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Effects of corticosterone injections in mid-to-late mouse postnatal development on adult motor activity and coordination. Neurosci Res 2020; 164:22-32. [PMID: 32320709 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2020.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Revised: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids are involved in the developing brain but, in excessive amounts, may depress its growth and cause psychomotor development disorders. To test the long-term vulnerability of motor structures such as the cerebellum to supraphysiological corticosterone (CORT), the hormone was subcutaneously delivered at a dose of 20 mg/kg from postnatal day (P) 8 to P29 in C57BL/6 male mice evaluated for sensorimotor functions at P15, P22, P29, and 3 months. Relative to placebo, CORT increased motor activity in the open-field at P29 and 3 months as well as facilitating rotorod acquisition and visuomotor control necessary for swimming towards a visible goal without affecting spatial learning in the Morris water maze. CORT caused lobule-specific effects on cerebellar morphology by decreasing granule cell layer thickness in simplex lobule but increasing molecular and granule cell layer thickness in crus 2. The functional impact of these changes is indicated by significant correlations found between cerebellar size and activity levels or proficiency on the rotorod test of motor coordination.
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Involvement of Noncoding RNAs in Stress-Related Neuropsychiatric Diseases Caused by DOHaD Theory : ncRNAs and DOHaD-Induced Neuropsychiatric Diseases. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2018; 1012:49-59. [PMID: 29956194 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-10-5526-3_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
According to the DOHaD theory, low birth weight is a risk factor for various noncommunicable chronic diseases that develop later in life. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including miRNAs, siRNAs, piRNAs, and lncRNAs, are functional RNA molecules that are transcribed from DNA but that are not translated into proteins. In general, miRNAs, siRNAs, and piRNAs function to regulate gene expression at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. Studying ncRNAs has provided opportunities for new diagnosis and therapeutic knowledge in the endocrinological and metabolic fields as well as cancer biology. In this review, we focus on the roles of miRNAs and lncRNAs in the pathophysiology of stress-related neuropsychiatric diseases, which show abnormal blood hormone levels due to loss of feedback control and/or decreased sensitivity. Numerous recent studies have begun to unveil the importance of ncRNAs in regulation of stress-related hormone levels and functions. We summarize the involvement of abnormal ncRNA expression in the development of stress-related neuropsychiatric diseases based on the DOHaD theory.
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Ee MT, Thébaud B. The Therapeutic Potential of Stem Cells for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: "It's About Time" or "Not so Fast" ? Curr Pediatr Rev 2018; 14:227-238. [PMID: 30205800 PMCID: PMC6416190 DOI: 10.2174/1573396314666180911100503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE While the survival of extremely premature infants has improved over the past decades, the rate of complications - especially for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) - remains unacceptably high. Over the past 50 years, no safe therapy has had a substantial impact on the incidence and severity of BPD. METHODS This may stem from the multifactorial disease pathogenesis and the increasing lung immaturity. Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) display pleiotropic effects and show promising results in neonatal rodents in preventing or rescuing lung injury without adverse effects. Early phase clinical trials are now underway to determine the safety and efficacy of this therapy in extremely premature infants. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION This review summarizes our current knowledge about MSCs, their mechanism of action and the results of preclinical studies that provide the rationale for early phase clinical trials and discuss remaining gaps in our knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mong Tieng Ee
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and CHEO Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Bernard Thébaud
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and CHEO Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.,Sinclair Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Mukhin VN, Abdurasulova IN, Pavlov KI, Kozlov AP, Klimenko VM. Effects of Activation of κ-Opioid Receptors on Behavior during Postnatal Formation of the Stress Reactivity Systems. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s11055-016-0288-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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5
