1
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Calvet C, Seebeck P. What to consider for ECG in mice-with special emphasis on telemetry. Mamm Genome 2023; 34:166-179. [PMID: 36749381 PMCID: PMC10290603 DOI: 10.1007/s00335-023-09977-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Genetically or surgically altered mice are commonly used as models of human cardiovascular diseases. Electrocardiography (ECG) is the gold standard to assess cardiac electrophysiology as well as to identify cardiac phenotypes and responses to pharmacological and surgical interventions. A variety of methods are used for mouse ECG acquisition under diverse conditions, making it difficult to compare different results. Non-invasive techniques allow only short-term data acquisition and are prone to stress or anesthesia related changes in cardiac activity. Telemetry offers continuous long-term acquisition of ECG data in conscious freely moving mice in their home cage environment. Additionally, it allows acquiring data 24/7 during different activities, can be combined with different challenges and most telemetry systems collect additional physiological parameters simultaneously. However, telemetry transmitters require surgical implantation, the equipment for data acquisition is relatively expensive and analysis of the vast number of ECG data is challenging and time-consuming. This review highlights the limits of non-invasive methods with respect to telemetry. In particular, primary screening using non-invasive methods can give a first hint; however, subtle cardiac phenotypes might be masked or compensated due to anesthesia and stress during these procedures. In addition, we detail the key differences between the mouse and human ECG. It is crucial to consider these differences when analyzing ECG data in order to properly translate the insights gained from murine models to human conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Calvet
- Zurich Integrative Rodent Physiology (ZIRP), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Petra Seebeck
- Zurich Integrative Rodent Physiology (ZIRP), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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2
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Integrated cardio-behavioral responses to threat define defensive states. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:447-457. [PMID: 36759559 PMCID: PMC9991919 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01252-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Fear and anxiety are brain states that evolved to mediate defensive responses to threats. The defense reaction includes multiple interacting behavioral, autonomic and endocrine adjustments, but their integrative nature is poorly understood. In particular, although threat has been associated with various cardiac changes, there is no clear consensus regarding the relevance of these changes for the integrated defense reaction. Here we identify rapid microstates that are associated with specific behaviors and heart rate dynamics, which are affected by long-lasting macrostates and reflect context-dependent threat levels. In addition, we demonstrate that one of the most commonly used defensive behavioral responses-freezing as measured by immobility-is part of an integrated cardio-behavioral microstate mediated by Chx10+ neurons in the periaqueductal gray. Our framework for systematic integration of cardiac and behavioral readouts presents the basis for a better understanding of complex neural defensive states and their associated systemic functions.
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3
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicja Puścian
- Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders – BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Pasteur 3 Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ewelina Knapska
- Nencki-EMBL Partnership for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders – BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Pasteur 3 Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
- Corresponding author
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4
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Bloch S, Holleran KM, Kash TL, Vazey EM, Rinker JA, Lebonville CL, O'Hara K, Lopez MF, Jones SR, Grant KA, Becker HC, Mulholland PJ. Assessing negative affect in mice during abstinence from alcohol drinking: Limitations and future challenges. Alcohol 2022; 100:41-56. [PMID: 35181404 PMCID: PMC8983487 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2022.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is frequently comorbid with mood disorders, and these co-occurring neuropsychiatric disorders contribute to the development and maintenance of alcohol dependence and relapse. In preclinical models, mice chronically exposed to alcohol display anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviors during acute withdrawal and protracted abstinence. However, in total, results from studies using voluntary alcohol-drinking paradigms show variable behavioral outcomes in assays measuring negative affective behaviors. Thus, the main objective of this review is to summarize the literature on the variability of negative affective behaviors in mice after chronic alcohol exposure. We compare the behavioral phenotypes that emerge during abstinence across different exposure models, including models of alcohol and stress interactions. The complicated outcomes from these studies highlight the difficulties of assessing negative affective behaviors in mouse models designed for the study of AUD. We discuss new behavioral assays, comprehensive platforms, and unbiased machine-learning algorithms as promising approaches to better understand the interaction between alcohol and negative affect in mice. New data-driven approaches in the understanding of mouse behavior hold promise for improving the identification of mechanisms, cell subtypes, and neurocircuits that mediate negative affect. In turn, improving our understanding of the neurobehavioral basis of alcohol-associated negative affect will provide a platform to test hypotheses in mouse models that aim to improve the development of more effective strategies for treating individuals with AUD and co-occurring mood disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solal Bloch
- Department of Neuroscience, Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, United States
| | - Katherine M Holleran
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, United States
| | - Thomas L Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | - Elena M Vazey
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, United States
| | - Jennifer A Rinker
- Department of Neuroscience, Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, United States
| | - Christina L Lebonville
- Department of Neuroscience, Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, United States
| | - Krysten O'Hara
- Department of Neuroscience, Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, United States
| | - Marcelo F Lopez
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, United States
| | - Sara R Jones
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, United States
| | - Kathleen A Grant
- Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, United States
| | - Howard C Becker
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, United States
| | - Patrick J Mulholland
- Department of Neuroscience, Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, United States.
