Brain dopamine and amino acid concentrations in Lurcher mutant mice

Pathophysiology of Cerebellar Degeneration in Mitochondrial Disorders: Insights from the Harlequin Mouse

By means of a proteomic approach, we assessed the pathways involved in cerebellar neurodegeneration in a mouse model (Harlequin, Hq) of mitochondrial disorder. A differential proteomic profile study (iTRAQ) was performed in cerebellum homogenates of male Hq and wild-type (WT) mice 8 weeks after the onset of clear symptoms of ataxia in the Hq mice (aged 5.2 ± 0.2 and 5.3 ± 0.1 months for WT and Hq, respectively), followed by a biochemical validation of the most relevant changes. Additional groups of 2-, 3- and 6-month-old WT and Hq mice were analyzed to assess the disease progression on the proteins altered in the proteomic study. The proteomic analysis showed that beyond the expected deregulation of oxidative phosphorylation, the cerebellum of Hq mice showed a marked astroglial activation together with alterations in Ca²⁺ homeostasis and neurotransmission, with an up- and downregulation of GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission, respectively, and the downregulation of cerebellar "long-term depression", a synaptic plasticity phenomenon that is a major player in the error-driven learning that occurs in the cerebellar cortex. Our study provides novel insights into the mechanisms associated with cerebellar degeneration in the Hq mouse model, including a complex deregulation of neuroinflammation, oxidative phosphorylation and glutamate, GABA and amino acids' metabolism.

Binge ethanol withdrawal: Effects on post-withdrawal ethanol intake, glutamate-glutamine cycle and monoamine tissue content in P rat model

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is a medical emergency situation which appears after abrupt cessation of ethanol intake. Decreased GABA-A function and increased glutamate function are known to exist in the AWS. However, the involvement of glutamate transporters in the context of AWS requires further investigation. In this study, we used a model of ethanol withdrawal involving abrupt cessation of binge ethanol administration (4 g/kg/gavage three times a day for three days) using male alcohol-preferring (P) rats. After 48 h of withdrawal, P rats were re-exposed to voluntary ethanol intake. The amount of ethanol consumed was measured during post-withdrawal phase. In addition, the expression of GLT-1, GLAST and xCT were determined in both medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). We also measured glutamine synthetase (GS) activity, and the tissue content of glutamate, glutamine, dopamine and serotonin in both mPFC and NAc. We found that binge ethanol withdrawal escalated post-withdrawal ethanol intake, which was associated with downregulation of GLT-1 expression in both mPFC and NAc. The expression of GLAST and xCT were unchanged in the ethanol-withdrawal (EW) group compared to control group. Tissue content of glutamate was significantly lower in both mPFC and NAc, whereas tissue content of glutamine was higher in mPFC but unchanged in NAc in the EW group compared to control group. The GS activity was unchanged in both mPFC and NAc. The tissue content of DA was significantly lower in both mPFC and NAc, whereas tissue content of serotonin was unchanged in both mPFC and NAc. These findings provide important information of the critical role of GLT-1 in context of AWS.

Reorganization of circuits underlying cerebellar modulation of prefrontal cortical dopamine in mouse models of autism spectrum disorder

Imaging, clinical, and pre-clinical studies have provided ample evidence for a cerebellar involvement in cognitive brain function including cognitive brain disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia. We previously reported that cerebellar activity modulates dopamine release in the mouse medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) via two distinct pathways: (1) cerebellum to mPFC via dopaminergic projections from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and (2) cerebellum to mPFC via glutamatergic projections from the mediodorsal and ventrolateral thalamus (ThN md and vl). The present study compared functional adaptations of cerebello-cortical circuitry following developmental cerebellar pathology in a mouse model of developmental loss of Purkinje cells (Lurcher) and a mouse model of fragile X syndrome (Fmr1 KO mice). Fixed potential amperometry was used to measure mPFC dopamine release in response to cerebellar electrical stimulation. Mutant mice of both strains showed an attenuation in cerebellar-evoked mPFC dopamine release compared to respective wildtype mice. This was accompanied by a functional reorganization of the VTA and thalamic pathways mediating cerebellar modulation of mPFC dopamine release. Inactivation of the VTA pathway by intra-VTA lidocaine or kynurenate infusions decreased dopamine release by 50 % in wildtype and 20-30 % in mutant mice of both strains. Intra-ThN vl infusions of either drug decreased dopamine release by 15 % in wildtype and 40 % in mutant mice of both strains, while dopamine release remained relatively unchanged following intra-ThN md drug infusions. These results indicate a shift in strength towards the thalamic vl projection, away from the VTA. Thus, cerebellar neuropathologies associated with autism spectrum disorders may cause a reduction in cerebellar modulation of mPFC dopamine release that is related to a reorganization of the mediating neuronal pathways.

