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Sitnikova E. Behavioral and Cognitive Comorbidities in Genetic Rat Models of Absence Epilepsy (Focusing on GAERS and WAG/Rij Rats). Biomedicines 2024; 12:122. [PMID: 38255227 PMCID: PMC10812980 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12010122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Absence epilepsy is a non-convulsive type of epilepsy characterized by the sudden loss of awareness. It is associated with thalamo-cortical impairment, which may cause neuropsychiatric and neurocognitive problems. Rats with spontaneous absence-like seizures are widely used as in vivo genetic models for absence epilepsy; they display behavioral and cognitive problems similar to epilepsy in humans, such as genetic absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) and Wistar Albino rats from Rijswijk (WAG/Rij). Depression- and anxiety-like behaviors were apparent in GAERS, but no anxiety and depression-like symptoms were found in WAG/Rij rats. Deficits in executive functions and memory impairment in WAG/Rij rats, i.e., cognitive comorbidities, were linked to the severity of epilepsy. Wistar rats can develop spontaneous seizures in adulthood, so caution is advised when using them as a control epileptic strain. This review discusses challenges in the field, such as putative high emotionality in genetically prone rats, sex differences in the expression of cognitive comorbidities, and predictors of cognitive problems or biomarkers of cognitive comorbidities in absence epilepsy, as well as the concept of "the cognitive thalamus". The current knowledge of behavioral and cognitive comorbidities in drug-naive rats with spontaneous absence epilepsy is beneficial for understanding the pathophysiology of absence epilepsy, and for finding new treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgenia Sitnikova
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 5A Butlerova St., Moscow 117485, Russia
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Ren D, Luo B, Chen P, Yu L, Xiong M, Fu Z, Zhou T, Chen WB, Fei E. DiGeorge syndrome critical region gene 2 (DGCR2), a schizophrenia risk gene, regulates dendritic spine development through cell adhesion. Cell Biosci 2023; 13:134. [PMID: 37480133 PMCID: PMC10362570 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-023-01081-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dendritic spines are the sites of excitatory synapses on pyramidal neurons, and their development is crucial for neural circuits and brain functions. The spine shape, size, or number alterations are associated with neurological disorders, including schizophrenia. DiGeorge syndrome critical region gene 2 (DGCR2) is one of the deleted genes within the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS), which is a high risk for developing schizophrenia. DGCR2 expression was reduced in schizophrenics. However, the pathophysiological mechanism of DGCR2 in schizophrenia or 22q11DS is still unclear. RESULTS Here, we report that DGCR2 expression was increased during the neurodevelopmental period and enriched in the postsynaptic densities (PSDs). DGCR2-deficient hippocampal neurons formed fewer spines. In agreement, glutamatergic transmission and synaptic plasticity were decreased in the hippocampus of DGCR2-deficient mice. Further molecular studies showed that the extracellular domain (ECD) of DGCR2 is responsible for its transcellular interaction with cell adhesion molecule Neurexin1 (NRXN1) and spine development. Consequently, abnormal behaviors, like anxiety, were observed in DGCR2-deficient mice. CONCLUSIONS These observations indicate that DGCR2 is a novel cell adhesion molecule required for spine development and synaptic plasticity, and its deficiency induces abnormal behaviors in mice. This study provides a potential pathophysiological mechanism of DGCR2 in 22q11DS and related mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongyan Ren
- School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China
- Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China
| | - Bin Luo
- Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China
| | - Peng Chen
- Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China
| | - Lulu Yu
- Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China
| | - Mingtao Xiong
- Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China
| | - Zhiqiang Fu
- Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China
| | - Tian Zhou
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China
| | - Wen-Bing Chen
- Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China.
| | - Erkang Fei
- School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China.
- Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China.
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Savchenko A, Targa G, Fesenko Z, Leo D, Gainetdinov RR, Sukhanov I. Dopamine Transporter Deficient Rodents: Perspectives and Limitations for Neuroscience. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13050806. [PMID: 37238676 DOI: 10.3390/biom13050806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The key element of dopamine (DA) neurotransmission is undoubtedly DA transporter (DAT), a transmembrane protein responsible for the synaptic reuptake of the mediator. Changes in DAT's function can be a key mechanism of pathological conditions associated with hyperdopaminergia. The first strain of gene-modified rodents with a lack of DAT were created more than 25 years ago. Such animals are characterized by increased levels of striatal DA, resulting in locomotor hyperactivity, increased levels of motor stereotypes, cognitive deficits, and other behavioral abnormalities. The administration of dopaminergic and pharmacological agents affecting other neurotransmitter systems can mitigate those abnormalities. The main purpose of this review is to systematize and analyze (1) known data on the consequences of changes in DAT expression in experimental animals, (2) results of pharmacological studies in these animals, and (3) to estimate the validity of animals lacking DAT as models for discovering new treatments of DA-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artem Savchenko
- Valdman Institute of Pharmacology, Pavlov First St. Petersburg State Medical University, Lev Tolstoy Str. 6-8, 197022 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Giorgia Targa
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Zoia Fesenko
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, 7/9 Universitetskaya Emb., 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Damiana Leo
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Raul R Gainetdinov
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, 7/9 Universitetskaya Emb., 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
- St. Petersburg University Hospital, St. Petersburg State University, Fontanka River Emb. 154, 190121 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Ilya Sukhanov
- Valdman Institute of Pharmacology, Pavlov First St. Petersburg State Medical University, Lev Tolstoy Str. 6-8, 197022 St. Petersburg, Russia
- St. Petersburg University Hospital, St. Petersburg State University, Fontanka River Emb. 154, 190121 St. Petersburg, Russia
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Malik JA, Yaseen Z, Thotapalli L, Ahmed S, Shaikh MF, Anwar S. Understanding translational research in schizophrenia: A novel insight into animal models. Mol Biol Rep 2023; 50:3767-3785. [PMID: 36692676 PMCID: PMC10042983 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-023-08241-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia affects millions of people worldwide and is a major challenge for the scientific community. Like most psychotic diseases, it is also considered a complicated mental disorder caused by an imbalance in neurotransmitters. Due to the complexity of neuropathology, it is always a complicated disorder. The lack of proper understanding of the pathophysiology makes the disorder unmanageable in clinical settings. However, due to recent advances in animal models, we hope we can have better therapeutic approaches with more success in clinical settings. Dopamine, glutamate, GABA, and serotonin are the neurotransmitters involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Various animal models have been put forward based on these neurotransmitters, including pharmacological, neurodevelopmental, and genetic models. Polymorphism of genes such as dysbindin, DICS1, and NRG1 has also been reported in schizophrenia. Hypothesis based on dopamine, glutamate, and serotonin are considered successful models of schizophrenia on which drug therapies have been designed to date. New targets like the orexin system, muscarinic and nicotinic receptors, and cannabinoid receptors have been approached to alleviate the negative and cognitive symptoms. The non-pharmacological models like the post-weaning social isolation model (maternal deprivation), the isolation rearing model etc. have been also developed to mimic the symptoms of schizophrenia and to create and test new approaches of drug therapy which is a breakthrough at present in psychiatric disorders. Different behavioral tests have been evaluated in these specific models. This review will highlight the currently available animal models and behavioral tests in psychic disorders concerning schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonaid Ahmad Malik
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Guwahati, India.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Rupnagar, India
| | - Zahid Yaseen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University, Delhi, India
| | - Lahari Thotapalli
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, JNTU University, Anantapur, India
| | - Sakeel Ahmed
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 382355, India
| | - Mohd Farooq Shaikh
- Neuropharmacology Research Strength, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, 47500, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia. .,School of Dentistry and Medical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Orange, 2800, New South Wales, Australia.
| | - Sirajudheen Anwar
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, University of Hail, Hail, 81422, Saudi Arabia.
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Hazani R, Lavidor M, Weller A. Treatments for Social Interaction Impairment in Animal Models of Schizophrenia: A Critical Review and Meta-analysis. Schizophr Bull 2022; 48:1179-1193. [PMID: 35925025 PMCID: PMC9673263 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbac093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While pharmacological treatments for positive symptoms of schizophrenia are widely used, their beneficial effect on negative symptoms, particularly social impairment, is insufficiently studied. Therefore, there is an increasing interest in preclinical research of potentially beneficial treatments, with mixed results. The current review aims to evaluate the efficacy of available treatments for social deficits in different animal models of schizophrenia. STUDY DESIGN A systematic literature search generated 145 outcomes for the measures "total time" and "number" of social interactions. Standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated, and heterogeneity was tested using Q statistics in a random-effect meta-analytic model. Given the vast heterogeneity in effect sizes, the animal model, treatment group, and sample size were all examined as potential moderators. STUDY RESULTS The results showed that in almost all models, treatment significantly improved social deficit (total time: SMD = 1.24; number: SMD = 1.1). The moderator analyses discovered significant subgroup differences across models and treatment subgroups. Perinatal and adult pharmacological models showed the most substantial influence of treatments on social deficits, reflecting relative pharmacological validity. Furthermore, atypical antipsychotic drugs had the highest SMD within each model subgroup. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that the improvement in social interaction behaviors is dependent on the animal model and treatment family used. Implications for the preclinical and clinical fields are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reut Hazani
- To whom correspondence should be addressed; Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002, Israel; tel: 972-3-531-8548, fax: 972-3-738-4173, e-mail:
| | - Michal Lavidor
- Psychology Department and Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Aron Weller
- Psychology Department and Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
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Grinevich VP, Zakirov AN, Berseneva UV, Gerasimova EV, Gainetdinov RR, Budygin EA. Applying a Fast-Scan Cyclic Voltammetry to Explore Dopamine Dynamics in Animal Models of Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Cells 2022; 11:cells11091533. [PMID: 35563838 PMCID: PMC9100021 DOI: 10.3390/cells11091533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Progress in the development of technologies for the real-time monitoring of neurotransmitter dynamics has provided researchers with effective tools for the exploration of etiology and molecular mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders. One of these powerful tools is fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV), a technique which has progressively been used in animal models of diverse pathological conditions associated with alterations in dopamine transmission. Indeed, for several decades FSCV studies have provided substantial insights into our understanding of the role of abnormal dopaminergic transmission in pathogenetic mechanisms of drug and alcohol addiction, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, etc. Here we review the applications of FSCV to research neuropsychiatric disorders with particular attention to recent technological advances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir P. Grinevich
- Department of Neurobiology, Sirius University, 1 Olympic Ave., Sirius, Sochi 353340, Russia; (V.P.G.); (A.N.Z.); (U.V.B.); (E.V.G.); (R.R.G.)
| | - Amir N. Zakirov
- Department of Neurobiology, Sirius University, 1 Olympic Ave., Sirius, Sochi 353340, Russia; (V.P.G.); (A.N.Z.); (U.V.B.); (E.V.G.); (R.R.G.)
| | - Uliana V. Berseneva
- Department of Neurobiology, Sirius University, 1 Olympic Ave., Sirius, Sochi 353340, Russia; (V.P.G.); (A.N.Z.); (U.V.B.); (E.V.G.); (R.R.G.)
| | - Elena V. Gerasimova
- Department of Neurobiology, Sirius University, 1 Olympic Ave., Sirius, Sochi 353340, Russia; (V.P.G.); (A.N.Z.); (U.V.B.); (E.V.G.); (R.R.G.)
| | - Raul R. Gainetdinov
- Department of Neurobiology, Sirius University, 1 Olympic Ave., Sirius, Sochi 353340, Russia; (V.P.G.); (A.N.Z.); (U.V.B.); (E.V.G.); (R.R.G.)