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5
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Baran SW, Bratcher N, Dennis J, Gaburro S, Karlsson EM, Maguire S, Makidon P, Noldus LPJJ, Potier Y, Rosati G, Ruiter M, Schaevitz L, Sweeney P, LaFollette MR. Emerging Role of Translational Digital Biomarkers Within Home Cage Monitoring Technologies in Preclinical Drug Discovery and Development. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 15:758274. [PMID: 35242017 PMCID: PMC8885444 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.758274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In drug discovery and development, traditional assessment of human patients and preclinical subjects occurs at limited time points in potentially stressful surroundings (i.e., the clinic or a test arena), which can impact data quality and welfare. However, recent advances in remote digital monitoring technologies enable the assessment of human patients and preclinical subjects across multiple time points in familiar surroundings. The ability to monitor a patient throughout disease progression provides an opportunity for more relevant and efficient diagnosis as well as improved assessment of drug efficacy and safety. In preclinical in vivo animal models, these digital technologies allow for continuous, longitudinal, and non-invasive monitoring in the home environment. This manuscript provides an overview of digital monitoring technologies for use in preclinical studies including their history and evolution, current engagement through use cases, and impact of digital biomarkers (DBs) on drug discovery and the 3Rs. We also discuss barriers to implementation and strategies to overcome them. Finally, we address data consistency and technology standards from the perspective of technology providers, end-users, and subject matter experts. Overall, this review establishes an improved understanding of the value and implementation of digital biomarker (DB) technologies in preclinical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szczepan W. Baran
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, MA, United States
- *Correspondence: Szczepan W. Baran,
| | - Natalie Bratcher
- Office of Global Animal Welfare, AbbVie, North Chicago, IL, United States
| | - John Dennis
- United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | | | | | - Sean Maguire
- GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, PA, United States
| | - Paul Makidon
- Comparative Medicine, AbbVie, South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Lucas P. J. J. Noldus
- Noldus Information Technology BV, Wageningen, Netherlands
- Department of Biophysics, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Yohann Potier
- Tessera Therapeutics Inc., Cambridge, MA, United States
| | | | - Matt Ruiter
- Unified Information Devices Inc., Lake Villa, IL, United States
| | - Laura Schaevitz
- Recursion Pharmaceuticals Inc., Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Patrick Sweeney
- Actual Analytics Ltd., Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Naason Science, Inc., Cheongju-si, South Korea
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6
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Turley B, Swiercz AP, Iyer L, Marvar PJ. Internal state-dependent conditioned stimulus delivery using cardiovascular telemetry in mice. Physiol Behav 2021; 236:113414. [PMID: 33819454 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
To further understand mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disease(s) and their impact on physiological systems, improved pre-clinical models and innovative methodology are needed to assess the internal physiological state of the animal in real-time. To address this challenge we developed a customizable software-based program for Ponemah™ that takes into account the animals diurnal and resting cardiovascular state in a home-cage environment. Using an integrated Pavlovian fear conditioning and cardiovascular telemetry approach in mice, we demonstrate for the first time a novel software add-on application that can remotely trigger a conditioned stimulus (CS) (i.e., audible tone) based on the animals instantaneous cardiovascular state while in its home-cage environment. This new software tool extends the ability to quantify integrated physiological correlates of learned threat and defensive behavior and may aid in further understanding mechanisms related to enhanced cardiovascular and autonomic arousal in anxiety-based disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Turley
- Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, George Washington University, Washington DC, United States
| | - Adam P Swiercz
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, George Washington University, Washington DC, United States
| | - Laxmi Iyer
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, George Washington University, Washington DC, United States
| | - Paul J Marvar
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, George Washington University, Washington DC, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University, Washington DC, United States.