Motor effects of delta 9 THC in cerebellar Lurcher mutant mice

The present study evaluated the effects of the principal active component of marijuana (delta 9 THC) on motor abilities and motor learning in mice with cerebellar dysfunction. For this purpose, spontaneous locomotor activity, equilibrium abilities, muscular tone, motor coordination and motor learning were investigated in Lurcher mutant and non-mutant B6/CBA mice 20 min after i.p. administration of 4 or 8 mg kg(-1) of delta 9 tetra hydro cannabinol (delta 9 THC). The performances were compared to those obtained by Lurcher and non-mutant mice injected with vehicle (Tween 80). The results showed that at the dose of 4 mg kg(-1) but not at the dose of 8 mg kg(-1), the cannabinoid (CB) substance reduced deficits in motor coordination, equilibrium and muscular tone and facilitated motor learning in Lurcher mice. On the other hand, only a muscular strength decrease was observed in control B6/CBA mice injected with the dose of 8 mg kg(-1) of delta 9 THC. These results suggested that cannabinoid derivative could represent a new field of investigation concerning the treatment of cerebellar ataxic syndrome in humans.

Spontaneous and induced mouse mutations with cerebellar dysfunctions: behavior and neurochemistry

Grid2(Lc) (Lurcher), Grid2(ho) (hot-foot), Rora(sg) (staggerer), nr (nervous), Agtpbp1(pcd) (Purkinje cell degeneration), Reln(rl) (reeler), and Girk2(Wv) (Weaver) are spontaneous mutations with cerebellar atrophy, ataxia, and deficits in motor coordination tasks requiring balance and equilibrium. In addition to these signs, the Dst(dt) (dystonia musculorum) spinocerebellar mutant displays dystonic postures and crawling. More recently, transgenic models with human spinocerebellar ataxia mutations and alterations in calcium homeostasis have been shown to exhibit cerebellar anomalies and motor coordination deficits. We describe neurochemical characteristics of these mutants with respect to regional brain metabolism as well as amino acid and biogenic amine concentrations, uptake sites, and receptors.

Distribution of serotonin, its metabolites and 5-HT transporters in the neostriatum of Lurcher and weaver mutant mice

Serotonin (5-HT) uptake sites, or transporters, were measured in the neostriatum (caudate putamen) of wild type (+/+) mice and heterozygous (wv/+) and homozygous (wv/wv) weaver, as well as in heterozygous Lurcher (Lc/+) mutants. These topological surveys were carried out by quantitative ligand binding autoradiography using the uptake site antagonist [3H]-citalopram as a probe of innervation densities in four quadrants of the rostral neostriatum and in two halves of the caudal neostriatum. In addition, tissue concentrations of 5-HT, 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid and 5-hydroxytryptophol were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection in these neostriatal divisions. In +/+ mice and in Lc/+ mutants there was a dorso-ventral gradient of increasing 5-HT levels, and they exhibited a similar heterogeneity of [3H]-citalopram labeling. In contrast, the gradients of 5-HT concentrations and [3H]-citalopram binding disappeared in the weaver mutants, suggesting a rearrangement of the 5-HT innervation. This reorganization of the 5-HT system in the neostriatum was more obvious in the wv/wv and is compatible with the hypothesis that the postnatal dopaminergic deficiencies that characterize weaver mutants lead to a sprouting of fibers and thus constitute a genetic model of dopaminergic denervation that leads to a 5-HT hyperinnervation.