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Wentworth-Eidsaune CL, Hennessy MB, Claflin DI. Short-term, high-dose administration of corticosterone by injection facilitates trace eyeblink conditioning in young male rats. Behav Brain Res 2015; 298:62-8. [PMID: 26239002 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.07.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2015] [Revised: 07/02/2015] [Accepted: 07/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids released as part of the physiological response to stress are known to affect cognitive function, presumably via effects on the hippocampus. Trace classical eyeblink conditioning is an associative learning task which depends on the hippocampus and has been used to examine the development of learning processes in young mammals. Previously, we demonstrated deficits in trace eyeblink conditioning associated with postnatal administration of the glucocorticoid corticosterone by creating a sustained elevation with methods such as subcutaneous timed-release pellets and osmotic mini-pumps which were active over several days. In the present study, we examined the effects of an oscillating pattern of corticosterone elevation on subsequent trace eyeblink conditioning. Twice daily corticosterone injections (high, low, or vehicle) were administered over a 3-day period, starting at postnatal day 15. Then, on postnatal day 28, animals underwent trace classical eyeblink conditioning to examine the possible influence of earlier corticosterone elevations on the development of learning and memory. Eyeblink conditioning was affected by corticosterone treatments, but only for males, and only very early in acquisition; Males receiving the high dose of corticosterone exhibited facilitation of learning relative to controls. These data demonstrate that oscillating corticosterone elevations produce opposite effects on this associative learning task than do sustained elevations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael B Hennessy
- Department of Psychology, 335 Fawcett Hall, Wright State University, 3640Colonel Glenn Hwy, Dayton, OH 45435, USA.
| | - Dragana I Claflin
- Department of Psychology, 335 Fawcett Hall, Wright State University, 3640Colonel Glenn Hwy, Dayton, OH 45435, USA.
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6
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Mironova V, Rybnikova E, Pivina S. Effect of inescapable stress in rodent models of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder on CRH and vasopressin immunoreactivity in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 100:395-410. [DOI: 10.1556/aphysiol.100.2013.4.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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7
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Rybnikova E, Vorobyev M, Pivina S, Samoilov M. Postconditioning by mild hypoxic exposures reduces rat brain injury caused by severe hypoxia. Neurosci Lett 2012; 513:100-5. [PMID: 22366259 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2012.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2011] [Revised: 02/07/2012] [Accepted: 02/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
A potent neuroprotective effect of ischemic postconditioning has previously been described using cerebral artery occlusion but this is not a practical therapeutic option. The present study has been performed to determine whether postconditioning by mild episodes of hypobaric hypoxia (hypoxic postconditioning, HP) can reduce post-hypoxic brain injury in rats. Male Wistar rats were submitted to severe hypobaric hypoxia (180 Torr, 3 h) followed by HP (360 Torr, 2 h, 3 trials spaced at 24 h) starting either 3h (early HP) or 24 h (delayed HP) after severe hypoxia. The structural and functional brain injury was assessed by a complex of histological techniques, behavioral methods, and by testing the functions of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA). It was found that early and delayed HP considerably attenuated post-hypoxic injury, reducing pyknosis, hyperchromatosis, and interstitial brain edema, as well as the rates of neuronal loss in hippocampus and neocortex. Delayed HP produced prominent anxiolytic effect on rat behavior, preventing development of post-hypoxic anxiety. Both modes of HP had beneficial effect on the functioning of HPA, but only delayed HP normalized completely the baseline HPA activity and its reactivity to stress. The results obtained demonstrate that postconditioning by using repetitive episodes of mild hypobaric hypoxia may provide a powerful neuroprotective procedure that can be easily adopted for clinical practice and recommended as a research tool for identification of endogenous mechanisms involved in post-ischemic neuroprotection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Rybnikova
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Makarova 6, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation.
