrophic factor, oxytocin and glucocorticoid receptors). The present review highlights the importance of pre-reproductive parental enrichment in altering the performances not only of animals directly experiencing it, but also of their progeny, thus opening the way to new hypotheses on the inheritance mechanisms of behavioral traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debora Cutuli
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Erica Berretta
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniela Laricchiuta
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Caporali
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Gelfo
- Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,Department of Human Sciences, Guglielmo Marconi University, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Petrosini
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
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28
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Gross M, Romi H, Gilimovich Y, Drori E, Pinhasov A. Placental glucocorticoid receptor and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-2 recruitment indicates impact of prenatal adversity upon postnatal development in mice. Stress 2018; 21:474-483. [PMID: 29648494 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2018.1460660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Prenatal stress may increase concentrations of maternal glucocorticoids, which restrict fetal growth, with variable impact upon postnatal development. Among key regulators of stress hormone effects are the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-2 (11βHSD2), the enzyme that inactivates glucocorticoid. This study utilized mice selectively bred for social dominance (Dom) or submissiveness (Sub), respectively exhibiting resilience or sensitivity to stress, to test whether stress-induced alterations in placental GR and 11βHSD2 protein expression may mediate divergent effects of prenatal adversity upon postnatal development. Pregnant Dom and Sub dams underwent prenatal restraint stress (PRS) for 45 min on gestational days (GD) 15-17. PRS induced a similar spike in serum corticosterone concentrations of dams from each strain on GD15 (p < .001, n = 8), and impaired fetal growth (p < .01, n = 5 litters), although Dom placentae were larger than Sub placentae (p < .01). Among placentae from Dom dams, PRS elevated protein contents of both GR (p < .05, n = 5 litters) and 11βHSD2 (p < .01) on GD19. In contrast, GR contents were reduced among placentae from PRS-exposed Sub mice (p < .01), without changes in 11βHSD2 content. Correspondingly, Dom PRS pup growth recovered by PND14, yet Sub PRS pups remained underweight into adolescence (p < .0001, n = 40 pups). Thus, prenatal stress more strongly increased placental GR and 11βHSD2 levels among Dom mice than in Subs. Increased GR may improve placental function and up-regulate 11βHSD2 expression, protecting fetuses from effects of prenatal stress upon postnatal development. Placental recruitment of GR and 11βHSD2 are potential markers of stress-induced developmental disorders, in accordance with maternal resilience or sensitivity to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moshe Gross
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | - Hava Romi
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | | | - Elyashiv Drori
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
- Agriculture and Oenology Research Department, Eastern R&D center, Ariel, Israel
| | - Albert Pinhasov
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
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29
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Soares-Cunha C, Coimbra B, Borges S, Domingues AV, Silva D, Sousa N, Rodrigues AJ. Mild Prenatal Stress Causes Emotional and Brain Structural Modifications in Rats of Both Sexes. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:129. [PMID: 30034328 PMCID: PMC6043801 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress or high levels of glucocorticoids (GCs) during developmental periods is known to induce persistent effects in the neuroendocrine circuits that control stress response, which may underlie individuals’ increased risk for developing neuropsychiatric conditions later in life, such as anxiety or depression. We developed a rat model (Wistar han) of mild exposure to unpredictable prenatal stress (PS), which consists in a 4-h stressor administered three times per week on a random basis; stressors include strobe lights, noise and restrain. Pregnant dams subjected to this protocol present disrupted circadian corticosterone secretion and increased corticosterone secretion upon acute stress exposure. Regarding progeny, both young adult (2 months old) male and female rats present increased levels of circulating corticosterone and hyperactivity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis to acute stress exposure. Both sexes present anxious- and depressive-like behaviors, shown by the decreased time spent in the open arms of the elevated plus maze (EPM) and in the light side of the light-dark box (LDB), and by increased immobility time in the forced swim test, respectively. Interestingly, these results were accompanied by structural modifications of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) and hippocampus, as well as decreased norepinephrine and dopamine levels in the BNST, and serotonin levels in the hippocampus. In summary, we characterize a new model of mild PS, and show that stressful events during pregnancy can lead to long-lasting structural and neurochemical effects in the offspring, which affect behavior in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Sónia Borges