Motor skills and motor learning in Lurcher mutant mice during aging

Motor learning abilities on the rotorod and motor skills (muscular strength, motor coordination, static and dynamic equilibrium) were investigated in three-, nine-, 15- and 21-month-old Lurcher and control mice. Animals were subjected to motor training on the rotorod before being subjected to motor skills tests. The results showed that control mice exhibited decrease of muscular strength and specific equilibrium impairments in static conditions with age, but were still able to learn the motor task on the rotorod even in old age. These results suggest that, in control mice, efficiency of the reactive mechanisms, which are sustained by the lower transcerebellar loop (cerebello-rubro-olivo-cerebellar loop), decreased with age, while the efficiency of the proactive adjustments, which are sustained by the upper transcerebellar loop (cerebello-thalamo-cortico-ponto-cerebellar loop), did not. In spite of their motor deficits, Lurcher mutants were able to learn the motor task at three months, but exhibited severe motor learning deficits as soon as nine months. Such a deficit seems to be associated with dynamic equilibrium impairments, which also appeared at nine months in these mutants. By two months of age, degeneration of the cerebellar cortex and the olivocerebellar pathway in Lurcher mice has disrupted both lower and upper transcerebellar loops. Disruption of the lower loop could well explain precocious static equilibrium deficits. However, in spite of disruption of the upper loop, motor learning and dynamic equilibrium were preserved in young mutant mice, suggesting that either deep cerebellar nuclei and/or other motor structures involved in proactive mechanisms needed to maintain dynamic equilibrium and to learn motor tasks, such as the striatopallidal system, are sufficient. The fact that, in Lurcher mutant mice, motor learning decreased by the age of nine months suggests that the above-mentioned structures are less efficient, likely due to degeneration resulting from precocious and focused neurodegeneration of the cerebellar cortex. From this behavioral approach of motor skills and motor learning during aging in Lurcher mutant mice, we postulated the differential involvement of two transcerebellar systems in equilibrium maintenance and motor learning. Moreover, in these mutants, we showed that motor learning abilities decreased with age, suggesting that the precocious degeneration of the cerebellar Purkinje cells had long-term effects on motor structures which are not primarily affected. Thus, from these results, Lurcher mutant mice therefore appear to be a good model to study the pathological evolution of progressive neurodegeneration in the central nervous system during aging.

Autoradiography of glutamate receptor binding in adult Lurcher mutant mice

The mutation Lurcher, resulting from a gain of malfunction of the delta2 glutamate receptor expressed specifically by cerebellar Purkinje cells, causes a primary total loss of these neurons of the cerebellar cortex, as well as the secondary degeneration of cerebellar granule and inferior olive neurons. The distributions of glutamate receptors sensitive to amino-methylisoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA), to kainic acid (KA), and to N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) as well as metabotropic sites (MET1 and MET2) were examined in wild type and Lurcher mice by quantitative autoradiography. This study was undertaken to determine the gene effect on the distribution of the various glutamate receptor subtypes, as well as how the cerebellar lesion affects the glutamatergic system in other brain regions. In cerebellum, there were postsynaptic AMPA and metabotropic receptors on Purkinje cells, postsynaptic NMDA receptors on granule cells, as well as KA receptors on granule cells or on parallel fibers. Taking into account surface areas, binding to all receptor subtypes was lower in the cerebellar cortex of Lurcher mutants than in wild type mice, while in the deep cerebellar nuclei only KA receptors were diminished. In other brain regions, the alterations followed always the same pattern characterized by a decrease of NMDA and KA receptors but with an increase of AMPA sites; these reciprocal changes were seen in thalamus. neostriatum, limbic regions, and motor cerebral cortical regions. Comparisons of glutamate receptor distribution in Lurcher mutants and in human autosomal cerebellar ataxia may permit further understanding of the role of glutamate-induced toxicity on neuronal death in these heredo-degenerative diseases.

Effects of buspirone on brain indoleamines and catecholamines in wild-type mice and Lurcher mutants

The effects of a chronic serotoninergic stimulation on brain monoamine levels and metabolism were studied in wild-type (+/+) mice and Lurcher (Lc/+) mutants. Endogenous serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline and some of their major metabolites were measured in the frontal cortex, neostriatum, thalamus, brainstem, cerebellum and spinal cord. In +/+ mice, buspirone (1 mg/kg; i.p.) treatment during 40 days increased indoleamines, albeit with moderate changes in the ratios between tissue serotonin metabolites and endogenous serotonin, augmented noradrenaline contents in the spinal cord, and caused elevations of dopamine metabolites in most regions. In Lc/+ mutants, the effects of buspirone were attenuated, but higher L-tryptophan and indoleamine levels, suggest a storage of serotonin in a non-releasable compartment. In the hypoplastic Lc/+ cerebellum, indoleamine content was accrued, but with a decreased [serotonin metabolites]/[serotonin] ratio, indicating that the reorganized nerve terminals in Lc/+ mutants although they can synthesize and accumulate serotonin, may not utilize it efficiently in synaptic transmission.