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine and St. Petersburg State University Hospital, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya Emb. 7-9, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | - Evgeny A. Budygin
- Department of Neurobiology, Sirius University, 1 Olympic Ave., Sirius, Sochi 353340, Russia; (V.P.G.); (A.N.Z.); (U.V.B.); (E.V.G.); (R.R.G.)
- Correspondence:
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Liang L, Ren X, Xu J, Ma Y, Xue Y, Zhuang T, Zhang G. Effect of Co-Treatment of Olanzapine with SEP-363856 in Mice Models of Schizophrenia. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27082550. [PMID: 35458749 PMCID: PMC9024832 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27082550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Olanzapine is a commonly used drug in the treatment of schizophrenia, but its clinical application has been restricted by metabolic-related side effects. In order to mitigate the weight gain side effects caused by olanzapine, other drugs with different targets were selected for combined use and evaluated in animal models of schizophrenia. SEP-363856 is a novel psychotropic agent which is under phase III clinical trials for schizophrenia treatment. The aim of the research was to evaluate whether co-administration of olanzapine and SEP-363856 exerts synergistic anti-schizophrenic effects in the apomorphine (APO)-induced climbing test, the MK-801-induced hyperactivity test, and the Morris water maze test, and therefore reduces the weight gain side effects induced by olanzapine. Through isobolographic analysis, the results showed a synergistic interaction in the climbing test; the experimental ED30 (3 mg/kg) was significantly smaller (p < 0.05) than the theoretical ED30 (5 mg/kg). Additionally, such potentiating effects appeared additive in the MK-801 challenge experiment. Co-treatment with an effective dose of olanzapine and a low dose of SEP-363856 reversed MK-801-induced cognitive impairment symptoms in mice. Moreover, combination treatment with olanzapine and SEP-363856 controls sustained weight gain in mice with chronic exposure to olanzapine. These results support further clinical trials to test the effectiveness of co-treatment of olanzapine and SEP-363856 for controlling symptoms and weight gain in patients with schizophrenia during antipsychotic treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingzhi Liang
- Department of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; (L.L.); (X.R.); (J.X.); (Y.M.); (Y.X.)
| | - Xia Ren
- Department of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; (L.L.); (X.R.); (J.X.); (Y.M.); (Y.X.)
| | - Junyi Xu
- Department of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; (L.L.); (X.R.); (J.X.); (Y.M.); (Y.X.)
| | - Yurong Ma
- Department of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; (L.L.); (X.R.); (J.X.); (Y.M.); (Y.X.)
| | - Yunlin Xue
- Department of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; (L.L.); (X.R.); (J.X.); (Y.M.); (Y.X.)
| | - Tao Zhuang
- Department of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; (L.L.); (X.R.); (J.X.); (Y.M.); (Y.X.)
- Correspondence: (T.Z.); (G.Z.); Tel.: +86-27-8779-2235 (G.Z.)
| | - Guisen Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; (L.L.); (X.R.); (J.X.); (Y.M.); (Y.X.)
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
- Correspondence: (T.Z.); (G.Z.); Tel.: +86-27-8779-2235 (G.Z.)
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Beyond antipsychotics: a twenty-first century update for preclinical development of schizophrenia therapeutics. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:147. [PMID: 35393394 PMCID: PMC8991275 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-01904-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite 50+ years of drug discovery, current antipsychotics have limited efficacy against negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia, and are ineffective-with the exception of clozapine-against any symptom domain for patients who are treatment resistant. Novel therapeutics with diverse non-dopamine D2 receptor targets have been explored extensively in clinical trials, yet often fail due to a lack of efficacy despite showing promise in preclinical development. This lack of translation between preclinical and clinical efficacy suggests a systematic failure in current methods that determine efficacy in preclinical rodent models. In this review, we critically evaluate rodent models and behavioural tests used to determine preclinical efficacy, and look to clinical research to provide a roadmap for developing improved translational measures. We highlight the dependence of preclinical models and tests on dopamine-centric theories of dysfunction and how this has contributed towards a self-reinforcing loop away from clinically meaningful predictions of efficacy. We review recent clinical findings of distinct dopamine-mediated dysfunction of corticostriatal circuits in patients with treatment-resistant vs. non-treatment-resistant schizophrenia and suggest criteria for establishing rodent models to reflect such differences, with a focus on objective, translational measures. Finally, we review current schizophrenia drug discovery and propose a framework where preclinical models are validated against objective, clinically informed measures and preclinical tests of efficacy map onto those used clinically.
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Jami SA, Cameron S, Wong JM, Daly ER, McAllister AK, Gray JA. Increased excitation-inhibition balance and loss of GABAergic synapses in the serine racemase knockout model of NMDA receptor hypofunction. J Neurophysiol 2021; 126:11-27. [PMID: 34038186 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00661.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
There is substantial evidence that both N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction and dysfunction of GABAergic neurotransmission contribute to schizophrenia, though the relationship between these pathophysiological processes remains largely unknown. Although models using cell-type-specific genetic deletion of NMDARs have been informative, they display overly pronounced phenotypes extending beyond those of schizophrenia. Here, we used the serine racemase knockout (SRKO) mice, a model of reduced NMDAR activity rather than complete receptor elimination, to examine the link between NMDAR hypofunction and decreased GABAergic inhibition. The SRKO mice, in which there is a >90% reduction in the NMDAR coagonist d-serine, exhibit many of the neurochemical and behavioral abnormalities observed in schizophrenia. We found a significant reduction in inhibitory synapses onto CA1 pyramidal neurons in the SRKO mice. This reduction increases the excitation/inhibition balance resulting in enhanced synaptically driven neuronal excitability without changes in intrinsic excitability. Consistently, significant reductions in inhibitory synapse density in CA1 were observed by immunohistochemistry. We further show, using a single-neuron genetic deletion approach, that the loss of GABAergic synapses onto pyramidal neurons observed in the SRKO mice is driven in a cell-autonomous manner following the deletion of SR in individual CA1 pyramidal cells. These results support a model whereby NMDAR hypofunction in pyramidal cells disrupts GABAergic synapses leading to disrupted feedback inhibition and impaired neuronal synchrony.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Recently, disruption of excitation/inhibition (E/I) balance has become an area of considerable interest for psychiatric research. Here, we report a reduction in inhibition in the serine racemase knockout mouse model of schizophrenia that increases E/I balance and enhances synaptically driven neuronal excitability. This reduced inhibition was driven cell-autonomously in pyramidal cells lacking serine racemase, suggesting a novel mechanism for how chronic NMDA receptor hypofunction can disrupt information processing in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shekib A Jami
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Scott Cameron
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Jonathan M Wong
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Emily R Daly
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, California
| | - A Kimberley McAllister
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, California.,Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, California.,Department of Neurology, University of California, Davis, California
| | - John A Gray
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, California.,Department of Neurology, University of California, Davis, California
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10
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Timing behavior in genetic murine models of neurological and psychiatric diseases. Exp Brain Res 2021; 239:699-717. [PMID: 33404792 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-020-06021-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
How timing behavior is altered in different neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders is a contemporary research question. Genetic murine models (GMM) that offer high construct validity also serve as useful tools to investigate this question. But the literature on timing behavior of different GMMs largely remains to be consolidated. The current paper addresses this gap by reviewing studies that have been conducted with GMMs of neurodevelopmental (e.g. ADHD, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder), neurodegenerative disorders (e.g., Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease) as well as circadian and other mutant lines. The review focuses on those studies that specifically utilized the peak interval procedure to improve the comparability of findings both within and between different disease models. The reviewed studies revealed timing deficits that are characteristic of different disorders. Specifically, Huntington's disease models had weaker temporal control over the termination of their anticipatory responses, Alzheimer's disease models had earlier timed responses, schizophrenia models had weaker temporal control, circadian mutants had shifted timed responses consistent with shifts in the circadian periods. The differences in timing behavior were less consistent for other conditions such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and mutations related to intellectual disability. We discuss the implications of these findings for the neural basis of an internal stopwatch. Finally, we make methodological recommendations for future research for improving the comparability of the timing behavior across different murine models.