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana Verónica Domingues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Deolinda Silva
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.,Clinical Academic Center-Braga (2CA), Braga, Portugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
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30
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Social dominance predicts hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor recruitment and resilience to prenatal adversity. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9595. [PMID: 29941995 PMCID: PMC6018627 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-27988-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The developing fetus is highly sensitive to prenatal stress, which may alter Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis programming and increase the risk of behavioral disorders. There is high variability among the human population, wherein many offspring of stressed pregnancies display resilience to adversity, while the remainder displays vulnerability. In order to identify biological substrates mediating between resilience or vulnerability to prenatal adversity, we exposed stress-resistant Dominant (Dom) and stress-sensitive Submissive (Sub) mice to mild prenatal restraint stress (PRS, 45 min on gestational days (GD) 15, 16 and 17). We hypothesized that PRS would differentially alter prenatal programming of limbic regions regulating the HPA axis and affect among Dom and Sub offspring. Indeed, PRS increased Sub offspring’s serum corticosterone, and exaggerated their anxiety- and depressive-like behavior, while Dom offspring remained resilient to the hormonal and behavioral consequences of PRS. Moreover, PRS exposure markedly facilitated glucocorticoid receptor (GR) recruitment to the hippocampus among Dom mice in response to restraint stress, which may be responsible for their resilience to stressful challenge. These findings suggest proclivity to adaptive or maladaptive prenatal programming of hippocampal GR recruitment to be inheritable and predictable by social dominance or submissiveness.
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31
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Frasch MG, Lobmaier SM, Stampalija T, Desplats P, Pallarés ME, Pastor V, Brocco MA, Wu HT, Schulkin J, Herry CL, Seely AJE, Metz GAS, Louzoun Y, Antonelli MC. Non-invasive biomarkers of fetal brain development reflecting prenatal stress: An integrative multi-scale multi-species perspective on data collection and analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 117:165-183. [PMID: 29859198 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Revised: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal stress (PS) impacts early postnatal behavioural and cognitive development. This process of 'fetal programming' is mediated by the effects of the prenatal experience on the developing hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system (ANS). We derive a multi-scale multi-species approach to devising preclinical and clinical studies to identify early non-invasively available pre- and postnatal biomarkers of PS. The multiple scales include brain epigenome, metabolome, microbiome and the ANS activity gauged via an array of advanced non-invasively obtainable properties of fetal heart rate fluctuations. The proposed framework has the potential to reveal mechanistic links between maternal stress during pregnancy and changes across these physiological scales. Such biomarkers may hence be useful as early and non-invasive predictors of neurodevelopmental trajectories influenced by the PS as well as follow-up indicators of success of therapeutic interventions to correct such altered neurodevelopmental trajectories. PS studies must be conducted on multiple scales derived from concerted observations in multiple animal models and human cohorts performed in an interactive and iterative manner and deploying machine learning for data synthesis, identification and validation of the best non-invasive detection and follow-up biomarkers, a prerequisite for designing effective therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin G Frasch
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
| | - Silvia M Lobmaier
- Frauenklinik und Poliklinik, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Tamara Stampalija
- Unit of Fetal Medicine and Prenatal Diagnosis, Institute for Mother and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Trieste, Italy
| | - Paula Desplats
- University of California, Departments of Neurosciences and Pathology, San Diego, USA
| | - María Eugenia Pallarés
- Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis", Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Verónica Pastor
- Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis", Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Marcela A Brocco
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas - Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (IIB-INTECH), Universidad Nacional de San Martín - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (UNSAM-CONICET), San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Hau-Tieng Wu