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7
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Volkmann P, Stephan M, Krackow S, Jensen N, Rossner MJ. PsyCoP - A Platform for Systematic Semi-Automated Behavioral and Cognitive Profiling Reveals Gene and Environment Dependent Impairments of Tcf4 Transgenic Mice Subjected to Social Defeat. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 14:618180. [PMID: 33519394 PMCID: PMC7841301 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.618180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, hundreds of risk genes associated with psychiatric disorders have been identified. These are thought to interact with environmental stress factors in precipitating pathological behaviors. However, the individual phenotypes resulting from specific genotype by environment (G×E) interactions remain to be determined. Toward a more systematic approach, we developed a novel standardized and partially automatized platform for systematic behavioral and cognitive profiling (PsyCoP). Here, we assessed the behavioral and cognitive disturbances in Tcf4 transgenic mice (Tcf4tg) exposed to psychosocial stress by social defeat during adolescence using a "two-hit" G×E mouse model. Notably, TCF4 has been repeatedly identified as a candidate risk gene for different psychiatric diseases and Tcf4tg mice display behavioral endophenotypes such as fear memory impairment and hyperactivity. We use the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) concept as framework to categorize phenotyping results in a translational approach. We propose two methods of dimension reduction, clustering, and visualization of behavioral phenotypes to retain statistical power and clarity of the overview. Taken together, our results reveal that sensorimotor gating is disturbed by Tcf4 overexpression whereas both negative and positive valence systems are primarily influenced by psychosocial stress. Moreover, we confirm previous reports showing that deficits in the cognitive domain are largely dependent on the interaction between Tcf4 and psychosocial stress. We recommend that the standardized analysis and visualization strategies described here should be applied to other two-hit mouse models of psychiatric diseases and anticipate that this will help directing future preclinical treatment trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Volkmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Marius Stephan
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany
| | - Sven Krackow
- Institute of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Niels Jensen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Moritz J Rossner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
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8
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Voikar V, Gaburro S. Three Pillars of Automated Home-Cage Phenotyping of Mice: Novel Findings, Refinement, and Reproducibility Based on Literature and Experience. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:575434. [PMID: 33192366 PMCID: PMC7662686 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.575434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal models of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders require extensive behavioral phenotyping. Currently, this presents several caveats and the most important are: (i) rodents are nocturnal animals, but mostly tested during the light period; (ii) the conventional behavioral experiments take into consideration only a snapshot of a rich behavioral repertoire; and (iii) environmental factors, as well as experimenter influence, are often underestimated. Consequently, serious concerns have been expressed regarding the reproducibility of research findings on the one hand, and appropriate welfare of the animals (based on the principle of 3Rs-reduce, refine and replace) on the other hand. To address these problems and improve behavioral phenotyping in general, several solutions have been proposed and developed. Undisturbed, 24/7 home-cage monitoring (HCM) is gaining increased attention and popularity as demonstrating the potential to substitute or complement the conventional phenotyping methods by providing valuable data for identifying the behavioral patterns that may have been missed otherwise. In this review, we will briefly describe the different technologies used for HCM systems. Thereafter, based on our experience, we will focus on two systems, IntelliCage (NewBehavior AG and TSE-systems) and Digital Ventilated Cage (DVC®, Tecniplast)-how they have been developed and applied during recent years. Additionally, we will touch upon the importance of the environmental/experimenter artifacts and propose alternative suggestions for performing phenotyping experiments based on the published evidence. We will discuss how the integration of telemetry systems for deriving certain physiological parameters can help to complement the description of the animal model to offer better translation to human studies. Ultimately, we will discuss how such HCM data can be statistically interpreted and analyzed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vootele Voikar
- Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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9
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Chen YC, Hsiao CC, Zheng WD, Lee RG, Lin R. Artificial neural networks-based classification of emotions using wristband heart rate monitor data. Medicine (Baltimore) 2019; 98:e16863. [PMID: 31415420 PMCID: PMC6831309 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000016863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Heart rate variability (HRV) is an objective measure of emotional regulation. This study aimed to estimate the accuracy with which an artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm could classify emotions using HRV data that were obtained using wristband heart rate monitors.Four emotions were evoked during gameplay: pleasure, happiness, fear, and anger. Seven normalized HRV features (i.e., 3 time-domain features, 3 frequency-domain features, and heart rate), which yielded 29,727 segments during gameplay, were collected and analyzed first by statistics and then classified by the trained ANN model.General linear model adjusted for individual differences in HRV showed that all HRV features significantly differed across emotions, despite disparities in their magnitudes and associations. When compared to neutral status (i.e., no emotion evoked), the mean of R-R interval was significantly higher for pleasure and fear but lower for happiness and anger. In addition, pleasure evidenced the HRV features that suggested a superior parasympathetic to sympathetic activation. Happiness was associated with a prominent sympathetic activation. These statistical findings suggest that HRV features significantly differ across emotions evoked by gameplay. When further utilizing ANN-based emotion classification, the accuracy rates for prediction were above 75.0% across the 4 emotions with accuracy rates for classification of paired emotions ranging from 82.0% to 93.4%.For classifying emotion in an individual person, the trained ANN model utilizing HRV features yielded a high accuracy rate in our study. ANN is a time-efficient and accurate means to classify emotions using HRV data obtained from wristband heart rate monitors. Thus, this integrated platform can help monitor and quantify human emotions and physiological biometrics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Chun Chen
- Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou Medical Center and College of Medicine, Chang-Gung University
- Dementia Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou Medical Center
| | - Chun-Chieh Hsiao
- Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University
- Department of Computer Information and Network Engineering, Lunghwa University of Science and Technology
| | - Wen-Dian Zheng
- Department of Computer Information and Network Engineering, Lunghwa University of Science and Technology
| | - Ren-Guey Lee
- Department of Electronic Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei
| | - Robert Lin
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Lunghwa University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan
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10
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Swiercz AP, Seligowski AV, Park J, Marvar PJ. Extinction of Fear Memory Attenuates Conditioned Cardiovascular Fear Reactivity. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:276. [PMID: 30483079 PMCID: PMC6244092 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by a heightened emotional and physiological state and an impaired ability to suppress or extinguish traumatic fear memories. Exaggerated physiological responses may contribute to increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in this population, but whether treatment for PTSD can offset CVD risk remains unknown. To further evaluate physiological correlates of fear learning, we used a novel pre-clinical conditioned cardiovascular testing paradigm and examined the effects of Pavlovian fear conditioning and extinction training on mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) responses. We hypothesized that a fear conditioned cardiovascular response could be detected in a novel context and attenuated by extinction training. In a novel context, fear conditioned mice exhibited marginal increases in MAP (∼3 mmHg) and decreases in HR (∼20 bpm) during CS presentation. In a home cage context, the CS elicited significant increases in both HR (100 bpm) and MAP (20 mmHg). Following extinction training, the MAP response was suppressed while CS-dependent HR responses were variable. These pre-clinical data suggest that extinction learning attenuates the acute MAP responses to conditioned stimuli over time, and that MAP and HR responses may extinguish at different rates. These results suggest that in mouse models of fear learning, conditioned cardiovascular responses are modified by extinction training. Understanding these processes in pre-clinical disease models and in humans with PTSD may be important for identifying interventions that facilitate fear extinction and attenuate hyper-physiological responses, potentially leading to improvements in the efficacy of exposure therapy and PTSD–CVD comorbidity outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam P Swiercz
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and Institute for Neuroscience, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | | | - Jeanie Park
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Division of Renal Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Paul J Marvar
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and Institute for Neuroscience, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
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11
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Dittrich L, Petese A, Jackson WS. The natural Disc1-deletion present in several inbred mouse strains does not affect sleep. Sci Rep 2017; 7:5665. [PMID: 28720848 PMCID: PMC5515846 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06015-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The gene Disrupted in Schizophrenia-1 (DISC1) is linked to a range of psychiatric disorders. Two recent transgenic studies suggest DISC1 is also involved in homeostatic sleep regulation. Several strains of inbred mice commonly used for genome manipulation experiments, including several Swiss and likely all 129 substrains, carry a natural deletion mutation of Disc1. This constitutes a potential confound for studying sleep in genetically modified mice. Since disturbed sleep can also influence psychiatric and neurodegenerative disease models, this putative confound might affect a wide range of studies in several fields. Therefore, we asked to what extent the natural Disc1 deletion affects sleep. To this end, we first compared sleep and electroencephalogram (EEG) phenotypes of 129S4 mice carrying the Disc1 deletion and C57BL/6N mice carrying the full-length version. We then bred Disc1 from C57BL/6N into the 129S4 background, resulting in S4-Disc1 mice. The differences between 129S4 and C57BL/6N were not detected in the 129S4 to S4-Disc1 comparison. We conclude that the mutation has no effect on the measured sleep and EEG characteristics. Thus, it is unlikely the widespread Disc1 deletion has led to spurious results in previous sleep studies or that it alters sleep in mouse models of psychiatric or neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Dittrich
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Str, 27 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Alessandro Petese
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Str, 27 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Walker S Jackson
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Sigmund-Freud-Str, 27 53127, Bonn, Germany.
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12
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Maier SU, Hare TA. Higher Heart-Rate Variability Is Associated with Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Activity and Increased Resistance to Temptation in Dietary Self-Control Challenges. J Neurosci 2017; 37:446-455. [PMID: 28077722 PMCID: PMC6596577 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2815-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Revised: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 11/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Higher levels of self-control in decision making have been linked to better psychosocial and physical health. A similar link to health outcomes has been reported for heart-rate variability (HRV), a marker of physiological flexibility. Here, we sought to link these two, largely separate, research domains by testing the hypothesis that greater HRV would be associated with better dietary self-control in humans. Specifically, we examined whether total HRV at sedentary rest (measured as the SD of normal-to-normal intervals) can serve as a biomarker for the neurophysiological adaptability that putatively underlies self-controlled behavior. We found that HRV explained a significant portion of the individual variability in dietary self-control, with individuals having higher HRV being better able to downregulate their cravings in the face of taste temptations. Furthermore, HRV was associated with activity patterns in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), a key node in the brain's valuation and decision circuitry. Specifically, individuals with higher HRV showed both higher overall vmPFC blood-oxygen-level-dependent activity and attenuated taste representations when presented with a dietary self-control challenge. Last, the behavioral and neural associations with HRV were consistent across both our stress induction and control experimental conditions. The stability of this association across experimental conditions suggests that HRV may serve as both a readily obtainable and robust biomarker for self-control ability across environmental contexts. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Self-control is associated with better health, but behavioral and psychometric self-control measures allow only indirect associations with health outcomes and may be distorted by reporting bias. We tested whether resting heart-rate variability (HRV), a physiological indicator of psychological and physical health, can predict individual differences in dietary self-control in humans. We found that higher HRV was associated with better self-control and improved predictions of choice behavior. Specifically, higher HRV was associated with more effective downregulation of taste temptations, and with a diminished neural representation of taste temptations during self-control challenges. Our results suggest that HRV may serve as an easily acquired, noninvasive, and low-cost biomarker for self-control ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia U Maier
- Department of Economics, Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research, University of Zurich, CH-8006 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Todd A Hare
- Department of Economics, Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research, University of Zurich, CH-8006 Zurich, Switzerland
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13
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Hsiao CY, Tsai HC, Chi MH, Chen KC, Chen PS, Lee IH, Yeh TL, Yang YK. The Association between Baseline Subjective Anxiety Rating and Changes in Cardiac Autonomic Nervous Activity in Response to Tryptophan Depletion in Healthy Volunteers. Medicine (Baltimore) 2016; 95:e3498. [PMID: 27175645 PMCID: PMC4902487 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000003498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of serotonin on anxiety and autonomic nervous system (ANS) function; the correlation between subjective anxiety rating and changes of ANS function following tryptophan depletion (TD) in healthy volunteers was examined. Twenty-eight healthy participants, consisting of 15 females and 13 males, with an average age of 33.3 years, were recruited.Baseline Chinese Symptom Checklist-90-Revised and ANS function measurements were taken. TD was carried out on the testing day, and participants provided blood samples right before and 5 hours after TD. ANS function, somatic symptoms, and Visual Analogue Scales (VASs) were determined after TD. Wilcoxon signed rank test and Spearman ρ correlation were adapted for analyses of the results.The TD procedure reduced total and free plasma tryptophan effectively. After TD, the sympathetic nervous activity increased and parasympathetic nervous activity decreased. Baseline anxiety ratings positively correlated with post-TD changes in sympathetic nervous activity, VAS ratings, and physical symptoms. However, a negative correlation with post-TD changes in parasympathetic nervous activity was found.The change in ANS function after TD was associated with the severity of anxiety in healthy volunteers. This supports the fact that the effect of anxiety on heart rate variability is related to serotonin vulnerability. Furthermore, it also shows that the subjective anxiety rating has a biological basis related to serotonin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih Yin Hsiao
- From the Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital (CYH, HCT, MHC, KCC, PSC, IHL, TLY, YKY), College of Medicine; Addiction Research Center (CYH, KCC, PSC, IHL, TLY, YKY), National Cheng Kung University, Tainan; Department of Psychiatry (HCT, KCC, YKY), National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Dou-Liou Branch, Yunlin; and Institute of Behavioral Medicine (YKY), College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
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14
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Liu J, Wei W, Kuang H, Tsien JZ, Zhao F. Heart rate and heart rate variability assessment identifies individual differences in fear response magnitudes to earthquake, free fall, and air puff in mice. PLoS One 2014; 9:e93270. [PMID: 24667366 PMCID: PMC3965551 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2013] [Accepted: 03/03/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear behaviors and fear memories in rodents have been traditionally assessed by the amount of freezing upon the presentation of conditioned cues or unconditioned stimuli. However, many experiences, such as encountering earthquakes or accidental fall from tree branches, may produce long-lasting fear memories but are behaviorally difficult to measure using freezing parameters. Here, we have examined changes in heartbeat interval dynamics as physiological readout for assessing fearful reactions as mice were subjected to sudden air puff, free-fall drop inside a small elevator, and a laboratory-version earthquake. We showed that these fearful events rapidly increased heart rate (HR) with simultaneous reduction of heart rate variability (HRV). Cardiac changes can be further analyzed in details by measuring three distinct phases: namely, the rapid rising phase in HR, the maximum plateau phase during which HRV is greatly decreased, and the recovery phase during which HR gradually recovers to baseline values. We showed that durations of the maximum plateau phase and HR recovery speed were quite sensitive to habituation over repeated trials. Moreover, we have developed the fear resistance index based on specific cardiac response features. We demonstrated that the fear resistance index remained largely consistent across distinct fearful events in a given animal, thereby enabling us to compare and rank individual mouse’s fear responsiveness among the group. Therefore, the fear resistance index described here can represent a useful parameter for measuring personality traits or individual differences in stress-susceptibility in both wild-type mice and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education), Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute and Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Wei Wei
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education), Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute and Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Hui Kuang
- Banna Biomedical Research Institute, Xi-Shuang-Ban-Na Prefecture, Yunnan, China
- Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute and Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Joe Z. Tsien
- Banna Biomedical Research Institute, Xi-Shuang-Ban-Na Prefecture, Yunnan, China
- Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute and Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JZT); (FZ)
| | - Fang Zhao