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Go J, Ryu YK, Park HY, Choi DH, Choi YK, Hwang DY, Lee CH, Kim KS. NQO1 regulates pharmaco-behavioral effects of d-amphetamine in striatal dopaminergic system in mice. Neuropharmacology 2020; 170:108039. [PMID: 32165217 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) gene encodes a cytosolic flavoenzyme that catalyzes the two-electron reduction of quinones to hydroquinones. A polymorphic form of NQO1 is associated with mood disorders such as schizophrenia. However, the role of NQO1 in dopaminergic system has not yet been elucidated. To determine the role of NQO1 in the dopaminergic system, we investigated pharmaco-behavioral effects of d-amphetamine using NQO1-deficienct mice. According to our comparative study involving NQO1+/+ and NQO1-/- mice, NQO1 deficiency increased d-amphetamine-induced psychomotor activity and psychological dependency compared to wild-type mice. Basal and d-amphetamine-induced dopamine levels were also enhanced by NQO1 deficiency. In NQO1-/- mice, neural activation induced by d-amphetamine was higher in dorsolateral striatum, but not in dorsomedial and ventral striata. Although protein level of CaMKIIα, which is a key player in amphetamine-induced dopamine efflux, was decreased in striata of NQO1-/- mice, phosphorylation of CaMKIIα was markedly enhanced in NQO1-/- mice compared to wild-type mice. Interestingly, experiments with pharmacological antagonist showed that D2 antagonist-induced suppression of locomotion required activation of NQO1. Moreover, the rewarding effect in response to D1 agonist was increased by NQO1 deficiency. These results suggest that striatal NQO1 is of considerable interest to understand the mechanism of dopaminergic regulation of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Go
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomaterials Science, College of Natural Resources and Life Science/Life and Industry Convergence Research Institute, Pusan National University, Miryang, 50463, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Kyoung Ryu
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea; College of Biosciences & Biotechnology, Chung-Nam National University, Daejeon, 34134, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye-Yeon Park
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea; Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong-Hee Choi
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Keun Choi
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae Youn Hwang
- Department of Biomaterials Science, College of Natural Resources and Life Science/Life and Industry Convergence Research Institute, Pusan National University, Miryang, 50463, Republic of Korea
| | - Chul-Ho Lee
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea; Department of Functional Genomics, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea.
| | - Kyoung-Shim Kim
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea; Department of Functional Genomics, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea.
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Demin KA, Meshalkina DA, Volgin AD, Yakovlev OV, de Abreu MS, Alekseeva PA, Friend AJ, Lakstygal AM, Zabegalov K, Amstislavskaya TG, Strekalova T, Bao W, Kalueff AV. Developing zebrafish experimental animal models relevant to schizophrenia. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 105:126-133. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2018] [Revised: 07/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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13
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Belov DR, Efimova EV, Fesenko ZS, Antonova KA, Kolodyazhny SF, Lakstygal AM, Gainetdinov RR. Putative Trace-Amine Associated Receptor 5 (TAAR5) Agonist α-NETA Increases Electrocorticogram Gamma-Rhythm in Freely Moving Rats. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2019; 40:203-213. [DOI: 10.1007/s10571-019-00716-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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14
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Baradits M, Kakuszi B, Bálint S, Fullajtár M, Mód L, Bitter I, Czobor P. Alterations in resting-state gamma activity in patients with schizophrenia: a high-density EEG study. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2019; 269:429-437. [PMID: 29569047 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-018-0889-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Alterations of EEG gamma activity in schizophrenia have been reported during sensory and cognitive tasks, but it remains unclear whether changes are present in resting state. Our aim was to examine whether changes occur in resting state, and to delineate those brain regions where gamma activity is altered. Furthermore, we wanted to identify the associations between changes in gamma activity and psychopathological characteristics. We studied gamma activity (30-48 Hz) in 60 patients with schizophrenia and 76 healthy controls. EEGs were acquired in resting state with closed eyes using a high-density, 256-channel EEG-system. The two groups were compared in absolute power measures in the gamma frequency range. Compared to controls, in patients with schizophrenia the absolute power was significantly elevated (false discovery rate corrected p < 0.05). The alterations clustered into fronto-central and posterior brain regions, and were positively associated with the severity of psychopathology, measured by the PANSS. Changes in gamma activity can lead to disturbed coordination of large-scale brain networks. Thus, the increased gamma activity in certain brain regions that we found may result in disturbances in temporal coordination of task-free/resting-state networks in schizophrenia. Positive association of increased gamma power with psychopathology suggests that altered gamma activity provides a contribution to symptom presentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Máté Baradits
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis University, Balassa street 6, 1083, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Brigitta Kakuszi
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis University, Balassa street 6, 1083, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Sára Bálint
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis University, Balassa street 6, 1083, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Máté Fullajtár
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis University, Balassa street 6, 1083, Budapest, Hungary
| | - László Mód
- Department of Psychiatry, Szent Borbála Hospital, Tatabánya, Hungary
| | - István Bitter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis University, Balassa street 6, 1083, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Pál Czobor
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis University, Balassa street 6, 1083, Budapest, Hungary
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Chang H, Wei Y, Chen Y, Du L, Cong H, Zhang X, Geng X, Yin L. The antipsychotic-like effects of clozapine in C57BL/6 mice exposed to cuprizone: Decreased glial activation. Behav Brain Res 2019; 364:157-161. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2018] [Revised: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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16
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No effect of sex on ethanol intake and preference after dopamine transporter (DAT) knockdown in adult mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:1349-1365. [PMID: 30539268 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5144-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Dopamine levels are controlled in part by transport across the cell membrane by the dopamine transporter (DAT), and recent evidence showed that a polymorphism in the gene encoding DAT is associated with alcoholism. However, research in animal models using DAT knockout mice has yielded conflicting results. OBJECTIVES The present study was planned to evaluate the effects of DAT knockdown in the nucleus accumbens (Nacc) on voluntary ethanol consumption and preference in male and female C57BL/6J mice. METHODS For this purpose, animals were stereotaxically injected with DAT siRNA-expressing lentiviral vectors in the Nacc, and using a voluntary, continuous access two-bottle choice model of alcohol, we investigated the importance of accumbal DAT expression in voluntary alcohol intake and preference. We also investigated the effects of DAT knockdown on saccharin and quinine consumption and ethanol metabolism. RESULTS We show that females consumed more alcohol than males. Interestingly, DAT knockdown in the Nacc significantly decreased alcohol intake and preference in both groups, but no significant sex by group interaction was observed. Also, DAT knockdown did not alter total fluid consumption, saccharin or quinine consumption, or blood ethanol concentrations. Using Pearson correlation, results indicated a strong positive relationship between DAT mRNA expression and ethanol consumption and preference. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these data provide further evidence that DAT plays an important role in controlling ethanol intake and that accumbal DAT contributes in the modulation of the reinforcing effects of ethanol. Overall, the results suggest that DAT inhibitors may be valuable in the pharmacotherapy of alcoholism.
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Maeta K, Hattori S, Ikutomo J, Edamatsu H, Bilasy SE, Miyakawa T, Kataoka T. Comprehensive behavioral analysis of mice deficient in Rapgef2 and Rapgef6, a subfamily of guanine nucleotide exchange factors for Rap small GTPases possessing the Ras/Rap-associating domain. Mol Brain 2018; 11:27. [PMID: 29747665 PMCID: PMC5946393 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-018-0370-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 04/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapgef2 and Rapgef6 define a subfamily of guanine nucleotide exchange factors for Rap small GTPases, characterized by the possession of the Ras/Rap-associating domain. Previous genomic analyses suggested their possible involvement in the etiology of schizophrenia. We recently demonstrated the development of an ectopic cortical mass (ECM), which resembles the human subcortical band heterotopia, in the dorsal telencephalon-specific Rapgef2 conditional knockout (Rapgef2-cKO) brains. Additional knockout of Rapgef6 in Rapgef2-cKO mice resulted in gross enlargement of the ECM whereas knockout of Rapgef6 alone (Rapgef6-KO) had no discernible effect on the brain morphology. Here, we performed a battery of behavioral tests to examine the effects of Rapgef2 or Rapgef6 deficiency on higher brain functions. Rapgef2-cKO mice exhibited hyperlocomotion phenotypes. They showed decreased anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze and the open-field tests as well as increased depression-like behavior in the Porsolt forced swim and tail suspension tests. They also exhibited increased sociability especially in novel environments. They showed defects in cognitive function as evidenced by reduced learning ability in the Barnes circular maze test and by impaired working memory in the T maze tests. In contrast, although Rapgef6 and Rapgef2 share similarities in biochemical roles, Rapgef6-KO mice exhibited mild behavioral abnormalities detected with a number of behavioral tests, such as hyperlocomotion phenotype in the open-field test and the social interaction test with a novel environment and working-memory defects in the T-maze test. In conclusion, although there were differences in their brain morphology and the magnitude of the behavioral abnormalities, Rapgef2-cKO mice and Rapgef6-KO mice exhibited hyperlocomotion phenotype and working-memory defect, both of which could be recognized as schizophrenia-like behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhiro Maeta
- Division of Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, 650-0017 Japan
- Present address: Department of Neurotherapeutics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871 Japan
| | - Satoko Hattori
- Division of Systems Medical Science, Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192 Japan
| | - Junji Ikutomo
- Division of Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, 650-0017 Japan
| | - Hironori Edamatsu
- Division of Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, 650-0017 Japan
| | - Shymaa E. Bilasy
- Division of Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, 650-0017 Japan
- Present address: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, El-shikh Zayed, Ismailia, 41522 Egypt
| | - Tsuyoshi Miyakawa
- Division of Systems Medical Science, Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192 Japan
| | - Tohru Kataoka
- Division of Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, 650-0017 Japan
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18
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Salatino-Oliveira A, Rohde LA, Hutz MH. The dopamine transporter role in psychiatric phenotypes. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2018; 177:211-231. [PMID: 28766921 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Revised: 06/26/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The dopamine transporter (DAT) is one of the most relevant and investigated neurotransmitter transporters. DAT is a plasma membrane protein which plays a homeostatic role, controlling both extracellular and intracellular concentrations of dopamine (DA). Since unbalanced DA levels are known to be involved in numerous mental disorders, a wealth of investigations has provided valuable insights concerning DAT role into normal brain functioning and pathological processes. Briefly, this extensive but non-systematic review discusses what is recently known about the role of SLC6A3 gene which encodes the dopamine transporter in psychiatric phenotypes. DAT protein, SLC6A3 gene, animal models, neuropsychology, and neuroimaging investigations are also concisely discussed. To conclude, current challenges are reviewed in order to provide perspectives for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luis A Rohde
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Institute for Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mara H Hutz
- Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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19
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Pronounced Hyperactivity, Cognitive Dysfunctions, and BDNF Dysregulation in Dopamine Transporter Knock-out Rats. J Neurosci 2018; 38:1959-1972. [PMID: 29348190 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1931-17.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Revised: 01/07/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Dopamine (DA) controls many vital physiological functions and is critically involved in several neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The major function of the plasma membrane dopamine transporter (DAT) is the rapid uptake of released DA into presynaptic nerve terminals leading to control of both the extracellular levels of DA and the intracellular stores of DA. Here, we present a newly developed strain of rats in which the gene encoding DAT knockout Rats (DAT-KO) has been disrupted by using zinc finger nuclease technology. Male and female DAT-KO rats develop normally but weigh less than heterozygote and wild-type rats and demonstrate pronounced spontaneous locomotor hyperactivity. While striatal extracellular DA lifetime and concentrations are significantly increased, the total tissue content of DA is markedly decreased demonstrating the key role of DAT in the control of DA neurotransmission. Hyperactivity of DAT-KO rats can be counteracted by amphetamine, methylphenidate, the partial Trace Amine-Associated Receptor 1 (TAAR1) agonist RO5203648 ((S)-4-(3,4-Dichloro-phenyl)-4,5-dihydro-oxazol-2-ylamine) and haloperidol. DAT-KO rats also demonstrate a deficit in working memory and sensorimotor gating tests, less propensity to develop obsessive behaviors and show strong dysregulation in frontostriatal BDNF function. DAT-KO rats could provide a novel translational model for human diseases involving aberrant DA function and/or mutations affecting DAT or related regulatory mechanisms.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Here, we present a newly developed strain of rats in which the gene encoding the dopamine transporter (DAT) has been disrupted (Dopamine Transporter Knockout rats [DAT-KO rats]). DAT-KO rats display functional hyperdopaminergia accompanied by pronounced spontaneous locomotor hyperactivity. Hyperactivity of DAT-KO rats can be counteracted by amphetamine, methylphenidate, and a few other compounds exerting inhibitory action on dopamine-dependent hyperactivity. DAT-KO rats also demonstrate cognitive deficits in working memory and sensorimotor gating tests, less propensity to develop compulsive behaviors, and strong dysregulation in frontostriatal BDNF function. These observations highlight the key role of DAT in the control of brain dopaminergic transmission. DAT-KO rats could provide a novel translational model for human diseases involving aberrant dopamine functions.