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8
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Rybnikova E, Glushchenko T, Churilova A, Pivina S, Samoilov M. Expression of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors in hippocampus of rats exposed to various modes of hypobaric hypoxia: Putative role in hypoxic preconditioning. Brain Res 2011; 1381:66-77. [PMID: 21223951 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2010] [Revised: 01/03/2011] [Accepted: 01/04/2011] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Effects of mild (preconditioning) and severe injurious hypobaric hypoxia (SH), as well as of their combination on hippocampal expression of glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid (MR) receptors and HPA axis activity have been examined in rats. As revealed by quantitative immunocytochemistry, three-trial exposure to mild hypoxia produced robust GR and MR overexpression located mainly in the neuronal nuclei in the dentate gyrus (DG) but only MR overexpression was observed in the CA1. SH induced sharp reduction of MR levels and enhanced GR expression in the CA1, suggesting that the unbalance of GR and MR observed might be at the bottom of the extensive neuronal loss seen in this area in response to SH. Contrastingly, SH in tolerant (preconditioned) rats failed to imbalance GR and MR expression in CA1 and up-regulated GR levels in DG. Radioimmunoassay of serum corticosterone showed that both preconditioning hypoxia itself and SH in tolerant rats produced moderate activation of HPA axis followed by its proper inactivation. In the non-preconditioned rats, HPA axis response to SH was impaired. Taken together, these novel results suggest that modifications of the hippocampal expression of GR and MR produced by preconditioning may contribute to the molecular and neuroendocrine mechanisms of tolerance to severe hypoxic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Rybnikova
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation.
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Galeeva A, Pelto-Huikko M, Pivina S, Ordyan N. Postnatal ontogeny of the glucocorticoid receptor in the hippocampus. VITAMINS AND HORMONES 2010; 82:367-89. [PMID: 20472148 DOI: 10.1016/s0083-6729(10)82019-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Corticosteroid hormones are important intrinsic factors that not only mediate the response to stress but also largely contribute to the main physiological processes. The biological actions of these steroids involve, first of all, the activation of specific receptors, namely mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors. These two receptor types govern a flexible and well-balanced mechanism that leads to the often opposing changes in the cell. The hippocampus is the central part of the extrahypothalamic feedback loop in the control of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. The coexpression of both MR and GR in the hippocampus serves a coordinated response to corticosteroids in the hippocampal neurons, thereby mediating the neuronal excitability, stress response, and behavioral adaptation. Each receptor type reveals distinct ontogenetic pattern over the postnatal period. This review addresses the issues relating to postnatal development of the HPA axis and especially the hippocampal expression of the GR proteins in intact and prenatally stressed rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Galeeva
- Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Science, Makarova 6, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
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10
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Ordyan NE, Galeeva AY, Pivina SG. Expression of glucocorticoid receptor in the brain of rats during postnatal ontogeny. Bull Exp Biol Med 2008; 146:176-9. [DOI: 10.1007/s10517-008-0248-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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11
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Rybnikova EA, Mironova VI, Pivina SG, Ordyan NE, Tulkova EI, Samoilov MO. Hormonal mechanisms of neuroprotective effects of the mild hypoxic preconditioning in rats. DOKLADY BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES : PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE USSR, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES SECTIONS 2008; 421:239-40. [PMID: 18841803 DOI: 10.1134/s0012496608040054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E A Rybnikova
- Pavlov Institute of Physiology, RussianAcademy of Sciences, nab. Makarova 6, St. Petersburg, 199034 Russia
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12
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Rybnikova E, Mironova V, Pivina S, Tulkova E, Ordyan N, Nalivaeva N, Turner A, Samoilov M. Involvement of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the antidepressant-like effects of mild hypoxic preconditioning in rats. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2007; 32:813-23. [PMID: 17601674 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2007.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2007] [Revised: 04/19/2007] [Accepted: 05/21/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The preconditioning (PC) by using mild intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (PC) increases a resistance of the brain to severe hypoxia/ischemia and various stresses. Recently, potent antidepressant-like effects of PC have been described in animal models of depression. In the present study, the impact of PC on the activity and feedback regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) impaired in depression has been studied in the model of shock-induced depression in rats. PC completely prevented depressive-like behavior (54% reduction in ambulance, 59% reduction in rearing in the open field, 654% increase of the anxiety level in the elevated plus maze), the HPA hyperactivity and the impairment of HPA feedback regulation that appeared in response to the inescapable footshock. Not affecting basal HPA activity, PC remarkably enhanced the HPA reactivity to stresses and substantially up-regulated the expression of glucocorticoid receptors in the ventral hippocampus following footshock that apparently contributes to the mechanisms responsible for the antidepressant-like action of PC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Rybnikova
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Makarova 6, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation.