- Banna Biomedical Research Institute, Xi-Shuang-Ban-Na Prefecture, Yunnan, China
- Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute and Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JZT); (FZ)
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15
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Carnevali L, Trombini M, Graiani G, Madeddu D, Quaini F, Landgraf R, Neumann ID, Nalivaiko E, Sgoifo A. Low vagally-mediated heart rate variability and increased susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias in rats bred for high anxiety. Physiol Behav 2014; 128:16-25. [PMID: 24518868 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.01.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2013] [Revised: 01/15/2014] [Accepted: 01/26/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
In humans, there is a documented association between anxiety disorders and cardiovascular disease. Putative underlying mechanisms may include an impairment of the autonomic nervous system control of cardiac function. The primary objective of the present study was to characterize cardiac autonomic modulation and susceptibility to arrhythmias in genetic lines of rats that differ largely in their anxiety level. To reach this goal, electrocardiographic recordings were performed in high-anxiety behavior (HAB, n=10) and low-anxiety behavior (LAB, n=10) rats at rest, during stressful stimuli and under autonomic pharmacological manipulations, and analyzed by means of time- and frequency-domain indexes of heart rate variability. During resting conditions, HAB rats displayed a reduced heart rate variability, mostly in terms of lower parasympathetic (vagal) modulation compared to LAB rats. In HAB rats, this relatively low cardiac vagal control was associated with smaller heart rate responsiveness to acute stressors compared to LAB counterparts. In addition, beta-adrenergic pharmacological stimulation induced a larger incidence of ventricular tachyarrhythmias in HABs compared to LABs. At sacrifice, a moderate increase in heart-body weight ratio was observed in HAB rats. We conclude that high levels of anxiety-related behavior in rats are associated with signs of i) impaired autonomic modulation of heart rate (low vagally-mediated heart rate variability), ii) poor adaptive heart rate responsiveness to stressful stimuli, iii) increased arrhythmia susceptibility, and iv) cardiac hypertrophy. These results highlight the utility of the HAB/LAB model for investigating the mechanistic basis of the comorbidity between anxiety disorders and cardiovascular disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Gallia Graiani
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Parma, Italy
| | - Denise Madeddu
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Parma, Italy
| | - Federico Quaini
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Parma, Italy
| | | | - Inga D Neumann
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Germany
| | - Eugene Nalivaiko
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Andrea Sgoifo
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Italy
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16
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Chiou RJ, Kuo CC, Yen CT. Comparisons of terminal densities of cardiovascular function-related projections from the amygdala subnuclei. Auton Neurosci 2013; 181:21-30. [PMID: 24412638 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2013.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2013] [Revised: 11/16/2013] [Accepted: 12/10/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala is important in higher-level control of cardiovascular functions. In this study, we compared cardiovascular-related projections among the subnuclei of the amygdala. Biotinylated dextran amine was injected into the central, medial, and basolateral nuclei of the amygdala, and the distributions and densities of anterograde-labeled terminal boutons were analyzed. We found that the medial, basolateral, and central nuclei all had projections into the cardiovascular-related areas of the hypothalamus. However, only the central nucleus had a significant direct projection into the medulla. By contrast, the medial nucleus had limited projections, and the basolateral nucleus had no terminals extending into the medulla. We concluded that the medial, central, and basolateral nuclei of the amygdala may influence cardiovascular-related nuclei through monosynaptic connections with cardiovascular-related nuclei in the hypothalamus and medulla.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruei-Jen Chiou
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Chih Kuo
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, 701 Chung-Yang Road, Section 3, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Tung Yen
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, 1 Roosevelt Road, Section 4, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
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17
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Schmuckermair C, Gaburro S, Sah A, Landgraf R, Sartori SB, Singewald N. Behavioral and neurobiological effects of deep brain stimulation in a mouse model of high anxiety- and depression-like behavior. Neuropsychopharmacology 2013; 38:1234-44. [PMID: 23325324 PMCID: PMC3656366 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that high-frequency deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens (NAcb-DBS) may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for individuals suffering from treatment-resistant depression, although the underlying mechanisms of action remain largely unknown. In this study, using a unique mouse model of enhanced depression- and anxiety-like behavior (HAB), we investigated behavioral and neurobiological effects of NAcb-DBS. HAB mice either underwent chronic treatment with one of three different selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or received NAcb-DBS for 1 h per day for 7 consecutive days. Animals were tested in established paradigms revealing depression- and anxiety-related behaviors. The enhanced depression-like behavior of HAB mice was not influenced by chronic SSRI treatment. In contrast, repeated, but not single, NAcb-DBS induced robust antidepressant and anxiolytic responses in HAB animals, while these behaviors remained unaffected in normal depression/anxiety animals (NAB), suggesting a preferential effect of NAcb-DBS on pathophysiologically deranged systems. NAcb-DBS caused a modulation of challenge-induced activity in various stress- and depression-related brain regions, including an increase in c-Fos expression in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and enhanced hippocampal neurogenesis in HABs. Taken together, these findings show that the normalization of the pathophysiologically enhanced, SSRI-insensitive depression-like behavior by repeated NAcb-DBS was associated with the reversal of reported aberrant brain activity and impaired adult neurogenesis in HAB mice, indicating that NAcb-DBS affects neuronal activity as well as plasticity in a defined, mood-associated network. Thus, HAB mice may represent a clinically relevant model for elucidating the neurobiological correlates of NAcb-DBS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Schmuckermair