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20
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Efimova EV, Gainetdinov RR, Budygin EA, Sotnikova TD. Dopamine transporter mutant animals: a translational perspective. J Neurogenet 2017; 30:5-15. [PMID: 27276191 DOI: 10.3109/01677063.2016.1144751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The dopamine transporter (DAT) plays an important homeostatic role in the control of both the extracellular and intraneuronal concentrations of dopamine, thereby providing effective control over activity of dopaminergic transmission. Since brain dopamine is known to be involved in numerous neuropsychiatric disorders, investigations using mice with genetically altered DAT function and thus intensity of dopamine-mediated signaling have provided numerous insights into the pathology of these disorders and novel pathological mechanisms that could be targeted to provide new therapeutic approaches for these disorders. In this brief overview, we discuss recent investigations involving animals with genetically altered DAT function, particularly focusing on translational studies providing new insights into pathology and pharmacology of dopamine-related disorders. Perspective applications of these and newly developed models of DAT dysfunction are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgeniya V Efimova
- a Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University , St. Petersburg , Russia ;,b Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology , Skolkovo , Moscow Region , Russia
| | - Raul R Gainetdinov
- a Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University , St. Petersburg , Russia ;,b Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology , Skolkovo , Moscow Region , Russia
| | - Evgeny A Budygin
- a Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University , St. Petersburg , Russia ;,c Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston-Salem , NC , USA
| | - Tatyana D Sotnikova
- a Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University , St. Petersburg , Russia
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21
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Beyer DKE, Freund N. Animal models for bipolar disorder: from bedside to the cage. Int J Bipolar Disord 2017; 5:35. [PMID: 29027157 PMCID: PMC5638767 DOI: 10.1186/s40345-017-0104-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2017] [Accepted: 09/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Bipolar disorder is characterized by recurrent manic and depressive episodes. Patients suffering from this disorder experience dramatic mood swings with a wide variety of typical behavioral facets, affecting overall activity, energy, sexual behavior, sense of self, self-esteem, circadian rhythm, cognition, and increased risk for suicide. Effective treatment options are limited and diagnosis can be complicated. To overcome these obstacles, a better understanding of the neurobiology underlying bipolar disorder is needed. Animal models can be useful tools in understanding brain mechanisms associated with certain behavior. The following review discusses several pathological aspects of humans suffering from bipolar disorder and compares these findings with insights obtained from several animal models mimicking diverse facets of its symptomatology. Various sections of the review concentrate on specific topics that are relevant in human patients, namely circadian rhythms, neurotransmitters, focusing on the dopaminergic system, stressful environment, and the immune system. We then explain how these areas have been manipulated to create animal models for the disorder. Even though several approaches have been conducted, there is still a lack of adequate animal models for bipolar disorder. Specifically, most animal models mimic only mania or depression and only a few include the cyclical nature of the human condition. Future studies could therefore focus on modeling both episodes in the same animal model to also have the possibility to investigate the switch from mania-like behavior to depressive-like behavior and vice versa. The use of viral tools and a focus on circadian rhythms and the immune system might make the creation of such animal models possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik K. E. Beyer
- Experimental and Molecular Psychiatry, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Nadja Freund
- Experimental and Molecular Psychiatry, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany
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22
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Gulchina Y, Xu SJ, Snyder MA, Elefant F, Gao WJ. Epigenetic mechanisms underlying NMDA receptor hypofunction in the prefrontal cortex of juvenile animals in the MAM model for schizophrenia. J Neurochem 2017. [PMID: 28628228 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SCZ) is characterized not only by psychosis, but also by working memory and executive functioning deficiencies, processes that rely on the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Because these cognitive impairments emerge prior to psychosis onset, we investigated synaptic function during development in the neurodevelopmental methylazoxymethanol (MAM) model for SCZ. Specifically, we hypothesize that N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction is attributable to reductions in the NR2B subunit through aberrant epigenetic regulation of gene expression, resulting in deficient synaptic physiology and PFC-dependent cognitive dysfunction, a hallmark of SCZ. Using western blot and whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology, we found that the levels of synaptic NR2B protein are significantly decreased in juvenile MAM animals, and the function of NMDARs is substantially compromised. Both NMDA-mEPSCs and synaptic NMDA-eEPSCs are significantly reduced in prelimbic PFC (plPFC). This protein loss during the juvenile period is correlated with an aberrant increase in enrichment of the epigenetic transcriptional repressor RE1-silencing transcription factor (REST) and the repressive histone marker H3K27me3 at the Grin2b promoter, as assayed by ChIP-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Glutamate hypofunction has been a prominent hypothesis in the understanding of SCZ pathology; however, little attention has been given to the NMDAR system in the developing PFC in models for SCZ. Our work is the first to confirm that NMDAR hypofunction is a feature of early postnatal development, with epigenetic hyper-repression of the Grin2b promoter being a contributing factor. The selective loss of NR2B protein and subsequent synaptic dysfunction weakens plPFC function during development and may underlie early cognitive impairments in SCZ models and patients. Read the Editorial Highlight for this article on page 264.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yelena Gulchina
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Song-Jun Xu
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Melissa A Snyder
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Felice Elefant
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Wen-Jun Gao
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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23
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Nakazawa K, Jeevakumar V, Nakao K. Spatial and temporal boundaries of NMDA receptor hypofunction leading to schizophrenia. NPJ SCHIZOPHRENIA 2017; 3:7. [PMID: 28560253 PMCID: PMC5441533 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-016-0003-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2016] [Revised: 11/17/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor hypofunction is one of the most prevalent models of schizophrenia. For example, healthy subjects treated with uncompetitive N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists elicit positive, negative, and cognitive-like symptoms of schizophrenia. Patients with anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis, which is likely caused by autoantibody-mediated down-regulation of cell surface N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, often experience psychiatric symptoms similar to schizophrenia initially. However, where and when N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor hypofunction occurs in the brain of schizophrenic patients is poorly understood. Here we review the findings from N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist and autoantibody models, postmortem studies on N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor subunits, as well as the global and cell-type-specific knockout mouse models of subunit GluN1. We compare various conditional GluN1 knockout mouse strains, focusing on the onset of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor deletion and on the cortical cell-types. Based on these results, we hypothesize that N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor hypofunction initially occurs in cortical GABAergic neurons during early postnatal development. The resulting GABA neuron maturation deficit may cause reduction of intrinsic excitability and GABA release, leading to disinhibition of pyramidal neurons. The cortical disinhibition in turn could elicit glutamate spillover and subsequent homeostatic down regulation of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor function in pyramidal neurons in prodromal stage. These two temporally-distinct N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor hypofunctions may be complimentary, as neither alone may not be able to fully explain the entire schizophrenia pathophysiology. Potential underlying mechanisms for N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor hypofunction in cortical GABA neurons are also discussed, based on studies of naturally-occurring N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists, neuregulin/ErbB4 signaling pathway, and theoretical analysis of excitatory/inhibitory balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazu Nakazawa
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL USA
| | - Vivek Jeevakumar
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL USA
| | - Kazuhito Nakao
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL USA
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Transmembrane protein 108 is required for glutamatergic transmission in dentate gyrus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:1177-1182. [PMID: 28096412 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1618213114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurotransmission in dentate gyrus (DG) is critical for spatial coding, learning memory, and emotion processing. Although DG dysfunction is implicated in psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, underlying pathological mechanisms remain unclear. Here we report that transmembrane protein 108 (Tmem108), a novel schizophrenia susceptibility gene, is highly enriched in DG granule neurons and its expression increased at the postnatal period critical for DG development. Tmem108 is specifically expressed in the nervous system and enriched in the postsynaptic density fraction. Tmem108-deficient neurons form fewer and smaller spines, suggesting that Tmem108 is required for spine formation and maturation. In agreement, excitatory postsynaptic currents of DG granule neurons were decreased in Tmem108 mutant mice, indicating a hypofunction of glutamatergic activity. Further cell biological studies indicate that Tmem108 is necessary for surface expression of AMPA receptors. Tmem108-deficient mice display compromised sensorimotor gating and cognitive function. Together, these observations indicate that Tmem108 plays a critical role in regulating spine development and excitatory transmission in DG granule neurons. When Tmem108 is mutated, mice displayed excitatory/inhibitory imbalance and behavioral deficits relevant to schizophrenia, revealing potential pathophysiological mechanisms of schizophrenia.