- Department of Mathematics and Department of Statistical Science, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Mathematics Division, National Center for Theoretical Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jay Schulkin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | | | | | - Gerlinde A S Metz
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Yoram Louzoun
- Bar-Ilan University, Department of Applied Mathematics, Israel
| | - Marta C Antonelli
- Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis", Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Brachetta V, Schleich CE, Cutrera AP, Merlo JL, Kittlein MJ, Zenuto RR. Prenatal predatory stress in a wild species of subterranean rodent: Do ecological stressors always have a negative effect on the offspring? Dev Psychobiol 2018; 60:567-581. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.21635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Brachetta
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - Cristian E. Schleich
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - Ana P. Cutrera
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - Julieta L. Merlo
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - Marcelo J. Kittlein
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
| | - Roxana R. Zenuto
- Laboratorio de Ecología Fisiológica y del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC); Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata - CONICET; de Mar del Plata Argentina
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H3K9 Acetylation of Tph2 Involved in Depression-like Behavior in Male, but not Female, Juvenile Offspring Rat Induced by Prenatal Stress. Neuroscience 2018; 381:138-148. [PMID: 29625215 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.03.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2017] [Revised: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Increasing evidence has shown that prenatal stress (PS) could cause depression-like behavior in the offspring, which is sex-specific. However, the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. This study is to investigate the involvement of tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (Tph2) H3K9 acetylation (H3K9ac) modification on PS-induced depression-like behavior in juvenile offspring rats (JOR). PS models were established, with or without trichostatin A (TSA) treatment. Animal behavior was assessed by the sucrose preference test (SPT) and forced swimming test (FST). The mRNA and protein expression levels of TPH2 in the dorsal raphenucleus (DRN), hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex were detected with quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analysis, respectively. The Tph2 H3K9ac levels in the hippocampus were also analyzed. SPT and FST showed significantly reduced sucrose preference and significantly prolonged immobility in PS-induced male juvenile offspring rats (MJOR). Moreover, the mRNA and protein expression levels of TPH2 in the DRN and hippocampus were significantly declined, while the hippocampal Tph2 H3K9ac levels were significantly declined in the PS-induced MJOR. Furthermore, the PS-induced effects in MJOR could be reversed by the microinjection of TSA. However, no significant effects were observed for the female juvenile offspring rats (FJORs). In conclusion, our results showed that the Tph2 H3K9ac modification is only involved in PS-induced depression-like behavior in MJOR, in a sex-specific manner. These findings might contribute to the understanding of the disease pathogenesis and clinical treatment in future.
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Hing B, Sathyaputri L, Potash JB. A comprehensive review of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that regulate BDNF expression and function with relevance to major depressive disorder. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2018; 177:143-167. [PMID: 29243873 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a mood disorder that affects behavior and impairs cognition. A gene potentially important to this disorder is the brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as it is involved in processes controlling neuroplasticity. Various mechanisms exist to regulate BDNF's expression level, subcellular localization, and sorting to appropriate secretory pathways. Alterations to these processes by genetic factors and negative stressors can dysregulate its expression, with possible implications for MDD. Here, we review the mechanisms governing the regulation of BDNF expression, and discuss how disease-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can alter these mechanisms, and influence MDD. As negative stressors increase the likelihood of MDD, we will also discuss the impact of these stressors on BDNF expression, the cellular effect of such a change, and its impact on behavior in animal models of stress. We will also describe epigenetic processes that mediate this change in BDNF expression. Similarities in BDNF expression between animal models of stress and those in MDD will be highlighted. We will also contrast epigenetic patterns at the BDNF locus between animal models of stress, and MDD patients, and address limitations to current clinical studies. Future work should focus on validating current genetic and epigenetic findings in tightly controlled clinical studies. Regions outside of BDNF promoters should also be explored, as should other epigenetic marks, to improve identification of biomarkers for MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Hing
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Leela Sathyaputri
