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Copenhaver AE, LeGates TA. Sex-Specific Mechanisms Underlie Long-Term Potentiation at Hippocampus→Medium Spiny Neuron Synapses in the Medial Shell of the Nucleus Accumbens. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e0100242024. [PMID: 38806250 PMCID: PMC11223474 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0100-24.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Sex differences have complicated our understanding of the neurobiological basis of many behaviors that are key for survival. As such, continued elucidation of the similarities and differences between sexes is necessary to gain insight into brain function and vulnerability. The connection between the hippocampus (Hipp) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a crucial site where modulation of neuronal activity mediates reward-related behavior. Our previous work demonstrated that long-term potentiation (LTP) of Hipp→NAc synapses is rewarding, and mice can establish learned associations between LTP of these synapses and the contextual environment in which LTP occurred. Here, we investigated sex differences in the mechanisms underlying Hipp→NAc LTP using whole-cell electrophysiology and pharmacology. We observed similarities in basal synaptic strength between males and females and found that LTP occurs postsynaptically with similar magnitudes in both sexes. However, key sex differences emerged as LTP in males required NMDA receptors (NMDAR), whereas LTP in females utilized an NMDAR-independent mechanism involving L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCCs) and estrogen receptor α (ERα). We also uncovered sex-similar features as LTP in both sexes depended on CaMKII activity and occurred independently of dopamine-1 receptor (D1R) activation. Our results have elucidated sex-specific molecular mechanisms for LTP in an integral pathway that mediates reward-related behaviors, emphasizing the importance of considering sex as a variable in mechanistic studies. Continued characterization of sex-specific mechanisms underlying plasticity will offer novel insight into the neurophysiological basis of behavior, with significant implications for understanding how diverse processes mediate behavior and contribute to vulnerability to developing psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley E Copenhaver
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), Baltimore, Maryland 21250
| | - Tara A LeGates
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), Baltimore, Maryland 21250
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
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Copenhaver AE, LeGates TA. Sex-specific mechanisms underlie long-term potentiation at hippocampus-nucleus accumbens synapses. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.15.575709. [PMID: 38293132 PMCID: PMC10827060 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.15.575709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Sex differences have complicated our understanding of the neurobiological basis of many behaviors that are key for survival. As such, continued elucidation of the similarities and differences between sexes is necessary in order to gain insight into brain function and vulnerability. The connection between the hippocampus (Hipp) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a crucial site where modulation of neuronal activity mediates reward-related behavior. Our previous work demonstrated that long-term potentiation (LTP) of Hipp-NAc synapses is rewarding, and that mice can make learned associations between LTP of these synapses and the contextual environment in which LTP occurred. Here, we investigate sex differences in the mechanisms underlying Hipp-NAc LTP using whole-cell electrophysiology and pharmacology. We found that males and females display similar magnitudes of Hipp-NAc LTP which occurs postsynaptically. However, LTP in females requires L-type voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels (VGCC) for postsynaptic Ca 2+ influx, while males rely on NMDA receptors (NMDAR). Additionally, females require estrogen receptor α (ERα) activity for LTP while males do not. These differential mechanisms converge as LTP in both sexes depends on CAMKII activity and occurs independently of dopamine-1 receptor (D1R) activation. Our results have elucidated sex-specific molecular mechanisms for LTP in an integral excitatory pathway that mediates reward-related behaviors, emphasizing the importance of considering sex as a variable in mechanistic studies. Continued characterization of sex-specific mechanisms underlying plasticity will offer novel insight into the neurophysiological basis of behavior, with significant implications for understanding how diverse processes mediate behavior and contribute to vulnerability to developing psychiatric disorders. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Strengthening of Hipp-NAc synapses drives reward-related behaviors. Male and female mice have similar magnitudes of long-term potentiation (LTP) and both sexes have a predicted postsynaptic locus of plasticity. Despite these similarities, we illustrate here that sex-specific molecular mechanisms are used to elicit LTP. Given the bidirectional relationship between Hipp-NAc synaptic strength in mediating reward-related behaviors, the use of distinct molecular mechanisms may explain sex differences observed in stress susceptibility or response to rewarding stimuli. Discovery and characterization of convergent sex differences provides mechanistic insight into the sex-specific function of Hipp-NAc circuitry and has widespread implications for circuits mediating learning and reward-related behavior.