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25
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Research Domain Criteria versus DSM V: How does this debate affect attempts to model corticostriatal dysfunction in animals? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 76:301-316. [PMID: 27826070 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Revised: 09/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
For decades, the nosology of mental illness has been based largely upon the descriptions in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM). A recent challenge to the DSM approach to psychiatric nosology from the National Institute on Mental Health (USA) defines Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) as an alternative. For RDoC, psychiatric illnesses are not defined as discrete categories, but instead as specific behavioral dysfunctions irrespective of DSM diagnostic categories. This approach was driven by two primary weaknesses noted in the DSM: (1) the same symptoms occur in very different disease states; and (2) DSM criteria lack grounding in the underlying biological causes of mental illness. RDoC intends to ground psychiatric nosology in those underlying mechanisms. This review addresses the suitability of RDoC vs. DSM from the view of modeling mental illness in animals. A consideration of all types of psychiatric dysfunction is beyond the scope of this review, which will focus on models of conditions associated with frontostriatal dysfunction.
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26
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Seiriki K, Kasai A, Kuwaki T, Nakazawa T, Yamaguchi S, Hashimoto H. Critical involvement of the orbitofrontal cortex in hyperlocomotion induced by NMDA receptor blockade in mice. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2016; 480:558-563. [PMID: 27793672 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2016.10.089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2016] [Accepted: 10/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Glutamatergic N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors play critical roles in several neurological and psychiatric diseases. Blockade by noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist leads to psychotomimetic effects; however, the brain regions responsible for the effects are not well understood. Here, we determined the specific brain regions responsive to MK-801, a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist, by mapping Arc expression as an indicator of neuronal activity using Arc::dVenus reporter mice. MK-801 increased dVenus expression predominantly in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and, as expected, induced a marked hyperlocomotion. Local OFC lesions selectively attenuated the early phase (0-30 min) of MK-801-induced hyperlocomotion. Further, clozapine, an atypical antipsychotic, effectively attenuated both the MK-801-induced dVenus expression in the OFC and hyperlocomotion. These results suggest that the OFC may be critically involved in NMDA receptor-mediated psychotic-like behavioral abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaoru Seiriki
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Atsushi Kasai
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Takahiro Kuwaki
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Takanobu Nakazawa
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka University, 1-8 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Shun Yamaguchi
- Division of Morphological Neuroscience, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1194, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Hashimoto
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University and University of Fukui, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Division of Bioscience, Institute for Datability Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
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Ip JY, Sone M, Nashiki C, Pan Q, Kitaichi K, Yanaka K, Abe T, Takao K, Miyakawa T, Blencowe BJ, Nakagawa S. Gomafu lncRNA knockout mice exhibit mild hyperactivity with enhanced responsiveness to the psychostimulant methamphetamine. Sci Rep 2016; 6:27204. [PMID: 27251103 PMCID: PMC4890022 DOI: 10.1038/srep27204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2015] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The long noncoding RNA Gomafu/MIAT/Rncr2 is thought to function in retinal cell specification, stem cell differentiation and the control of alternative splicing. To further investigate physiological functions of Gomafu, we created mouse knockout (KO) model that completely lacks the Gomafu gene. The KO mice did not exhibit any developmental deficits. However, behavioral tests revealed that the KO mice are hyperactive. This hyperactive behavior was enhanced when the KO mice were treated with the psychostimulant methamphetamine, which was associated with an increase in dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. RNA sequencing analyses identified a small number of genes affected by the deficiency of Gomafu, a subset of which are known to have important neurobiological functions. These observations suggest that Gomafu modifies mouse behavior thorough a mild modulation of gene expression and/or alternative splicing of target genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Y Ip
- RNA Biology Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako 351-0198, Japan
| | - Masamitsu Sone
- RNA Biology Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako 351-0198, Japan
| | - Chieko Nashiki
- RNA Biology Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako 351-0198, Japan
| | - Qun Pan
- Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Kiyoyuki Kitaichi
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutics, Department of Biomedical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigakunishi, Gifu 501-1196, Japan
| | - Kaori Yanaka
- RNA Biology Laboratory, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako 351-0198, Japan
| | - Takaya Abe
- Laboratories of Animal Resource Development and Genetic Engineering, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, 2-2-3 Minatojima Minami, Chuou-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Keizo Takao
- Section of Behavior Patterns, Center for Genetic Analysis of Behavior, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Japan.,Division of Animal Resources and Development, Life Science Research Center, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Miyakawa
- Section of Behavior Patterns, Center for Genetic Analysis of Behavior, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Japan.,Division of Systems Medical Science, Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan
| | - Benjamin J Blencowe
- Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E1, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
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28
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Barz CS, Bessaih T, Abel T, Feldmeyer D, Contreras D. Altered resonance properties of somatosensory responses in mice deficient for the schizophrenia risk gene Neuregulin 1. Brain Struct Funct 2015; 221:4383-4398. [PMID: 26721794 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-015-1169-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2015] [Accepted: 12/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
To reveal the neuronal underpinnings of sensory processing deficits in patients with schizophrenia, previous studies have investigated brain activity in response to sustained sensory stimulation at various frequencies. This paradigm evoked neural activity at the stimulation frequency and harmonics thereof. During visual and auditory stimulation that elicited enhanced or 'resonant' responses in healthy controls, patients with schizophrenia displayed reduced activity. The present study sought to elucidate the cellular basis of disease-related deficits in sensory resonance properties using mice heterozygous for the schizophrenia susceptibility gene Neuregulin 1 (NRG1). We applied repetitive whisker stimulation at 1-15 Hz, a range relevant to whisking behavior in mice, and measured cellular activity in the primary somatosensory cortex. At frequencies where control mice displayed enhancements in measures of response magnitude and precision, NRG1 (+/-) mutants showed reductions. Our results demonstrate for the first time a link between a mutation of a schizophrenia risk gene and altered neuronal resonance properties in sensory cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia S Barz
- Function of Cortical Microcircuits Group, Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine, Research Centre Jülich, Leo-Brandt-Str., 52425, Jülich, Germany.
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
- Department of Neuropathology, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
- Department of Ophthalmology, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
- IZKF Aachen, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Thomas Bessaih
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UM CR18, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Paris, France
- INSERM, UMR-S 1130, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Paris, France
- CNRS, UMR 8246, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Paris, France
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Laboratoire Neuroscience Paris Seine, 9 quai Staint Bernard, Bat B, 5e etage, Case courrier 16, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Ted Abel
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
- 10-133 Smilow Center for Translational Research, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Building 421, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Dirk Feldmeyer
- Function of Cortical Microcircuits Group, Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine, Research Centre Jülich, Leo-Brandt-Str., 52425, Jülich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
- Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA)-Translational Brain Medicine, Aachen, Germany
| | - Diego Contreras
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 215 Stemmler Hall, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6074, USA
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29
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Garay RP, Bourin M, de Paillette E, Samalin L, Hameg A, Llorca PM. Potential serotonergic agents for the treatment of schizophrenia. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2015; 25:159-70. [DOI: 10.1517/13543784.2016.1121995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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30
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Harmeier A, Obermueller S, Meyer CA, Revel FG, Buchy D, Chaboz S, Dernick G, Wettstein JG, Iglesias A, Rolink A, Bettler B, Hoener MC. Trace amine-associated receptor 1 activation silences GSK3β signaling of TAAR1 and D2R heteromers. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 25:2049-61. [PMID: 26372541 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2015.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2015] [Revised: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) activation by selective endogenous agonists modulates dopaminergic neurotransmission. This results in antipsychotic-like behavior in vivo which might be initiated by an interaction of TAAR1 and dopamine D2L receptor (D2R). Here we analyzed the functional link between TAAR1 and D2R using highly potent and selective TAAR1 agonists, and newly generated tools such as TAAR1 knock-out and TAAR1 overexpressing rats as well as specific anti-rat TAAR1 antibodies. We provide data from co-immunoprecipitation experiments supporting a functional interaction of the two receptors in heterologous cells and in brain tissue. Interaction of TAAR1 with D2R altered the subcellular localization of TAAR1 and increased D2R agonist binding affinity. Using specific β-arrestin 2 (βArr2) complementation assays we show that the interaction of TAAR1 with D2R reduced βArr2 recruitment to D2R. In addition, we report that besides Gαs-protein signaling TAAR1 also signals via βArr2. In the presence of D2R, cAMP signaling of TAAR1 was reduced while its βArr2 signaling was enhanced, resulting in reduced GSK3β activation. These results demonstrate that βArr2 signaling may be an important pathway for TAAR1 function and that the activation of the TAAR1-D2R complex negatively modulates GSK3β signaling. Given that patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder show increased GSK3β signaling, such a reduction of GSK3β signaling triggered by the interaction of D2R with activated TAAR1 further supports TAAR1 as a target for the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Harmeier
- Neuroscience, Ophthalmology and Rare Diseases Discovery and Translational Area, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Obermueller
- Therapeutic Modalities, Discovery Technologies, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Claas A Meyer
- Therapeutic Modalities, Discovery Technologies, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Florent G Revel
- Neuroscience, Ophthalmology and Rare Diseases Discovery and Translational Area, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Daniele Buchy
- Neuroscience, Ophthalmology and Rare Diseases Discovery and Translational Area, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sylvie Chaboz
- Neuroscience, Ophthalmology and Rare Diseases Discovery and Translational Area, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Gregor Dernick
- Therapeutic Modalities, Discovery Technologies, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Joseph G Wettstein
- Neuroscience, Ophthalmology and Rare Diseases Discovery and Translational Area, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Antonio Iglesias
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Grenzacherstrasse 124, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Antonius Rolink
- Department of Biomedicine, Developmental and Molecular Immunology, Pharmazentrum, University of Basel, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Bernhard Bettler
- Department of Biomedicine, Institute of Physiology, Pharmazentrum, University of Basel, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marius C Hoener
- Neuroscience, Ophthalmology and Rare Diseases Discovery and Translational Area, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland.