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - James B Potash
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
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Frasch MG, Baier CJ, Antonelli MC, Metz GAS. Perinatal Psychoneuroimmunology: Protocols for the Study of Prenatal Stress and Its Effects on Fetal and Postnatal Brain Development. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1781:353-376. [PMID: 29705857 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7828-1_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal stress (PS) impacts early behavioral, neuroimmune, and cognitive development. Pregnant rat models have been very valuable in examining the mechanisms of such fetal programming. A newer pregnant sheep model of maternal stress offers the unique advantages of chronic in utero monitoring and manipulation. This chapter presents the techniques used to model single and multigenerational stress exposures and their pleiotropic effects on the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin G Frasch
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Carlos J Baier
- Departamento de Biología, Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Bioquímica y Farmacia (DBByF), Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Marta C Antonelli
- Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis", Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gerlinde A S Metz
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
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Williams DR, Carlsson R, Bürkner PC. Between-litter variation in developmental studies of hormones and behavior: Inflated false positives and diminished power. Front Neuroendocrinol 2017; 47:154-166. [PMID: 28837830 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2017.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Revised: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Developmental studies of hormones and behavior often include littermates-rodent siblings that share early-life experiences and genes. Due to between-litter variation (i.e., litter effects), the statistical assumption of independent observations is untenable. In two literatures-natural variation in maternal care and prenatal stress-entire litters are categorized based on maternal behavior or experimental condition. Here, we (1) review both literatures; (2) simulate false positive rates for commonly used statistical methods in each literature; and (3) characterize small sample performance of multilevel models (MLM) and generalized estimating equations (GEE). We found that the assumption of independence was routinely violated (>85%), false positives (α=0.05) exceeded nominal levels (up to 0.70), and power (1-β) rarely surpassed 0.80 (even for optimistic sample and effect sizes). Additionally, we show that MLMs and GEEs have adequate performance for common research designs. We discuss implications for the extant literature, the field of behavioral neuroendocrinology, and provide recommendations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald R Williams
- Psychology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
| | | | - Paul-Christian Bürkner
- Institute of Psychology, University of Muenster, Fliednerstraße 21, 48151 Muenster, Germany
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Cory-Slechta DA, Sobolewski M, Varma G, Schneider JS. Developmental Lead and/or Prenatal Stress Exposures Followed by Different Types of Behavioral Experience Result in the Divergence of Brain Epigenetic Profiles in a Sex, Brain Region, and Time-Dependent Manner: Implications for Neurotoxicology. CURRENT OPINION IN TOXICOLOGY 2017; 6:60-70. [PMID: 29430559 DOI: 10.1016/j.cotox.2017.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Over a lifetime, early developmental exposures to neurocognitive risk factors, such as lead (Pb) exposures and prenatal stress (PS), will be followed by multiple varied behavioral experiences. Pb, PS and behavioral experience can each influence brain epigenetic profiles. Our recent studies show a greater level of complexity, however, as all three factors interact within each sex to generate differential adult variation in global post-translational histone modifications (PTHMs), which may result in fundamentally different consequences for life-long learning and behavioral function. We have reported that PTHM profiles differ by sex, brain region and time point of measurement following developmental exposures to Pb±PS, resulting in different profiles for each unique combination of these parameters. Imposing differing behavioral experience following developmental Pb±PS results in additional divergence of PTHM profiles, again in a sex, brain region and time-dependent manner, further increasing complexity. Such findings underscore the need to link highly localized and variable epigenetic changes along single genes to the highly-integrated brain functional connectome that is ultimately responsible for governing behavioral function. Here we advance the idea that increased understanding may be achieved through iterative reductionist and holistic approaches. Implications for experimental design of animal studies of developmental exposures to neurotoxicants include the necessity of a 'no behavioral experience' group, given that epigenetic changes in response to behavioral testing can confound effects of the neurotoxicant itself. They also suggest the potential utility of the inclusion of salient behavioral experiences as a potential effect modifier in epidemiological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah A Cory-Slechta