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George SD, Archana R, Parasuraman S. Caloric Vestibular Stimulation Induced Enhancement of Behavior and Neurotrophic Factors in Chronic Mild Stress Induced Rats. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:834292. [PMID: 35600855 PMCID: PMC9118215 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.834292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Caloric Vestibular Stimulation (CVS) is a non-invasive technique for stimulating the vestibular system. The vestibular system maintains equilibrium and acts as a moderator of mood, emotional control, and stress levels. Stress is a disruption of psychological, behavioral, and physiological homeostasis that affects people of all ages in today's world. Thus, modest therapeutic procedures like vestibular stimulation can be practiced to effectively reduce stress. Hence, the purpose of the study was to determine the effect of vestibular stimulation on improving behavioral alterations and neurotrophic factors in rats exposed to Chronic Mild Stress (CMS). Methodology: The study employed 24 healthy male Sprague Dawley rats divided into four groups (n = 6). CMS was induced for 28 days with a variety of stimuli. Bilateral CVS with hot water (temperature ≈40°C) was started on Day 14 of CMS and continued for 15 days. On days 1, 15, and 28, locomotor activity (LA), wire grip strength (WGS), fall off time (FT), and immobilization time (IT) were measured, and the data were analyzed statistically. Additionally, neurotrophic factors such as Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Glial cell line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) were observed in rats' hippocampus. Results: On days 15 and 28, the CMS-induced group showed a significant reduction in LA, WGS, FT and IT in comparison to the control group. On day 28, the CVS-induced group demonstrated a significant increase in WGS, FT and IT when compared to the CMS group. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that animals subjected to CMS had decreased BDNF and GDNF expression compared to the control group, indicating neuronal dysfunction in the hippocampus in response to stress. However, therapy with CVS increased BDNF and GDNF expression, thereby regenerating damaged hippocampus nerve terminals. Conclusion: The findings of the current study revealed that CVS is a safe and simple neuroprotective treatment against stress and a promising non-invasive technique for overcoming the motor symptoms associated with it. The findings may pave the way for future research and therapeutic applications of CVS for stress management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherly Deborah George
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia, Melaka, Malaysia
- Department of Physiology, Saveetha Medical College, Saveetha Institute of Technical and Medical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai, India
- Unit of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, AIMST University, Kedah, Malaysia
| | - Rajagopalan Archana
- Department of Physiology, Saveetha Medical College, Saveetha Institute of Technical and Medical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai, India
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Deutschmann AU, Kirkland JM, Briand LA. Adolescent social isolation induced alterations in nucleus accumbens glutamate signalling. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13077. [PMID: 34278652 PMCID: PMC9206853 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to adversity during early childhood and adolescence increases an individual's vulnerability to developing substance use disorder. Despite the knowledge of this vulnerability, the mechanisms underlying it are still poorly understood. Excitatory afferents to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) mediate responses to both stressful and rewarding stimuli. Understanding how adolescent social isolation alters these afferents could inform the development of targeted interventions both before and after drug use. Here, we used social isolation rearing as a model of early life adversity which we have previously demonstrated increases vulnerability to cocaine addiction-like behaviour. The current study examined the effect of social isolation rearing on presynaptic glutamatergic transmission in NAc medium spiny neurons in both male and female mice. We show that social isolation rearing alters presynaptic plasticity in the NAc by decreasing the paired-pulse ratio and the size of the readily releasable pool of glutamate. Optogenetically activating the glutamatergic input from the ventral hippocampus to the NAc is sufficient to recapitulate the decreases in paired-pulse ratio and readily releasable pool size seen following electrical stimulation of all NAc afferents. Further, optogenetically inhibiting the ventral hippocampal afferent during electrical stimulation eliminates the effect of early life adversity on the paired-pulse ratio or readily releasable pool size. In summary, we demonstrate that social isolation rearing leads to alterations in glutamate transmission driven by projections from the ventral hippocampus. These data suggest that targeting the circuit from the ventral hippocampus to the nucleus accumbens could provide a means to reverse stress-induced plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lisa A. Briand