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, Leopold-Franzens-University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Stefano Gaburro
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, Leopold-Franzens-University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Anupam Sah
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, Leopold-Franzens-University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Simone B Sartori
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, Leopold-Franzens-University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and Centre for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), Leopold-Franzens-University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, Innsbruck 6020, Austria, Tel: +43 512 507 58803, Fax: +43 512 507 58889, E-mail: or
| | - Nicolas Singewald
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, Leopold-Franzens-University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and Centre for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), Leopold-Franzens-University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, Innsbruck 6020, Austria, Tel: +43 512 507 58803, Fax: +43 512 507 58889, E-mail: or
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18
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Meuth P, Gaburro S, Lesting J, Legler A, Herty M, Budde T, Meuth SG, Seidenbecher T, Lutz B, Pape HC. Standardizing the analysis of conditioned fear in rodents: a multidimensional software approach. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2013; 12:583-92. [PMID: 23566274 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2012] [Revised: 11/22/2012] [Accepted: 03/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Data comparability between different laboratories strongly depends on the individually applied analysis method. This factor is often a critical source of variation in rodent phenotyping and has never been systematically investigated in Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigms. In rodents, fear is typically quantified in terms of freezing duration via manual observation or automated systems. While manual analysis includes biases such as tiredness or inter-personal scoring variability, computer-assisted systems are unable to distinguish between freezing and immobility. Consequently, the novel software called MOVE follows a semi-automatized approach that prefilters video sequences of interest for the final human judgment. Furthermore, MOVE allows integrating additional data sources (e.g. force-sensitive platform, EEG) to reach the most accurate and precise results. MOVE directly supports multi-angle video recordings with webcams or standard laboratory equipment. The integrated manual key logger and internal video player complement this all-in-one software solution. Calculating the interlaboratory variability of manual freezing evaluation revealed significantly different freezing scores in two out of six laboratories. This difference was minimized when all experiments were analyzed with MOVE. Applied to a genetically modified mouse model, MOVE revealed higher fear responses of CB1 deficient mice compared to their wild-type littermates after foreground context fear conditioning. Multi-angle video analysis compared to the single-camera approach reached up to 15% higher accuracy and two fold higher precision. Multidimensional analysis provided by integration of additional data sources further improved the overall result. We conclude that the widespread usage of MOVE could substantially improve the comparability of results from different laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Meuth
- Institute of Physiology I, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
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19
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Oligodendroglial alpha-synucleinopathy and MSA-like cardiovascular autonomic failure: experimental evidence. Exp Neurol 2013; 247:531-6. [PMID: 23399889 PMCID: PMC3748345 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2013.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2012] [Revised: 01/30/2013] [Accepted: 02/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a fatal, rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease with limited symptomatic treatment options. Discrimination of MSA from other degenerative disorders crucially depends on the presence of early and severe cardiovascular autonomic failure (CAF). We have previously shown that neuropathologic lesions in the central autonomic nuclei similar to the human disease are present in transgenic MSA mice generated by targeted oligodendroglial overexpression of α-syn using the PLP promoter. We here explore whether such lesions result in abnormalities of heart rate variability (HRV) and circadian rhythmicity which are typically impaired in MSA patients. HRV analysis was performed in five month old transgenic PLP-α-syn (tg) MSA mice and age-matched wild type controls. Decreased HRV and alterations in the circadian rhythmicity were detected in the tg MSA group. The number of choline-acetyltransferase-immunoreactive neurons in the nucleus ambiguus was significantly decreased in the tg group, whereas the levels of arginine-vasopressin neurons in the suprachiasmatic and paraventricular nucleus were not affected. Our finding of impaired HRV and circadian rhythmicity in tg MSA mice associated with degeneration of the nucleus ambiguus suggests that a cardinal non-motor feature of human MSA can be reproduced in the mouse model strengthening its role as a valuable testbed for studying selective vulnerability and assessing translational therapies.
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20
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Sah A, Schmuckermair C, Sartori SB, Gaburro S, Kandasamy M, Irschick R, Klimaschewski L, Landgraf R, Aigner L, Singewald N. Anxiety- rather than depression-like behavior is associated with adult neurogenesis in a female mouse model of higher trait anxiety- and comorbid depression-like behavior. Transl Psychiatry 2012; 2:e171. [PMID: 23047242 PMCID: PMC3565824 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2012.94] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Adult neurogenesis has been implicated in affective disorders and the action of antidepressants (ADs) although the functional significance of this association is still unclear. The use of animal models closely mimicking human comorbid affective and anxiety disorders seen in the majority of patients should provide relevant novel information. Here, we used a unique genetic mouse model displaying higher trait anxiety (HAB) and comorbid depression-like behavior. We demonstrate that HABs have a lower rate of hippocampal neurogenesis and impaired functional integration of newly born neurons as compared with their normal anxiety/depression-like behavior (NAB) controls. In HABs, chronic treatment with the AD fluoxetine alleviated their higher depression-like behavior and protected them from relapse for 3 but not 7 weeks after discontinuation of the treatment without affecting neurogenesis. Similar to what has been observed in depressed patients, fluoxetine treatment induced anxiogenic-like effects during the early treatment phase in NABs along with a reduction in neurogenesis. On the other hand, treatment with AD drugs with a particularly strong anxiolytic component, namely the neurokinin-1-receptor-antagonist L-822 429 or tianeptine, increased the reduced rate of neurogenesis in HABs up to NAB levels. In addition, challenge-induced hypoactivation of dentate gyrus (DG) neurons in HABs was normalized by all three drugs. Overall, these data suggest that AD-like effects in a psychopathological mouse model are commonly associated with modulation of DG hypoactivity but not neurogenesis, suggesting normalization of hippocampal hypoactivity as a neurobiological marker indicating successful remission. Finally, rather than to higher depression-related behavior, neurogenesis seems to be linked to pathological anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Sah