Discrimination of olfactory sexual cues in staggerer mutant male mice

Generally, staggerer male mice do not express any preference between oestrous and anoestrous female odours in a choice test situation. The staggerer ability to discriminate between these olfactory sexual cues was evaluated in an habituation-dishabituation paradigm. In this situation it was found that the staggerer mice discriminate between these two odours. The lack of sexual odour preference in staggerer male mice is discussed through hormonal and neurological interpretation.

Effects of dopaminergic agents and of an NMDA receptor antagonist on motor coordination in Lurcher mutant mice

Lurcher mutant mice, characterized by an ataxic gait and olivocerebellar degeneration, were evaluated for motor coordination in the coat-hanger test after peripheral injections of two doses of dextromethorphan, a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, L-dopa/carbidopa, and SKF 77434, a dopamine D1 receptor agonist. There was an improvement in the distance traveled on the suspended horizontal string after 25 and 50 mg/kg of dextromethorphan and 37.5 mg/kg of L-dopa/carbidopa, but not after SKF 77434. None of the drugs reduced movement times or increased latencies before falling. These results indicate that NMDA receptor antagonism or stimulation of some dopaminergic mechanisms partially improve genetically determined cerebellar ataxia in mice.

An unsteady platform test for measuring static equilibrium in mice

An unsteady platform test is presented in which mice must remain still on a narrow surface in order to prevent a fall. The mouse spontaneous mutation, Lurcher, causing cerebellar cortical degeneration, was evaluated on the unsteady platform, requiring balance in a stable body position (static equilibrium), as opposed to the stationary beam test, in which the animals are free to move on a larger surface (dynamic equilibrium). Lurcher mutants spent less time and had a higher number of slips than controls on the unsteady platform. In contrast, Lurcher mutants did not differ from controls for latencies before falling and distance travelled on the stationary beam. These results are discussed in terms of the possible involvement of two cerebellar circuits in motor control.

Serotonin innervation of Lurcher mutant mice: basic data and manipulation with a combination of amantadine, thiamine and L-tryptophan

The Lurcher (Lc/+) mutant mouse is characterized by a considerable atrophy of the cerebellum due to a massive loss of cerebellar Purkinje and granule cells, as well as of neurons from the inferior olivary nucleus. In this study the effects of a therapeutic combination of amantadine, thiamine and L-tryptophan on the serotonin (5-HT) innervation was assessed in Lurcher mice by autoradiography, using [3H]citalopram to label 5-HT transporters. In wild type mice as well as in both saline-treated and drug-treated Lurcher mutants, [3H]citalopram binding remained unchanged in forebrain and brainstem regions. In the cerebellum, labelling of deep cerebellar nuclei (CBnuc) was about twofold higher than in the cortex (CBctx). In saline-treated Lurcher mutants compared to wild type mice, the densities of [3H]citalopram were 98% higher in CBctx, and 180% higher in CBnuc. In CBctx of drug-treated Lurcher mutants, transporter densities were 89% higher than in the wild type, but did not differ from the saline-treated Lurcher. In the CBnuc of the drug-treated Lurcher mutants, [3H]citalopram binding was 50% higher than in the saline-treated Lurcher group, and 320% higher than in wild type mice. The results show that 5-HT transporters, already upregulated in the CBnuc of Lurcher mutant mice, can be further increased by a pharmacological treatment, possibly altering the availability of 5-HT in some of its target areas.

Grooming in Lurcher mutant mice

Lurcher mutant mice, characterized by degeneration of cerebellar Purkinje cells and granule cells, were compared to normal littermate controls for different facets of grooming and nongrooming behaviors after a brief period of water immersion. By comparison to normal controls, the number and the duration of several grooming components were decreased in Lurcher mutant mice, namely, licking the forelimb, the abdomen, the back, and the hindlimb. By contrast, the number and duration of body-shaking episodes were not reduced. Lurcher mutants had fewer grooming elements for bouts with at least five elements. However, the serial organization of grooming, as determined by the order of appearance of grooming elements, was maintained in Lurcher mutants. These results indicate that the cerebellar cortex is involved in the appearance of various grooming elements but not in the organization of the cephalocaudal sequence.