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical School, Rochester, NY
| | - Marissa Sobolewski
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical School, Rochester, NY
| | - G Varma
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - J S Schneider
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
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Arabin B, Baschat AA. Pregnancy: An Underutilized Window of Opportunity to Improve Long-term Maternal and Infant Health-An Appeal for Continuous Family Care and Interdisciplinary Communication. Front Pediatr 2017; 5:69. [PMID: 28451583 PMCID: PMC5389980 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2017.00069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Physiologic adaptations during pregnancy unmask a woman's predisposition to diseases. Complications are increasingly predicted by first-trimester algorithms, amplify a pre-existing maternal phenotype and accelerate risks for chronic diseases in the offspring up to adulthood (Barker hypothesis). Recent evidence suggests that vice versa, pregnancy diseases also indicate maternal and even grandparent's risks for chronic diseases (reverse Barker hypothesis). Pub-Med and Embase were reviewed for Mesh terms "fetal programming" and "pregnancy complications combined with maternal disease" until January 2017. Studies linking pregnancy complications to future cardiovascular, metabolic, and thrombotic risks for mother and offspring were reviewed. Women with a history of miscarriage, fetal growth restriction, preeclampsia, preterm delivery, obesity, excessive gestational weight gain, gestational diabetes, subfertility, and thrombophilia more frequently demonstrate with echocardiographic abnormalities, higher fasting insulin, deviating lipids or clotting factors and show defective endothelial function. Thrombophilia hints to thrombotic risks in later life. Pregnancy abnormalities correlate with future cardiovascular and metabolic complications and earlier mortality. Conversely, women with a normal pregnancy have lower rates of subsequent diseases than the general female population creating the term: "Pregnancy as a window for future health." Although the placenta works as a gatekeeper, many pregnancy complications may lead to sickness and earlier death in later life when the child becomes an adult. The epigenetic mechanisms and the mismatch between pre- and postnatal life have created the term "fetal origin of adult disease." Up to now, the impact of cardiovascular, metabolic, or thrombotic risk profiles has been investigated separately for mother and child. In this manuscript, we strive to illustrate the consequences for both, fetus and mother within a cohesive perspective and thus try to demonstrate the complex interrelationship of genetics and epigenetics for long-term health of societies and future generations. Maternal-fetal medicine specialists should have a key role in the prevention of non-communicable diseases by implementing a framework for patient consultation and interdisciplinary networks. Health-care providers and policy makers should increasingly invest in a stratified primary prevention and follow-up to reduce the increasing number of manifest cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and to prevent waste of health-care resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Arabin
- Center for Mother and Child, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany
- Clara Angela Foundation, Witten, Germany
| | - Ahmet A. Baschat
- Clara Angela Foundation, Witten, Germany
- Center for Fetal Therapy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Petelle MB, Dang BN, Blumstein DT. The effect of maternal glucocorticoid levels on juvenile docility in yellow-bellied marmots. Horm Behav 2017; 89:86-91. [PMID: 28062231 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Revised: 12/29/2016] [Accepted: 12/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Maternal effects can have significant and long-term consequences on offspring behavior and survival, while consistent individual differences (i.e., personality) can have profound impacts on individual fitness. Thus, both can influence population dynamics. However, the underlying mechanisms that determine variation in personality traits are poorly understood. Maternal effects are one potential mechanism that may explain personality variation. We capitalized on a long-term study of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) to identify maternal effects on juvenile docility. To do so, we partitioned the variance in juvenile docility using a quantitative genetic modeling approach to isolate potential maternal effects. We also directly tested whether maternal stress, measured through fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels during lactation of 82 mothers, was associated with offspring docility. Docility scores were estimated for 645 juveniles trapped between 2002 and 2012. We found an interaction between maternal glucocorticoid levels and dam age on juvenile docility. We also found significant maternal, litter, permanent environment, and year effects. These results suggest that a mother's life history stage interacts with stress to influence offspring personality. This early life influence can have long lasting effects on an individual's docility throughout life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B Petelle
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of the Free State Qwaqwa, Phuthaditjhaba, South Africa.