- Department of Psychology, Temple University,Neuroscience Program, Temple University
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Long-term behavioral and cell-type-specific molecular effects of early life stress are mediated by H3K79me2 dynamics in medium spiny neurons. Nat Neurosci 2021; 24:667-676. [PMID: 33723435 PMCID: PMC8216773 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00814-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Animals susceptible to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) exhibit depression-related behaviors, with aberrant transcription across several limbic brain regions, most notably in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Early life stress (ELS) promotes susceptibility to CSDS in adulthood, but associated enduring changes in transcriptional control mechanisms in the NAc have not yet been investigated. In this study, we examined long-lasting changes to histone modifications in the NAc of male and female mice exposed to ELS. Dimethylation of lysine 79 of histone H3 (H3K79me2) and the enzymes (DOT1L and KDM2B) that control this modification are enriched in D2-type medium spiny neurons and are shown to be crucial for the expression of ELS-induced stress susceptibility. We mapped the site-specific regulation of this histone mark genome wide to reveal the transcriptional networks it modulates. Finally, systemic delivery of a small molecule inhibitor of DOT1L reversed ELS-induced behavioral deficits, indicating the clinical relevance of this epigenetic mechanism.
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Alteba S, Mizrachi Zer-Aviv T, Tenenhaus A, Ben David G, Adelman J, Hillard CJ, Doron R, Akirav I. Antidepressant-like effects of URB597 and JZL184 in male and female rats exposed to early life stress. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2020; 39:70-86. [PMID: 32891517 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS) may increase predisposition to depression. Despite extensive research, there is still a lack of knowledge of how to optimally treat depression. We aimed to establish a role for the endocannabinoid (ECB) system within the hippocampal-nucleus accumbens (NAc) network as a possible effective target in combating the pathophysiological development of depression-like behavior and neuronal alterations that are precipitated by ELS. Male and female rats were exposed to ELS during post-natal days (P) 7-14, injected with the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor URB597 or the monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibitor JZL184 for 2 weeks during late-adolescence (P45-60). Rats were tested starting at P90 for depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors as well as social preference and recognition; alterations in FAAH and MAGL activity; the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF); and plasticity in the hippocampal-NAc pathway. FAAH and MAGL inhibitors during late-adolescence prevented: (i) the long-term effects of ELS on depression- and anxiety-like behavior and the impairment in social behavior and neuronal plasticity in males and females; (ii) ELS-induced alterations in MAGL activity in males' hippocampus and females' hippocampus and NAc; and (iii) ELS-induced alterations in BDNF in males' hippocampus and NAc and females' hippocampus. Significant correlations were observed between alterations in MAGL and BDNF levels and the behavioral phenotype. The findings suggest that alterations in MAGL activity and BDNF expression in the hippocampal-NAc network contribute to the depressive-like behavioral phenotype in ELS males and females. Moreover, the study suggests FAAH and MAGL inhibitors as potential intervention drugs for depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirley Alteba
- School of Psychological Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel; The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBR), University of Haifa, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
| | - Tomer Mizrachi Zer-Aviv
- School of Psychological Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel; The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBR), University of Haifa, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
| | - Adi Tenenhaus
- Department of Education and Psychology, The Open University of Israel, Israel
| | - Gilad Ben David
- Department of Education and Psychology, The Open University of Israel, Israel
| | - Jacob Adelman
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53226, USA
| | - Cecilia J Hillard
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53226, USA
| | - Ravid Doron
- Department of Education and Psychology, The Open University of Israel, Israel
| | - Irit Akirav
- School of Psychological Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel; The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBR), University of Haifa, Haifa, 3498838, Israel.