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13
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Rybnikova E, Mironova V, Pivina S, Tulkova E, Ordyan N, Vataeva L, Vershinina E, Abritalin E, Kolchev A, Nalivaeva N, Turner AJ, Samoilov M. Antidepressant-like effects of mild hypoxia preconditioning in the learned helplessness model in rats. Neurosci Lett 2007; 417:234-9. [PMID: 17379404 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2007.02.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2006] [Revised: 12/25/2006] [Accepted: 02/16/2007] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The effects of preconditioning using mild repetitive hypobaric hypoxia (360 Torr for 2 h each of 3 days) have been studied in the learned helplessness model of depression in rats. Male Wistar rats displayed persistent depressive symptoms (depressive-like behaviour in open field, increased anxiety levels in elevated plus maze, ahedonia, elevated plasma glucocorticoids and impaired dexamethasone test) following the exposure to unpredictable and inescapable footshock in the learned helplessness paradigm. Antidepressant treatment (ludiomil, 5 mg/kg i.p.) augmented the development of the depressive state. The hypoxic preconditioning had a clear antidepressive action returning the behavioural and hormonal parameters to the control values and was equally effective in terms of our study as the antidepressant. The findings suggest hypoxic preconditioning as an effective tool for the prophylaxis of post-stress affective pathologies in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Rybnikova
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Makarova 6, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation.
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14
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Shevchenko AY, Yakovleva TV, Makarova EN, Bazhan NM. Postnatal development of corticosteroid function of the adrenals in C57BL/6J-A y mice. Russ J Dev Biol 2007. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062360407010079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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15
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Lesage J, Sebaai N, Leonhardt M, Dutriez-Casteloot I, Breton C, Deloof S, Vieau D. Perinatal maternal undernutrition programs the offspring hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Stress 2006; 9:183-98. [PMID: 17175504 DOI: 10.1080/10253890601056192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
There is now compelling evidence, coming both from animal and human studies that an early exposure to undernutrition is frequently associated with low birth weight and programs HPA axis alterations throughout the lifespan. Although animal models have reported conflicting findings arising from differences in experimental paradigms and species, they have clearly demonstrated that such programming not only affects the brain but also the pituitary corticotrophs and the adrenal cortex. In fetuses, maternal undernutrition reduces HPA axis function and implicates a reduction of placental 11beta-HSD2 activity and a greater transplacental transfer of glucocorticoids (GRs). In young adults, usually only fine HPA axis alterations were observed, whereas in older ones, maternal undernutrition was frequently associated with chronic hyperactivity of this neuroendocrine axis. In humans, evidence of HPA axis dysregulation in people who were small at birth has recently emerged. Thus, we suggest that such alterations in adults may be implicated in the aetiology of several disorders related to the metabolic syndrome as well as to immune or inflammatory diseases. To reverse such programming, recent experimental reports have shown that postnatal environmental interventions, dietary modifications and the use of agents modulating the epigenomic state could partly restore physiological functions and thus open new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Lesage
- Perinatal Stress Unit, Department of Adaptative Neurosciences and Physiology, University of Lille1, 59655, Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France
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Fenoglio KA, Brunson KL, Baram TZ. Hippocampal neuroplasticity induced by early-life stress: functional and molecular aspects. Front Neuroendocrinol 2006; 27:180-92. [PMID: 16603235 PMCID: PMC2937188 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2006.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 159] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2005] [Revised: 02/11/2006] [Accepted: 02/13/2006] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Whereas genetic factors contribute crucially to brain function, early-life events, including stress, exert long-lasting influence on neuronal function. Here, we focus on the hippocampus as the target of these early-life events because of its crucial role in learning and memory. Using a novel immature-rodent model, we describe the deleterious consequences of chronic early-life 'psychological' stress on hippocampus-dependent cognitive tasks. We review the cellular mechanisms involved and discuss the roles of stress-mediating molecules, including corticotropin releasing hormone, in the process by which stress impacts the structure and function of hippocampal neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina A. Fenoglio