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31
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Leypoldt F, Münchau A. Gardening gone awry: Aberrant spine pruning disrupts long-range networks. Mov Disord 2015; 30:1621. [PMID: 26293311 DOI: 10.1002/mds.26380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2015] [Revised: 07/17/2015] [Accepted: 07/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Frank Leypoldt
- Neuroimmunology, Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Department of Neurology, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Germany
| | - Alexander Münchau
- Institute of Neurogenetics, Universität of Lübeck and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Germany
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32
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Kato T, Kasahara T, Kubota-Sakashita M, Kato TM, Nakajima K. Animal models of recurrent or bipolar depression. Neuroscience 2015; 321:189-196. [PMID: 26265551 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Revised: 07/14/2015] [Accepted: 08/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Animal models of mental disorders should ideally have construct, face, and predictive validity, but current animal models do not always satisfy these validity criteria. Additionally, animal models of depression rely mainly on stress-induced behavioral changes. These stress-induced models have limited validity, because stress is not a risk factor specific to depression, and the models do not recapitulate the recurrent and spontaneous nature of depressive episodes. Although animal models exhibiting recurrent depressive episodes or bipolar depression have not yet been established, several researchers are trying to generate such animals by modeling clinical risk factors as well as by manipulating a specific neural circuit using emerging techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Kato
- Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan.
| | - T Kasahara
- Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan
| | - M Kubota-Sakashita
- Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan
| | - T M Kato
- Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan
| | - K Nakajima
- Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan
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33
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mTORC2/rictor signaling disrupts dopamine-dependent behaviors via defects in striatal dopamine neurotransmission. J Neurosci 2015; 35:8843-54. [PMID: 26063917 PMCID: PMC4461689 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0887-15.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Disrupted neuronal protein kinase B (Akt) signaling has been associated with dopamine (DA)-related neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, a devastating mental illness. We hypothesize that proper DA neurotransmission is therefore dependent upon intact neuronal Akt function. Akt is activated by phosphorylation of two key residues: Thr308 and Ser473. Blunted Akt phosphorylation at Ser473 (pAkt-473) has been observed in lymphocytes and postmortem brains of schizophrenia patients, and psychosis-prone normal individuals. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 2 (mTORC2) is a multiprotein complex that is responsible for phosphorylation of Akt at Ser473 (pAkt-473). We demonstrate that mice with disrupted mTORC2 signaling in brain exhibit altered striatal DA-dependent behaviors, such as increased basal locomotion, stereotypic counts, and exaggerated response to the psychomotor effects of amphetamine (AMPH). Combining in vivo and ex vivo pharmacological, electrophysiological, and biochemical techniques, we demonstrate that the changes in striatal DA neurotransmission and associated behaviors are caused, at least in part, by elevated D2 DA receptor (D2R) expression and upregulated ERK1/2 activation. Haloperidol, a typical antipsychotic and D2R blocker, reduced AMPH hypersensitivity and elevated pERK1/2 to the levels of control animals. By viral gene delivery, we downregulated mTORC2 solely in the dorsal striatum of adult wild-type mice, demonstrating that striatal mTORC2 regulates AMPH-stimulated behaviors. Our findings implicate mTORC2 signaling as a novel pathway regulating striatal DA tone and D2R signaling.
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34
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Spine pruning drives antipsychotic-sensitive locomotion via circuit control of striatal dopamine. Nat Neurosci 2015; 18:883-91. [PMID: 25938885 PMCID: PMC4459733 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2015] [Accepted: 04/08/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders may arise from anomalies in long-range neuronal connectivity downstream of pathologies in dendritic spines. However, the mechanisms that may link spine pathology to circuit abnormalities relevant to atypical behavior remain unknown. Using a mouse model to conditionally disrupt a critical regulator of the dendritic spine cytoskeleton, Arp2/3, we report here a molecular mechanism that unexpectedly reveals the interrelationship of progressive spine pruning, elevated frontal cortical excitation of pyramidal neurons, and striatal hyperdopaminergia within a cortical-to-midbrain circuit abnormality. The main symptomatic manifestations of this circuit abnormality are psychomotor agitation and stereotypical behaviors, which are relieved by antipsychotics. Moreover, antipsychotic-responsive locomotion can be directly mimicked in wildtype mice by optogenetic activation of this circuit. Collectively these results reveal molecular and neural-circuit mechanisms, illustrating how diverse pathologies may converge to drive behaviors relevant to psychiatric disorders.
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35
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Koch M, Schmiedt-Fehr C, Mathes B. Neuropharmacology of altered brain oscillations in schizophrenia. Int J Psychophysiol 2015; 103:62-8. [PMID: 25681533 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2015.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Impairments in spatial and temporal integration of brain network activity are a core feature of schizophrenia. Neural network oscillatory activity is considered to be fundamentally important in coordinating neural activity throughout the brain. Hence, exploration of brain oscillations has become an indispensible tool to study the neural basis of mental illnesses. However, most of the studies in schizophrenia include medicated patients. This implicates the question to what extent are changes in the electrophysiological parameters genuine illness effects, genuine drug effects or a mixture of both. We here provide a short overview of the neuropharmacology of brain oscillations with respect to schizophrenia. The core assumption of the so-called "pharmaco-EEG" approach is that drug effects on mental and cognitive functions are reflected in changes in quantitative EEG parameters. Hence, clinical efficacy of drugs might be predicted on the basis of the neuropharmacology of electrophysiological measures, such as brain oscillations. Vice versa, knowledge of drug effects on brain oscillations can be of essence in understanding schizophrenia. However, the current literature lacks systematic findings, because of at least two problems. First, the pharmacology of most antipsychotic drugs is complex including interactions with several transmitter receptors. Second, the neuropathology of schizophrenia still has no pathognomonic signature. Even though it is presently not possible to clearly dissociate drug- and illness effects in neural oscillations, this review emphasizes future studies to foster the understanding of this relationship in schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Koch
- Brain Research Institute, Dept. of Neuropharmacology, University of Bremen, Hochschulring 18, 28359 Bremen, Germany.
| | - Christina Schmiedt-Fehr
- Institute of Psychology and Cognition Research, University of Bremen, Grazerstr. 4, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Birgit Mathes
- Institute of Psychology and Cognition Research, University of Bremen, Grazerstr. 4, 28359 Bremen, Germany
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36
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Blum ID, Zhu L, Moquin L, Kokoeva MV, Gratton A, Giros B, Storch KF. A highly tunable dopaminergic oscillator generates ultradian rhythms of behavioral arousal. eLife 2014; 3. [PMID: 25546305 PMCID: PMC4337656 DOI: 10.7554/elife.05105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2014] [Accepted: 12/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Ultradian (∼4 hr) rhythms in locomotor activity that do not depend on the master circadian pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nucleus have been observed across mammalian species, however, the underlying mechanisms driving these rhythms are unknown. We show that disruption of the dopamine transporter gene lengthens the period of ultradian locomotor rhythms in mice. Period lengthening also results from chemogenetic activation of midbrain dopamine neurons and psychostimulant treatment, while the antipsychotic haloperidol has the opposite effect. We further reveal that striatal dopamine levels fluctuate in synchrony with ultradian activity cycles and that dopaminergic tone strongly predicts ultradian period. Our data indicate that an arousal regulating, dopaminergic ultradian oscillator (DUO) operates in the mammalian brain, which normally cycles in harmony with the circadian clock, but can desynchronize when dopamine tone is elevated, thereby producing aberrant patterns of arousal which are strikingly similar to perturbed sleep-wake cycles comorbid with psychopathology. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05105.001 The sleep-wake cycle of mammals is controlled by a ‘circadian clock’ within the brain, which is synchronized to the day–night cycle. However, other aspects of mammalian physiology including alertness and activity levels, as well as appetite and body temperature—fluctuate in cycles that repeat every few hours. These cycles are known as ultradian rhythms, and they may offer survival benefits by enabling potentially risky behaviors, such as foraging, to be coordinated between members of a group. Despite their widespread nature and the fact that they appear to be conserved in evolution, virtually nothing is known about the molecular basis of ultradian rhythms. Blum et al. have now identified a second internal clock within the brain, which they name ‘the DUO’, and shown that this clock normally works in concert with the circadian clock to regulate daily patterns of activity and alertness. Experiments in mice revealed that the DUO uses the brain chemical dopamine to generate bursts of activity roughly every four hours. Moreover, it continues to work when the circadian clock has been destroyed. Measurements of dopamine in freely moving mice showed that levels of the chemical fluctuate in synchrony with the animals' activity levels. Moreover, drugs that flood the brain with dopamine, such as methamphetamine, disrupt the 4-hour cycle by lengthening the period between bursts of activity, whereas drugs that block dopamine receptors have the opposite effect. As well as revealing a mechanism by which the brain coordinates processes that repeat several times per day, the identification of the DUO could also provide insights into the biological basis of psychiatric disorders. Conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are often accompanied by disturbances in patterns of activity and rest. While these have previously been attributed to the disruption of circadian rhythms, there is little direct evidence for this, which raises the possibility that these changes might instead reflect the disruption of ultradian rhythms. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05105.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian D Blum
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Lei Zhu
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Luc Moquin
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada
| | - Maia V Kokoeva
- Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Alain Gratton
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Bruno Giros
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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Milenkovic M, Mielnik CA, Ramsey AJ. NMDA receptor-deficient mice display sexual dimorphism in the onset and severity of behavioural abnormalities. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2014; 13:850-62. [PMID: 25327402 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2014] [Revised: 10/01/2014] [Accepted: 10/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-deficient mice can be used to understand the role that NMDA receptors (NMDARs) play in the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia. Genetically modified mice with low levels of NR1 subunit (NR1 knockdown mice) have reduced receptor levels throughout development, and have robust abnormalities in behaviours that are relevant to schizophrenia. We traced the onset and severity of these behaviours at three developmental stages to understand when in development the underlying circuits depend on intact NMDAR function. We examined social behaviour, working memory, executive function, locomotor activity and stereotypy at 3, 6 and 12 weeks of age in NR1 knockdown mice and their wild-type littermates. We discovered that each of these behaviours had a unique developmental trajectory in mutant mice, and males showed an earlier onset and severity than females in several behaviours. Hyperlocomotion was most substantial in juvenile mice and plateaued in adult mice, whereas stereotypy progressively worsened with age. Impairments in working memory and sociability were sexually dimorphic, with deficits first detected in peri-adolescent males but only detected in adult females. Interestingly, executive function was most impaired in peri-adolescent mice of either sex. Furthermore, while juvenile mutant mice had some ability to problem solve in the puzzle box test, the same mice lost this ability when tested 4 weeks later. Our studies highlight key developmental periods for males and females in the expression of behaviours that are relevant to psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Milenkovic
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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38
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Cisneros IE, Ghorpade A. Methamphetamine and HIV-1-induced neurotoxicity: role of trace amine associated receptor 1 cAMP signaling in astrocytes. Neuropharmacology 2014; 85:499-507. [PMID: 24950453 PMCID: PMC4315503 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2013] [Revised: 06/05/2014] [Accepted: 06/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Methamphetamine (METH) is abused by about 5% of the United States population with approximately 10-15% of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) patients reporting its use. METH abuse accelerates the onset and severity of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) and astrocyte-induced neurotoxicity. METH activates G-protein coupled receptors such as trace amine associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) increasing intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels in presynaptic cells of monoaminergic systems. In the present study, we investigated the effects of METH and HIV-1 on primary human astrocyte TAAR1 expression, function and glutamate clearance. Our results demonstrate combined conditions increased TAAR1 mRNA levels 7-fold and increased intracellular cAMP levels. METH and beta-phenylethylamine (β-PEA), known TAAR1 agonists, increased intracellular cAMP levels in astrocytes. Further, TAAR1 knockdown significantly reduced intracellular cAMP levels in response to METH/β-PEA, indicating signaling through astrocyte TAAR1. METH±HIV-1 decreased excitatory amino acid transporter-2 (EAAT-2) mRNA and significantly decreased glutamate clearance. RNA interference for TAAR1 prevented METH-mediated decreases in EAAT-2. TAAR1 knockdown significantly increased glutamate clearance, which was further heightened significantly by METH. Moreover, TAAR1 overexpression significantly decreased EAAT-2 levels and glutamate clearance that were further reduced by METH. Taken together, our data show that METH treatment activated TAAR1 leading to intracellular cAMP in human astrocytes and modulated glutamate clearance abilities. Furthermore, molecular alterations in astrocyte TAAR1 levels correspond to changes in astrocyte EAAT-2 levels and function. To our knowledge this is the first report implicating astrocyte TAAR1 as a novel receptor for METH during combined injury in the context of HAND.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irma E Cisneros
- Department of Cell Biology and Immunology, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA.