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D1- but not D2-like dopamine receptor antagonist in the CA1 region of the hippocampus reduced stress-induced reinstatement in extinguished morphine-conditioning place preference in the food-deprived rats. Behav Pharmacol 2020; 31:196-206. [DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Gaspar JC, Okine BN, Llorente-Berzal A, Roche M, Finn DP. Pharmacological Blockade of PPAR Isoforms Increases Conditioned Fear Responding in the Presence of Nociceptive Tone. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25041007. [PMID: 32102354 PMCID: PMC7070536 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25041007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are nuclear receptors with three isoforms (PPARα, PPARβ/δ, PPARγ) and can regulate pain, anxiety, and cognition. However, their role in conditioned fear and pain-fear interactions has not yet been investigated. Here, we investigated the effects of systemically administered PPAR antagonists on formalin-evoked nociceptive behaviour, fear-conditioned analgesia (FCA), and conditioned fear in the presence of nociceptive tone in rats. Twenty-three and a half hours following fear conditioning to context, male Sprague-Dawley rats received an intraplantar injection of formalin and intraperitoneal administration of vehicle, PPARα (GW6471), PPARβ/δ (GSK0660) or PPARγ (GW9662) antagonists, and 30 min later were re-exposed to the conditioning arena for 15 min. The PPAR antagonists did not alter nociceptive behaviour or fear-conditioned analgesia. The PPARα and PPARβ/δ antagonists prolonged context-induced freezing in the presence of nociceptive tone without affecting its initial expression. The PPARγ antagonist potentiated freezing over the entire trial. In conclusion, pharmacological blockade of PPARα and PPARβ/δ in the presence of formalin-evoked nociceptive tone, impaired short-term, within-trial fear-extinction in rats without affecting pain response, while blockade of PPARγ potentiated conditioned fear responding. These results suggest that endogenous signalling through these three PPAR isoforms may reduce the expression of conditioned fear in the presence of nociceptive tone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica C. Gaspar
- Pharmacology and Therapeutics Department, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland; (J.C.G.); (B.N.O.); (A.L.-B.)
- Galway Neuroscience Centre, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland;
- Centre for Pain Research, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland
| | - Bright N. Okine
- Pharmacology and Therapeutics Department, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland; (J.C.G.); (B.N.O.); (A.L.-B.)
- Galway Neuroscience Centre, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland;
- Centre for Pain Research, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland
| | - Alvaro Llorente-Berzal
- Pharmacology and Therapeutics Department, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland; (J.C.G.); (B.N.O.); (A.L.-B.)
- Galway Neuroscience Centre, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland;
- Centre for Pain Research, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland
| | - Michelle Roche
- Galway Neuroscience Centre, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland;
- Centre for Pain Research, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland
- Physiology Department, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland
| | - David P. Finn
- Pharmacology and Therapeutics Department, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland; (J.C.G.); (B.N.O.); (A.L.-B.)
- Galway Neuroscience Centre, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland;
- Physiology Department, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, H91 W5P7 Galway, Ireland
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +353-(0)91-495-280; Fax: +353-(0)91-495-586
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α7 nicotinic receptor full agonist reverse basolateral amygdala hyperactivity and attenuation of dopaminergic neuron activity in rats exposed to chronic mild stress. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2019; 29:1343-1353. [PMID: 31615702 PMCID: PMC6934081 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2019.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Neuroimaging and preclinical studies showing that nicotinic receptors (nAChR) may play a role in mood control has increased interest in targeting the cholinergic system for treatment of major depressive disorder. Indeed, modulation of nAChRs in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) are sufficient to produce an anti-immobility effect in the mouse tail suspension test. However, how α7 nAChR modulation impacts BLA neuronal activity in vivo as well as the downstream mechanisms involved in its mood-related effects are not understood. In this work, we used the unpredictable chronic mild stress (CMS) model to investigate the mechanisms underlying the antidepressant-like effect of an α7 nAChR full agonist on BLA-induced changes in dopaminergic neurotransmission. Male adult Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to four weeks of CMS. Behavioral and electrophysiological experiments were performed within one week following stress. CMS exposure increased rats' immobility time in the forced swimming test, decreased the number of spontaneously active dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area and increased the firing rate of putative projection neurons in the BLA. Stress-induced behavioral and electrophysiological changes were reversed by a single systemic administration of PNU282987. In summary, our findings corroborate previous descriptions of a potential rapid antidepressant effect for the α7 nAChR full agonist. This effect appears to involve a mechanism distinct from those of classic antidepressants: normalization of BLA hyperactivity and, consequently, of DA hypofunction. These observations corroborate the role of α7 nAChR as a potential target for novel antidepressant drug development.