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-4475, USA
| | - Kristen L. Brunson
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-4475, USA
| | - Tallie Z. Baram
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-4475, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-4475, USA
- Corresponding author. Fax: +1 949 824 1106. (T.Z. Baram)
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Galeeva A, Ordyan N, Pivina S, Pelto-Huikko M. Expression of glucocorticoid receptors in the hippocampal region of the rat brain during postnatal development. J Chem Neuroanat 2006; 31:216-25. [PMID: 16533592 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2006.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2005] [Revised: 01/30/2006] [Accepted: 01/30/2006] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Circulating glucocorticoids, of which their concentration is largely under the control of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, acting through the glucocorticoid receptors (GR) regulate a large variety of pivotal functions of the organism such as growth, development, immune- and stress-response. The main mechanism of regulation of the HPA axis activity is via negative feedback at all levels of the HPA axis itself as well as at the extra-hypothalamic level, a central part of which is the hippocampus. During neonatal development, the HPA axis of rats undergoes a period of hyporesponsiveness (SHRP)-when most stress stimuli fail to induce stress-response. Here, we describe the pattern of GR proteins expression in the hippocampal area of the rat brain during postnatal development and in adulthood. We demonstrated that the GR protein, of which its expression level is gradually enhanced in the hippocampus during postnatal life, exists in three different molecular sized forms. A larger molecular form was expressed at rather high levels at all studied time periods. A second smaller variant of GR was transiently expressed during the first one and a half weeks that corresponds with SHRP and then appeared again only in the adulthood. By the end of SHRP on PD 13, third smallest protein form of GR started to be detected in the hippocampal area. Thus, it remains to be disclosed in the nearest future, how the hippocampal GR isoforms may be involved in regulation of the neonatal HPA axis hyporesponsiveness as well as in functions of this system during the ensuing period of the brain maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Galeeva
- Department of Developmental Biology, Tampere University Medical School, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, FIN-33014, Finland.
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Sandstrom NJ. Sex differences in the long-term effect of preweanling isolation stress on memory retention. Horm Behav 2005; 47:556-62. [PMID: 15811357 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2004.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2004] [Revised: 11/11/2004] [Accepted: 12/23/2004] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Social experiences during development can powerfully modulate later neuroendocrine and behavioral system. In the present study, male and female rat pups experienced daily bouts of social isolation for 6 h per day or control conditions during the third postnatal week. Performance on a 12-arm radial maze with 8 arms consistently baited with food reward was examined in adulthood. During the social isolation, both male and female pups exhibited a significant increase in plasma corticosterone levels. When tested on the radial arm maze as adults, the performance of female rats that had experienced social isolation during development was not affected; however, male rats in the isolation condition initially exhibited impairments in working memory but not reference memory. Despite achieving comparable asymptotic levels of performance on the maze, male rats that experienced social isolation during the third week demonstrated disruption in working memory retention when radial arm maze trials were interrupted after the fourth arm choice. Thus, while male rats that experience social isolation during the third week of life eventually perform comparably to controls on the standard radial arm maze task, their ability to retain information over a delay remains impaired. These findings highlight an important sex difference in the long-term effects of stress during this period of late preweanling development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah J Sandstrom
- Department of Psychology, Bronfman Science Center, Williams College, Williamstown, MA 01267, USA.