| | - Brian N Dang
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
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McCreary JK, Metz GA. Environmental enrichment as an intervention for adverse health outcomes of prenatal stress. ENVIRONMENTAL EPIGENETICS 2016; 2:dvw013. [PMID: 29492294 PMCID: PMC5804528 DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvw013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2016] [Revised: 06/02/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal stress (PS) has complex neurological, behavioural and physiological consequences for the developing offspring. The phenotype linked to PS usually lasts into adulthood and may even propagate to subsequent generations. The often uncontrollable exposure to maternal stress and the lasting consequences emphasize the urgent need for treatment strategies that effectively reverse stress programming. Exposure to complex beneficial experiences, such as environmental enrichment (EE), is one of the most powerful therapies to promote neuroplasticity and behavioural performance at any time in life. A small number of studies have previously used EE to postnatally treat consequences of PS in the attempt to reverse deficits that were primarily induced in utero . This review discusses the available data on postnatal EE exposure in prenatally stressed individuals. The goal is to determine if EE is a suitable treatment option that reverses adverse consequences of stress programming and enhances stress resiliency. Moreover, this review discusses data with respect to relevant hypotheses including the cumulative stress and the mismatch hypotheses. The articles included in this review emphasize that EE reverses most behavioural, physiological and neural deficits associated with PS. Differing responses may be dependent on the timing and variability of stress and EE, exercise, and potentially vulnerable and resilient phenotypes of PS. Results from this study suggest that enrichment may provide an effective therapy for clinical populations suffering from the effects of PS or early life trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Keiko McCreary
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada T1K3M4
| | - Gerlinde A.S. Metz
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada T1K3M4
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Ahmed RG. Gestational dexamethasone alters fetal neuroendocrine axis. Toxicol Lett 2016; 258:46-54. [PMID: 27220267 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2016.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Revised: 05/18/2016] [Accepted: 05/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
This study tested whether the maternal transport of dexamethasone (DEXA) may affect the development of the neuroendocrine system. DEXA (0.2mg/kg b.w., subcutaneous injection) was administered to pregnant rats from gestation day (GD) 1-20. In the DEXA-treated group, a decrease in maternal serum thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), and increase in thyrotropin (TSH) levels (hypothyroid status) were observed at GDs 15 & 20 with respect to control group. The reverse pattern (hyperthyroid status) was observed in their fetuses at embryonic days (EDs) 15 & 20. Although the maternal body weight was diminished, the weight of the thyroid gland was increased at studied GDs as compared to the control group. The fetal growth retardation, hyperleptinemia, hyperinsulinism, and cytokines distortions (transforming growth factor-beta; TGF-β, tumor necrosis factor-alpha; TNF-α, and interferon-γ; IFN-γ) were noticed at examined EDs if compared to the control group. Alternatively, the maternofetal thyroid dysfunctions due to the maternal DEXA administration attenuated the levels of fetal cerebral norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E), and elevated the levels of dopamine (DA) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) at considered days. These alterations were age-dependent and might damage the nerve transmission. Finally, maternal DEXA might act as neuroendocrine disruptor causing dyshormonogenesis and fetal cerebral dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- R G Ahmed
- Division of Anatomy and Embryology, Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
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Marasco V, Herzyk P, Robinson J, Spencer KA. Pre- and Post-Natal Stress Programming: Developmental Exposure to Glucocorticoids Causes Long-Term Brain-Region Specific Changes to Transcriptome in the Precocial Japanese Quail. J Neuroendocrinol 2016; 28:10.1111/jne.12387. [PMID: 26999292 PMCID: PMC5103168 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2015] [Revised: 03/04/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to stress during early development can permanently influence an individual's physiology and behaviour, and affect its subsequent health. The extent to which elevated glucocorticoids cause such long-term 'programming' remains largely untested. In the present study, using the Japanese quail as our study species, we independently manipulated exposure to corticosterone during pre- and/or post-natal development and investigated the subsequent effects on global gene expression profiles within the hippocampus and hypothalamus upon achieving adulthood. Our results showed that the changes in transcriptome profiles in response to corticosterone exposure clearly differed between the hippocampus and the hypothalamus. We also showed that these effects depended on the developmental timing of exposure and identified brain-region specific gene expression patterns that were either: (i) similarly altered by corticosterone regardless of the developmental stage in which hormonal exposure occurred or (ii) specifically and uniquely altered by either pre-natal or post-natal exposure to corticosterone. Corticosterone-treated birds showed alterations in networks of genes that included known markers of the programming actions of early-life adversity (e.g. brain-derived neurotrophic factor and mineralocorticoid receptor within the hippocampus; corticotrophin-releasing hormone and serotonin receptors in the hypothalamus). Altogether, for the first time, these findings provide experimental support for the hypothesis that exposure to elevated glucocorticoids during development may be a key hormonal signalling pathway through which the long-term phenotypic effects associated with early-life adversity emerge and potentially persist throughout the lifespan. These data also highlight that stressors might have different long-lasting impacts on the brain transcriptome depending on the developmental stage in which they are experienced; more work is now required to relate these mechanisms to organismal phenotypic differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- V. Marasco
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - P. Herzyk
- Institute of Molecular Cell and Systems BiologyUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
- Glasgow PolyomicsWolfson Wohl Cancer Research CentreUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - J. Robinson
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - K. A. Spencer
- School of Psychology and NeuroscienceUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUK
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