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Grattan RE, Linscott RJ. Components of schizophrenia liability affect the growth of psychological stress sensitivity following major life events. Schizophr Res 2019; 212:134-139. [PMID: 31387827 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2019.07.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Revised: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Some argue that physiological and psychological stress sensitivities contribute causally to schizophrenia. Indeed, evidence shows that those with or at risk for schizophrenia have highly sensitive stress responses. However, it is unclear how psychological stress sensitivity develops. Our aim was to test whether psychological stress sensitization develops longitudinally in association with major life events and components of schizophrenia liability. We expected schizophrenia liability to predict higher psychological stress sensitivity; life events to predict subsequent increases in psychological stress sensitivity; and schizophrenia liability to moderate this relationship. METHODS In a prospective study, undergraduates (n = 184) completed a measure of schizophrenia liability at baseline. Then at 2-month intervals over 6 months, they reported on the occurrence of major life events and completed measures of psychological stress sensitivity. RESULTS Latent variable growth modelling showed that stress sensitivity increased following incident life events when controlling for baseline life events. Higher cognitive-perceptual and interpersonal scores predicted higher baseline sensitivity. Higher cognitive-perceptual features predicted larger increases in psychological stress sensitivity following life events whereas greater disorganization reduced growth. CONCLUSIONS This evidence is consistent with the idea that psychological sensitization is involved in the development of schizophrenia and suggests an important link between positive features of schizophrenia liability and the magnification of psychological stress sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca E Grattan
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Davis School of Medicine, University of California, Sacramento, CA, USA
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Sahraei H, Askaripour M, Esmaeilpour K, Shahsavari F, Rajabi S, Moradi-Kor N. GABA B receptor activation ameliorates spatial memory impairments in stress-exposed rats. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2019; 15:1497-1506. [PMID: 31213819 PMCID: PMC6549409 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s205951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective: Due to the prevalence of stress in modern life and its impact on spatial memory, the role of inhibitory systems in brain areas such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in reducing stress is important. The current study aimed to examine the response of NAc shell GABAB receptors to stress and the role of intraperitoneally (i.p.) and intra-NAc injection of the GABAB receptor agonist baclofen on spatial memory impairments in stress-exposed rats. Methods: Eighty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into ten groups (n=8): two were control groups for intra-NAc and i.p baclofen; two groups were subjected to stress and injected with saline (baclofen vehicle); three groups were given baclofen (1, 5, and 10 µg/rat) intra-NAc 5 mins before stress was induced; and three groups received baclofen (1, 5, and 10 mg/kg/i.p.) 30 mins before being subjected to stress. Foot-shock stress was applied for 7 consecutive days. Behavioral assays using the Barnes maze were performed 24 hrs after the last baclofen injection. Results: Both the intra-NAc and the i.p administration of baclofen dose-dependently reduced escape latency and total distance and increased velocity in the treatment groups in the training trials. In the probe test, the rats that had received 5 mg/kg of baclofen had the highest target frequency, but there no significant differences were observed in velocity, duration, or distance to the target between the groups. Conclusion: According to the findings, baclofen can dose-dependently improve spatial memory, and GABAB receptor in the NAc plays an important role in spatial memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hedayat Sahraei
- Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Majid Askaripour
- Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Khadijeh Esmaeilpour
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Shahsavari
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Shahid Bahonar University, Kerman, Iran
| | - Soodeh Rajabi
- Physiology Research Center and Department of Physiology, Institute of Basic and Clinical Physiology Sciences, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