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Sandstrom NJ, Hart SR. Isolation stress during the third postnatal week alters radial arm maze performance and corticosterone levels in adulthood. Behav Brain Res 2005; 156:289-96. [PMID: 15582115 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2004.05.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2004] [Revised: 05/28/2004] [Accepted: 05/31/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Stressful experiences during development cause long-lasting changes in neuroendocrine systems as well as lasting changes in behavior. The present study examines the long-term consequences of daily periods of social isolation during the third postnatal week on radial arm maze performance in adulthood. Male rat pups were either isolated for 6 h per day between postnatal days 15-21 or remained in the home cage. This manipulation caused a significant increase in plasma corticosterone during the isolation period. As adults, these animals were tested on a 12-arm radial arm maze. Rats that experienced social isolation during development made more working memory errors during initial acquisition but reached an asymptotic level of performance comparable to controls. The pattern of reference memory errors across testing was comparable to the pattern of working memory errors, though the difference between isolated and control animals was not significant. Blood samples taken in adulthood revealed that social isolation during development results in an long-term elevation in plasma corticosterone levels. These findings indicate that isolation stress during the third week of life leads to lasting impairments in cognition and HPA axis activity and suggest a potential alteration in hippocampal function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah J Sandstrom
- Department of Psychology, Bronfman Science Center, Williams College, Williamstown, MA 01267, USA.
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Boullu-Ciocca S, Dutour A, Guillaume V, Achard V, Oliver C, Grino M. Postnatal diet-induced obesity in rats upregulates systemic and adipose tissue glucocorticoid metabolism during development and in adulthood: its relationship with the metabolic syndrome. Diabetes 2005; 54:197-203. [PMID: 15616029 DOI: 10.2337/diabetes.54.1.197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
In humans, a hyperactivity of glucocorticoid metabolism was postulated to be involved in the intrauterine programming of the metabolic syndrome in adulthood. We studied in rats the effects of overfeeding, obtained by reducing the size of the litter in the immediate postnatal period, a time crucial for neuroendocrine maturation such as late gestation in humans. Overfeeding induced early-onset obesity and accelerated the maturation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis together with an upregulation of adipose tissue glucocorticoid receptor (GR) mRNA. In adulthood, neonatally overfed rats presented with moderate increases in basal and stress-induced corticosterone secretion and striking changes in visceral adipose tissue glucocorticoid signaling, that is, enhanced GR and 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 mRNA levels. The above-mentioned alterations in the endocrine status of overfed rats were accompanied by a moderate overweight status and significant metabolic disturbances comparable to those described in the metabolic syndrome. Our data demonstrate for the first time that postnatal overfeeding accelerates the maturation of the HPA axis and leads to permanent upregulation of the HPA axis and increased adipose tissue glucocorticoid sensitivity. Thus, the experimental paradigm of postnatal overfeeding is a powerful tool to understand the pathophysiology of glucocorticoid-induced programming of metabolic axes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandrine Boullu-Ciocca
- Laboratoire d'Hématologie, INSERM UMR 626, Faculté de Médecine, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 5, France
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González JC, Peinado V, Machín C, Rúa C, Leret ML. Effects of maternal adrenalectomy on the developing dopaminergic system. BRAIN RESEARCH. DEVELOPMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH 2004; 149:153-6. [PMID: 15063095 DOI: 10.1016/j.devbrainres.2004.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/19/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The present study show that maternal adrenalectomy affect the developmental model of the dopaminergic system in the hypothalamus and hippocampus, with sexual dimorphism observed in both areas. No changes were observed in the developmental dopamine (DA) model of the cortex and striatum through dopamine levels were increased in striatum.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Carlos González
- Department of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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22
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Leret ML, Peinado V, González JC, Suárez LM, Rúa C. Maternal adrenalectomy affects development of adrenal medulla. Life Sci 2004; 74:1861-7. [PMID: 14761667 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2003.07.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2003] [Accepted: 07/31/2003] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
This work investigates the effects of maternal adrenalectomy (ADX) on the development of the adrenal medulla. Adrenal catecholamines (AC) were measured at postnatal day (PN) 1, 8, 12 and 22 in rat offspring of ADX dams and in pups of control dams. The pups of ADX rats showed a reduction in AC concentrations in the adrenal medulla at PN 1, 12 and 22, although these were higher than in the pups of sham dams at PN 8. Further, in the pups of control mothers, there was an increase in ACs during the first two weeks of life whereas pups of ADX mothers only showed increases in noradrenaline, dopamine and adrenaline levels at day 8. These results suggest that maternal absence of corticosterone affects the medulla catecholamine content during development. These data support the idea that a maternal glucocorticoids are involved in the differentiation or/and maturation of the adrenal medulla.