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and Centre for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria,Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstrasse, Munich,Germany
| | - C Schmuckermair
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and Centre for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - S B Sartori
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and Centre for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - S Gaburro
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and Centre for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - M Kandasamy
- Institut für Molekulare Regenerative Medizin, Paracelsus Medizinische Privatuniversität, Strubergasse, Salzburg, Austria
| | - R Irschick
- Division of Neuroanatomy, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - L Klimaschewski
- Division of Neuroanatomy, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - R Landgraf
- Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstrasse, Munich,Germany
| | - L Aigner
- Institut für Molekulare Regenerative Medizin, Paracelsus Medizinische Privatuniversität, Strubergasse, Salzburg, Austria,Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg, Paracelsus Medical University, Strubergasse, Salzburg, Austria
| | - N Singewald
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and Centre for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, CCB - Center for Chemistry and Biomedicine, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80/82, 3rd floor, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. E-mail:
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21
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Paigen B, Svenson KL, Von Smith R, Marion MA, Stearns T, Peters LL, Smith AL. Physiological effects of housing density on C57BL/6J mice over a 9-month period. J Anim Sci 2012; 90:5182-92. [PMID: 22952366 DOI: 10.2527/jas.2012-5417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The NRC has consistently recommended floor space for animals used in science and agriculture. For mice, the recommended floor space is 77.4 cm(2) (12 in(2)) for a 15- to 25-g mouse. The NRC noted that its recommendations were based on "best professional judgment" and encouraged alternatives that were data driven. As part of a continual effort of The Jackson Laboratory to ensure the health and well-being of production and research mice, while promoting cost-effective, state-of-the-art research, several density-driven studies have been conducted by lab researchers. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of housing density on variables related to mouse physiology and air quality in cages and assess the value of specific measured variables in such studies. In the present study, we monitored C57BL/6J mice in individually ventilated cages from weaning until 9 mo of age. Housing densities were equivalent to 66.4 or 36.8 cm(2) per mouse (10.3 or 5.7 in(2)). Clinical physiological variables representing general health and well-being were measured. Hematological traits, plasma lipids, and glucose, growth, bone mineral density, and percent body fat did not differ between housing densities. In the more densely housed mice, however, adrenal glands were significantly smaller, heart rates were significantly less, and food consumption was less. Cage air microenvironment was evaluated for ammonia, carbon dioxide, temperature, and humidity in cages changed weekly or every 2 wk. The cage microenvironment remained within acceptable limits at the higher density of mice at both cage-changing frequencies. The results suggest that mice housed for as long as 9 mo at up to twice the density currently recommended by NRC show no measurable adverse effects. Continued re-evaluation of the recommendation by measuring additional relevant variables of health and general well-being, and studying additional strains of mice is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Paigen
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
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22
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Genetic strain differences in learned fear inhibition associated with variation in neuroendocrine, autonomic, and amygdala dendritic phenotypes. Neuropsychopharmacology 2012; 37:1534-47. [PMID: 22334122 PMCID: PMC3327858 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2011.340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Mood and anxiety disorders develop in some but not all individuals following exposure to stress and psychological trauma. However, the factors underlying individual differences in risk and resilience for these disorders, including genetic variation, remain to be determined. Isogenic inbred mouse strains provide a valuable approach to elucidating these factors. Here, we performed a comprehensive examination of the extinction-impaired 129S1/SvImJ (S1) inbred mouse strain for multiple behavioral, autonomic, neuroendocrine, and corticolimbic neuronal morphology phenotypes. We found that S1 exhibited fear overgeneralization to ambiguous contexts and cues, impaired context extinction and impaired safety learning, relative to the (good-extinguishing) C57BL/6J (B6) strain. Fear overgeneralization and impaired extinction was rescued by treatment with the front-line anxiety medication fluoxetine. Telemetric measurement of electrocardiogram signals demonstrated autonomic disturbances in S1 including poor recovery of fear-induced suppression of heart rate variability. S1 with a history of chronic restraint stress displayed an attenuated corticosterone (CORT) response to a novel, swim stressor. Conversely, previously stress-naive S1 showed exaggerated CORT responses to acute restraint stress or extinction training, insensitivity to dexamethasone challenge, and reduced hippocampal CA3 glucocorticoid receptor mRNA, suggesting downregulation of negative feedback control of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Analysis of neuronal morphology in key neural nodes within the fear and extinction circuit revealed enlarged dendritic arbors in basolateral amygdala neurons in S1, but normal infralimbic cortex and prelimbic cortex dendritic arborization. Collectively, these data provide convergent support for the utility of the S1 strain as a tractable model for elucidating the neural, molecular and genetic basis of persistent, excessive fear.
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