| | - Anuja Ghorpade
- Department of Cell Biology and Immunology, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA.
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39
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Clozapine acts as an agonist at serotonin 2A receptors to counter MK-801-induced behaviors through a βarrestin2-independent activation of Akt. Neuropsychopharmacology 2014; 39:1902-13. [PMID: 24531562 PMCID: PMC4059899 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2014.38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2013] [Revised: 02/10/2014] [Accepted: 02/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The G protein-coupled serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR) is a prominent target for atypical antipsychotic drugs, such as clozapine. Although clozapine is known to inhibit 5-HT2AR signaling through G protein-dependent mechanisms, it differs from classic GPCR antagonists, in that it also induces 5-HT2AR internalization and activates Akt signaling via a 5-HT2AR-mediated event. In this regard, clozapine may also be considered a functionally selective agonist. The cognate neurotransmitter at the 5-HT2AR, serotonin, also induces 5-HT2AR internalization and Akt phosphorylation. Serotonin promotes interactions with the scaffolding and regulatory protein, βarrestin2, which results in the recruitment and activation of Akt. These interactions prove to be critical for serotonin-induced, 5-HT2AR-mediated behavioral responses in mice. Herein, we sought to determine whether clozapine also utilizes βarrestin2-mediated mechanisms to induce 5-HT2AR signaling, and whether this interaction contributes to its behavioral effects in mice. We demonstrate that unlike serotonin, clozapine-mediated 5-HT2AR internalization and Akt phosphorylation is independent of receptor interactions with βarrestin2. Moreover, clozapine-mediated suppression of MK-801 and phencyclidine (PCP)-induced hyperlocomotion is βarrestin2 independent, although it is dependent upon Akt. These results demonstrate that pharmacologically oppositional ligands, serotonin and clozapine, utilize differential mechanisms to achieve the same 5-HT2AR-meadiated downstream events: Akt phosphorylation and receptor internalization. Although βarrestin2 has no effect on clozapine's actions in vivo, Akt phosphorylation is required for clozapine's efficacy in blocking MK-801- and PCP-induced models of schizophrenic behaviors in mice.
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Dopamine transporters govern diurnal variation in extracellular dopamine tone. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:E2751-9. [PMID: 24979798 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1407935111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The majority of neurotransmitter systems shows variations in state-dependent cell firing rates that are mechanistically linked to variations in extracellular levels, or tone, of their respective neurotransmitter. Diurnal variation in dopamine tone has also been demonstrated within the striatum, but this neurotransmitter is unique, in that variation in dopamine tone is likely not related to dopamine cell firing; this is largely because of the observation that midbrain dopamine neurons do not display diurnal fluctuations in firing rates. Therefore, we conducted a systematic investigation of possible mechanisms for the variation in extracellular dopamine tone. Using microdialysis and fast-scan cyclic voltammetry in rats, as well as wild-type and dopamine transporter (DAT) knock-out mice, we demonstrate that dopamine uptake through the DAT and the magnitude of subsecond dopamine release is inversely related to the magnitude of extracellular dopamine tone. We investigated dopamine metabolism, uptake, release, D2 autoreceptor sensitivity, and tyrosine hydroxylase expression and activity as mechanisms for this variation. Using this approach, we have pinpointed the DAT as a critical governor of diurnal variation in extracellular dopamine tone and, as a consequence, influencing the magnitude of electrically stimulated dopamine release. Understanding diurnal variation in dopamine tone is critical for understanding and treating the multitude of psychiatric disorders that originate from perturbations of the dopamine system.
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Fujioka R, Nii T, Iwaki A, Shibata A, Ito I, Kitaichi K, Nomura M, Hattori S, Takao K, Miyakawa T, Fukumaki Y. Comprehensive behavioral study of mGluR3 knockout mice: implication in schizophrenia related endophenotypes. Mol Brain 2014; 7:31. [PMID: 24758191 PMCID: PMC4021612 DOI: 10.1186/1756-6606-7-31] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2014] [Accepted: 04/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background We previously performed systematic association studies of glutamate receptor gene family members with schizophrenia, and found positive associations of polymorphisms in the GRM3 (a gene of metabotropic glutamate receptor 3: mGluR3) with the disorder. Physiological roles of GRM3 in brain functions and its functional roles in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia remain to be resolved. Results We generated mGluR3 knockout (KO) mice and conducted comprehensive behavioral analyses. KO mice showed hyperactivity in the open field, light/dark transition, and 24-hour home cage monitoring tests, impaired reference memory for stressful events in the Porsolt forced swim test, impaired contextual memory in cued and contextual fear conditioning test, and impaired working memory in the T-Maze forced alternation task test. Hyperactivity and impaired working memory are known as endophenotypes of schizophrenia. We examined long-term synaptic plasticity by assessing long-term potentiation (LTP) in the CA1 region in the hippocampi of KO and wild-type (WT) mice. We observed no differences in the amplitude of LTP between the two genotypes, suggesting that mGluR3 is not essential for LTP in the CA1 region of the mouse hippocampus. As hyperactivity is typically associated with increased dopaminergic transmission, we performed in vivo microdialysis measurements of extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens of KO and WT mice. We observed enhancements in the methamphetamine (MAP)-induced release of dopamine in KO mice. Conclusions These results demonstrate that a disturbance in the glutamate-dopamine interaction may be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia-like behavior, such as hyperactivity in mGluR3 KO mice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Yasuyuki Fukumaki
- Division of Human Molecular Genetics, Research Center for Genetic Information, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.
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Moran PM, O'Tuathaigh CM, Papaleo F, Waddington JL. Dopaminergic function in relation to genes associated with risk for schizophrenia. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2014; 211:79-112. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63425-2.00004-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Yamashita N, Takahashi A, Takao K, Yamamoto T, Kolattukudy P, Miyakawa T, Goshima Y. Mice lacking collapsin response mediator protein 1 manifest hyperactivity, impaired learning and memory, and impaired prepulse inhibition. Front Behav Neurosci 2013; 7:216. [PMID: 24409129 PMCID: PMC3873514 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2013] [Accepted: 12/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Collapsin response mediator protein 1 (CRMP1) is one of the CRMP family members that are involved in various aspects of neuronal development such as axonal guidance and neuronal migration. Here we provide evidence that crmp1 (-/-) mice exhibited behavioral abnormalities related to schizophrenia. The crmp1 (-/-) mice exhibited hyperactivity and/or impaired emotional behavioral phenotype. These mice also exhibited impaired context-dependent memory and long-term memory retention. Furthermore, crmp1 (-/-) mice exhibited decreased prepulse inhibition, and this phenotype was rescued by administration of chlorpromazine, a typical antipsychotic drug. In addition, in vivo microdialysis revealed that the methamphetamine-induced release of dopamine in prefrontal cortex was exaggerated in crmp1 (-/-) mice, suggesting that enhanced mesocortical dopaminergic transmission contributes to their hyperactivity phenotype. These observations suggest that impairment of CRMP1 function may be involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. We propose that crmp1 (-/-) mouse may model endophenotypes present in this neuropsychiatric disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoya Yamashita
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine Yokohama, Japan
| | - Aoi Takahashi
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine Yokohama, Japan
| | - Keizo Takao
- Section of Behavior Patterns, Center for Genetic Analysis of Behavior, National Institute for Physiological Sciences Okazaki, Japan ; Genetic Engineering and Functional Genomics Group, Frontier Technology Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University Kyoto, Japan ; Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency Kawaguchi, Japan
| | - Toshifumi Yamamoto
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychopharmacology, Graduate School of Nanobiosciences, Yokohama City University Yokohama, Japan
| | - Pappachan Kolattukudy
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Tsuyoshi Miyakawa
- Section of Behavior Patterns, Center for Genetic Analysis of Behavior, National Institute for Physiological Sciences Okazaki, Japan ; Genetic Engineering and Functional Genomics Group, Frontier Technology Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University Kyoto, Japan ; Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency Kawaguchi, Japan ; Division of Systems Medical Science, Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University Toyoake, Japan
| | - Yoshio Goshima
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine Yokohama, Japan
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Craveiro LM, Weinmann O, Roschitzki B, Gonzenbach RR, Zörner B, Montani L, Yee BK, Feldon J, Willi R, Schwab ME. Infusion of anti-Nogo-A antibodies in adult rats increases growth and synapse related proteins in the absence of behavioral alterations. Exp Neurol 2013; 250:52-68. [DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2013.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2013] [Revised: 09/10/2013] [Accepted: 09/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Revel FG, Moreau JL, Pouzet B, Mory R, Bradaia A, Buchy D, Metzler V, Chaboz S, Groebke Zbinden K, Galley G, Norcross RD, Tuerck D, Bruns A, Morairty SR, Kilduff TS, Wallace TL, Risterucci C, Wettstein JG, Hoener MC. A new perspective for schizophrenia: TAAR1 agonists reveal antipsychotic- and antidepressant-like activity, improve cognition and control body weight. Mol Psychiatry 2013; 18:543-56. [PMID: 22641180 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2012.57] [Citation(s) in RCA: 174] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe and highly complex mental illness. Current treatments manage the positive symptoms, yet have minimal effects on the negative and cognitive symptoms, two prominent features of the disease with critical impact on the long-term morbidity. In addition, antipsychotic treatments trigger serious side effects that precipitate treatment discontinuation. Here, we show that activation of the trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1), a modulator of monoaminergic neurotransmission, represents a novel therapeutic option. In rodents, activation of TAAR1 by two novel and pharmacologically distinct compounds, the full agonist RO5256390 and the partial agonist RO5263397, blocks psychostimulant-induced hyperactivity and produces a brain activation pattern reminiscent of the antipsychotic drug olanzapine, suggesting antipsychotic-like properties. TAAR1 agonists do not induce catalepsy or weight gain; RO5263397 even reduced haloperidol-induced catalepsy and prevented olanzapine from increasing body weight and fat accumulation. Finally, TAAR1 activation promotes vigilance in rats and shows pro-cognitive and antidepressant-like properties in rodent and primate models. These data suggest that TAAR1 agonists may provide a novel and differentiated treatment of schizophrenia as compared with current medication standards: TAAR1 agonists may improve not only the positive symptoms but also the negative symptoms and cognitive deficits, without causing adverse effects such as motor impairments or weight gain.