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Affiliation(s)
- M L Leret
- Department of Animal Biology-II (Animal Physiology), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Williams MT, Blankenmeyer TL, Schaefer TL, Brown CA, Gudelsky GA, Vorhees CV. Long-term effects of neonatal methamphetamine exposure in rats on spatial learning in the Barnes maze and on cliff avoidance, corticosterone release, and neurotoxicity in adulthood. BRAIN RESEARCH. DEVELOPMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH 2003; 147:163-75. [PMID: 14741761 DOI: 10.1016/j.devbrainres.2003.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Methamphetamine (MA) is a commonly abused stimulant and because of its addictive properties, abusers may not cease use during pregnancy, thereby exposing the fetus to the drug. The consequences of such exposure remain largely unknown however data from animal models show that long-term deficits in spatial learning and memory in the Morris water maze (MWM) occur. In this study we explored the spatial learning ability of rats treated four times daily with MA (5 mg/kg/dose) during the sensitive period for induction of MWM deficits, postnatal days (P) 11-20, using a different maze. In adulthood the animals were tested in a non-swimming spatial task, the Barnes maze, using either aversive (bright light) or appetitive (food reward) motivation. Approximately 30 days after behavioral testing, the pituitary and adrenal response to forced swim was assessed and susceptibility to MA-induced neurotoxicity measured. MA-treated animals tested in the aversive, but not the appetitive, version of the Barnes maze demonstrated spatial learning deficits. An attenuated corticosterone response in MA-treated animals was observed following forced swimming, however no differences in ACTH were found. Following acute MA administration in adulthood to all animals, the neonatally MA-treated animals displayed longer latencies to fall from a cliff than neonatally saline-treated rats given the same acute MA dose. This effect supports previous data showing hypoactivity in neonatally MA-treated animals. Acute MA treatment caused comparable striatal monoamine depletions in all groups, although females treated with MA as neonates displayed increased basal levels of corticosterone three days after the acute dose. These data demonstrate that MA administration during the neonatal period impairs spatial learning in an aversive non-swimming task and alters the adrenal response to a forced swim stressor, suggesting that the adrenal output during learning may contribute to the spatial learning deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael T Williams
- Division of Child Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
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Yoshimura S, Sakamoto S, Kudo H, Sassa S, Kumai A, Okamoto R. Sex-differences in adrenocortical responsiveness during development in rats. Steroids 2003; 68:439-45. [PMID: 12798494 DOI: 10.1016/s0039-128x(03)00045-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
It is known that the stress hyporesponsive period (SHRP), which seems to be related to an immature hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) regulatory system, occurs during the first 2 weeks after birth in rats. In the present study, we investigated the effects of sex-steroid hormones on adrenocortical responsiveness to adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in neonatal rats. The levels of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP), corticosterone, and adenylate cyclase activity increased with the dose of ACTH in adrenal cells of males and females in vitro. The ACTH responsiveness in adrenal cells increased with age (7-35 days of age), that is, the loss in responsiveness to ACTH just after birth began to recover in 14-35-day-old rats, but the responsiveness in 14-day-old rats was attenuated in males compared with females. Although castration markedly augmented the responsiveness in male rats, testosterone-replacement in the castrated male rats inhibited the enhancement. Furthermore, the responsiveness in 14-day-intact female rats was suppressed by treatment with testosterone. Expression levels of ACTH receptor mRNA in adrenals increased with age in the female rat, but not in the male. Castration enhanced the level of ACTH receptor mRNA to three-fold of that in intact male rats at 14 days of age, but replacement treatment with testosterone in castrated male rats lowered the elevated levels. Testicular androgens are thought to evoke a gender-specific response in neonates, and the temporal decrease of adrenal ACTH-responsiveness might be due to the topically immature adrenal system as well as the central nervous system in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shintarou Yoshimura
- Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
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