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Park JY, Park SY, Kwon H, Song Y, Yun B, Lee Y, Cho Y, Joo A, Han PL. A Group of Descending Glutamatergic Neurons Activated by Stress in Corticolimbic Regions Project to the Nucleus Accumbens. Exp Neurobiol 2018; 27:387-396. [PMID: 30429648 PMCID: PMC6221842 DOI: 10.5607/en.2018.27.5.387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Revised: 10/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is the major component of the ventral striatum that regulates stress-induced depression. The NAc receives dopaminergic inputs from the ventral tegmental area (VTA), and the role of VTA-NAc neurons in stress response has been recently characterized. The NAc also receives glutamatergic inputs from various forebrain structures including the prelimbic cortex (PL), basolateral amygdala (BLA), and ventral hippocampus (vHIP), whereas the role of those glutamatergic afferents in stress response remains underscored. In the present study, we investigated the extent to which descending glutamatergic neurons activated by stress in the PL, BLA, and vHIP project to the NAc. To specifically label the input neurons into the NAc, fluorescent-tagged cholera toxin subunit B (CTB), which can be used as a retrograde neuronal tracer, was injected into the NAc. After two weeks, the mice were placed under restraint for 1 h. Subsequent histological analyses indicated that CTB-positive cells were detected in 170~680 cells/mm2 in the PL, BLA, and vHIP, and those CTB-positive cells were mostly glutamatergic. In the PL, BLA, and vHIP regions analyzed, stress-induced c-Fos expression was found in 20~100 cells/mm2. Among the CTB-positive cells, 2.6% in the PL, 4.2% in the BLA, and 1.1% in the vHIP were co-labeled by c-Fos, whereas among c-Fos-positive cells, 7.7% in the PL, 19.8% in the BLA, and 8.5% in the vHIP were co-labeled with CTB. These results suggest that the NAc receives a significant but differing proportion of glutamatergic inputs from the PL, BLA, and vHIP in stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Young Park
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - So Young Park
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - Hyejin Kwon
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - Yumi Song
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - Boin Yun
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - Yubin Lee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - Yeryung Cho
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - Ahran Joo
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - Pyung-Lim Han
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea.,Department of Chemistry and Nano Science, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
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Wisłowska-Stanek A, Płaźnik A, Kołosowska K, Skórzewska A, Turzyńska D, Liguz-Lęcznar M, Krząścik P, Gryz M, Szyndler J, Sobolewska A, Lehner M. Differences in the dopaminergic reward system in rats that passively and actively behave in the Porsolt test. Behav Brain Res 2018; 359:181-189. [PMID: 30366032 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.10.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Revised: 10/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The aim of the study was to assess appetitive responses and central dopaminergic neurotransmission in passive and active rats divided according to their immobility time in the Porsolt swim test and exposed to restraint stress. Passive rats had more episodes of appetitive 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalization (USV) during rat encounter after social isolation and spent significantly more time in the amphetamine-associated context in conditioned place preference test, compared to active rats. Restraint stress decreased sucrose preference, but increased appetitive vocalization and reinforced the conditioned place preference only in passive animals that was associated with increased dopamine concentration in the amygdala. Restraint stress increased also the level of Cocaine- and Amphetamine Regulated Transcript (CART) peptide, a neuromodulator linked to dopamine neurotransmission, in the central nucleus of amygdala, while decreasing it the nucleus accumbens shell in passive rats. In the parvocellular region of paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus passive animals had a higher expression of CART compared to passive restraint rats and active control rats. The obtained results show that active and passive rats in the Porsolt test differ significantly in response to appetitive stimuli, which can be additionally changed under stress conditions. The underlying mechanisms are probably associated with differences in dopaminergic activity and CART signaling in reward system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Wisłowska-Stanek
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, Centre For Preclinical Research and Technology (CEPT), 1B Banacha Street, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Adam Płaźnik
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, Centre For Preclinical Research and Technology (CEPT), 1B Banacha Street, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland; Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Karolina Kołosowska
- Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Skórzewska
- Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Danuta Turzyńska
- Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Monika Liguz-Lęcznar
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Paweł Krząścik