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Affiliation(s)
- F G Revel
- Neuroscience Research, Pharmaceuticals Division, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland
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46
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Translational value of startle modulations. Cell Tissue Res 2013; 354:287-95. [DOI: 10.1007/s00441-013-1599-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2013] [Accepted: 02/21/2013] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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47
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Nogo and Nogo receptor: relevance to schizophrenia? Neurobiol Dis 2013; 54:150-7. [PMID: 23369871 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2013.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2012] [Revised: 01/14/2013] [Accepted: 01/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The membrane protein Nogo-A and its receptor NgR have been extensively characterized for their role in restricting axonal growth, regeneration, and plasticity in the central nervous system. Recent evidence suggests that Nogo and NgR might constitute candidate genes for schizophrenia susceptibility. In this article, we critically review the possibility that dysfunctions related to Nogo-A and NgR might contribute to increased risk for schizophrenia. To this end, we consider the most important insights that have emerged from human genetic and pathological studies and from experimental animal work. Furthermore, we discuss potential mechanisms of Nogo/NgR involvement in neural circuit development and stability, and how mutations or changes in expression levels of these proteins could be developmental risk factors contributing to schizophrenia.
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Wong P, Chang CCR, Marx CE, Caron MG, Wetsel WC, Zhang X. Pregnenolone rescues schizophrenia-like behavior in dopamine transporter knockout mice. PLoS One 2012; 7:e51455. [PMID: 23240026 PMCID: PMC3519851 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2012] [Accepted: 11/01/2012] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Pregnenolone belongs to a class of endogenous neurosteroids in the central nervous system (CNS), which has been suggested to enhance cognitive functions through GABA(A) receptor signaling by its metabolites. It has been shown that the level of pregnenolone is altered in certain brain areas of schizophrenic patients, and clozapine enhances pregnenolone in the CNS in rats, suggesting that pregnenolone could be used to treat certain symptoms of schizophrenia. In addition, early phase proof-of-concept clinical trials have indicated that pregnenolone is effective in reducing the negative symptoms and cognitive deficits of schizophrenia patients. Here, we evaluate the actions of pregnenolone on a mouse model for schizophrenia, the dopamine transporter knockout mouse (DAT KO). DAT KO mice mirror certain symptoms evident in patients with schizophrenia, such as the psychomotor agitation, stereotypy, deficits of prepulse inhibition and cognitive impairments. Following acute treatment, pregnenolone was found to reduce the hyperlocomotion, stereotypic bouts and pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) deficits in DAT KO mice in a dose-dependent manner. At 60 mg/kg of pregnenolone, there were no significant differences in locomotor activities and stereotypy between wild-type and DAT KO mice. Similarly, acute treatment of 60 mg/kg of pregnenolone fully rescued PPI deficits of DAT KO mice. Following chronic treatment with pregnenolone at 60 mg/kg, the cognitive deficits of DAT KO mice were rescued in the paradigms of novel object recognition test and social transmission of food preference test. Pregnenolone thus holds promise as a therapeutic candidate in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiyan Wong
- Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Cecilia Chin Roei Chang
- Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Christine E. Marx
- Durham VA Medical Center, Department of Veterans Affairs, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Marc G. Caron
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - William C. Wetsel
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Xiaodong Zhang
- Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- * E-mail:
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Revel FG, Moreau JL, Gainetdinov RR, Ferragud A, Velázquez-Sánchez C, Sotnikova TD, Morairty SR, Harmeier A, Groebke Zbinden K, Norcross RD, Bradaia A, Kilduff TS, Biemans B, Pouzet B, Caron MG, Canales JJ, Wallace TL, Wettstein JG, Hoener MC. Trace amine-associated receptor 1 partial agonism reveals novel paradigm for neuropsychiatric therapeutics. Biol Psychiatry 2012; 72:934-42. [PMID: 22705041 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2012] [Revised: 05/18/2012] [Accepted: 05/19/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Trace amines, compounds structurally related to classical biogenic amines, represent endogenous ligands of the trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1). Because trace amines also influence the activity of other targets, selective ligands are needed for the elucidation of TAAR1 function. Here we report on the identification and characterization of the first selective and potent TAAR1 partial agonist. METHODS The TAAR1 partial agonist RO5203648 was evaluated for its binding affinity and functional activity at rodent and primate TAAR1 receptors stably expressed in HEK293 cells, for its physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties, for its effects on the firing frequency of monoaminergic neurons ex vivo, and for its properties in vivo with genetic and pharmacological models of central nervous system disorders. RESULTS RO5203648 showed high affinity and potency at TAAR1, high selectivity versus other targets, and favorable pharmacokinetic properties. In mouse brain slices, RO5203648 increased the firing frequency of dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area and the dorsal raphe nucleus, respectively. In various behavioral paradigms in rodents and monkeys, RO5203648 demonstrated clear antipsychotic- and antidepressant-like activities as well as potential anxiolytic-like properties. Furthermore, it attenuated drug-taking behavior and was highly effective in promoting attention, cognitive performance, and wakefulness. CONCLUSIONS With the first potent and selective TAAR1 partial agonist, RO5203648, we show that TAAR1 is implicated in a broad range of relevant physiological, behavioral, and cognitive neuropsychiatric dimensions. Collectively, these data uncover important neuromodulatory roles for TAAR1 and suggest that agonists at this receptor might have therapeutic potential in one or more neuropsychiatric domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florent G Revel
- Neuroscience Research, Pharmaceuticals Division, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Basel, Switzerland
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50
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Williams AA, Ingram WM, Levine S, Resnik J, Kamel CM, Lish JR, Elizalde DI, Janowski SA, Shoker J, Kozlenkov A, González-Maeso J, Gallitano AL. Reduced levels of serotonin 2A receptors underlie resistance of Egr3-deficient mice to locomotor suppression by clozapine. Neuropsychopharmacology 2012; 37:2285-98. [PMID: 22692564 PMCID: PMC3422493 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2012.81] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2011] [Revised: 04/06/2012] [Accepted: 04/26/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The immediate-early gene early growth response 3 (Egr3) is associated with schizophrenia and expressed at reduced levels in postmortem patients' brains. We have previously reported that Egr3-deficient (Egr3(-/-)) mice display reduced sensitivity to the sedating effects of clozapine compared with wild-type (WT) littermates, paralleling the heightened tolerance of schizophrenia patients to antipsychotic side effects. In this study, we have used a pharmacological dissection approach to identify a neurotransmitter receptor defect in Egr3(-/-) mice that may mediate their resistance to the locomotor suppressive effects of clozapine. We report that this response is specific to second-generation antipsychotic agents (SGAs), as first-generation medications suppress the locomotor activity of Egr3(-/-) and WT mice to a similar degree. Further, in contrast to the leading theory that sedation by clozapine results from anti-histaminergic effects, we show that H1 histamine receptors are not responsible for this effect in C57BL/6 mice. Instead, selective serotonin 2A receptor (5HT(2A)R) antagonists ketanserin and MDL-11939 replicate the effect of SGAs, repressing the activity in WT mice at a dosage that fails to suppress the activity of Egr3(-/-) mice. Radioligand binding revealed nearly 70% reduction in 5HT(2A)R expression in the prefrontal cortex of Egr3(-/-) mice compared with controls. Egr3(-/-) mice also exhibit a decreased head-twitch response to 5HT(2A)R agonist 1-(2,5-dimethoxy 4-iodophenyl)-2-amino propane (DOI). These findings provide a mechanism to explain the reduced sensitivity of Egr3(-/-) mice to the locomotor suppressive effects of SGAs, and suggest that 5HT(2A)Rs may also contribute to the sedating properties of these medications in humans. Moreover, as the deficit in cortical 5HT(2A)R in Egr3(-/-) mice aligns with numerous studies reporting decreased 5HT(2A)R levels in the brains of schizophrenia patients, and the gene encoding the 5HT(2A)R is itself a leading schizophrenia candidate gene, these findings suggest a potential mechanism by which putative dysfunction in EGR3 in humans may influence risk for schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wendy M Ingram
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Life Sciences Addition, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Sarah Levine
- University of Arizona College of Medicine—Tucson, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Jack Resnik
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Christy M Kamel
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - James R Lish
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Diana I Elizalde
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Scott A Janowski
- University of Arizona College of Medicine—Tucson, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Joseph Shoker
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Alexey Kozlenkov
- Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Javier González-Maeso
- Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Amelia L Gallitano
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA
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