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, Centre For Preclinical Research and Technology (CEPT), 1B Banacha Street, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marek Gryz
- Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Janusz Szyndler
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, Centre For Preclinical Research and Technology (CEPT), 1B Banacha Street, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Alicja Sobolewska
- Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Lehner
- Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957, Warsaw, Poland
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14
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Components of schizophrenia liability are not uniformly associated with stress sensitivity, resilience, and coping. Psychiatry Res 2018; 260:10-16. [PMID: 29156295 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.11.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2017] [Revised: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 11/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Stress sensitization is a candidate final common pathway for the development of schizophrenia. In other psychopathologies, resilience attenuates the stressor-outcome relationships. Therefore, we sought to determine whether resilience moderates the association between stress sensitivity and schizophrenia liability. Undergraduates (n = 230) self-reported cognitive-perceptual, interpersonal, and disorganisation attributes of schizophrenia liability as well as ratings of sensitivity to stress, resilience, and dispositional coping behaviour. Bivariate analyses showed components of schizophrenia liability were significantly predicted by greater stress sensitivity, poor resilience and adaptive coping, and greater maladaptive coping behaviour. However, regression modelling suggested that cognitive-perceptual attributes were uniquely predicted by stress sensitivity in models that include resilience. In contrast, interpersonal attributes had a weaker relationship with stress sensitivity and were strongly predicted by poor resilience. In general, resilience did not moderate the relationship of stress sensitivity with schizophrenia liability. Unexpectedly, some specific attributes of resilience (personal strength, structured style) potentiated the relationship of stress sensitivity with schizophrenia liability. We conclude that the relationships of stress sensitivity, resilience, and coping with attributes of schizophrenia liability are not uniform and speculate that the pattern of associations may reflect the different influences of chronic stress exposures and neurocognitive functioning.
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Li G, Jing P, Liu Z, Li Z, Ma H, Tu W, Zhang W, Zhuo C. Beneficial effect of fluoxetine treatment aganist psychological stress is mediated by increasing BDNF expression in selected brain areas. Oncotarget 2017; 8:69527-69537. [PMID: 29050222 PMCID: PMC5642497 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.17891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 04/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
SSRI antidepressant fluoxetine is widely used to treat psychological stress related disorders, however the underlying working mechanisms is not fully understood, as SSRIs can rapidly increase the extracellular serotonin levels but it normally takes weeks to reveal their therapeutic effect in the stress-related psychological disorders. Our previous study demonstrated that purely psychological stress without any physic stimuli induces a biphasic change in the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which immediately decrease and then gradually increase after the stress; and that the latter BDNF increase in response to the psychological stress involves the activation of serotonin system. To investigate the role of BDNF in the fluoxetine treatment for stress-related psychological disorders, we examined the mRNA and protein levels of BDNF in the brain of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, which were pretreated with fluoxetine at 10 mg/kg or vehicle solution for 14 days, over 24 hour after an acute psychological stress exposure. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry were performed to detect the expression of BDNF at different time points in various brain regions after the psychological stress. We found that fluoxetine treatment completely blocked the BDNF decrease induced by the psychological stress, and also enhanced the gradual increase in the expression of BDNF in most of the brain regions except VTA after the psychological stress. The results suggest that the enhancement in BDNF levels induced by chronic fluoxetine treatment mediates the therapeutic effect against psychological stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gongying Li
- Insitute of Mental health, Jining Medical University, Jining, 272067, China
| | - Ping Jing
- Department of Psychiatry, Wenzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, 325000, China
| | - Zhidong Liu
- Tianjin Fourth Central Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300000, China
| | - Zhiruo Li
- Department of Neurology, The Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining, 272000, China
| | - Hongxia Ma
- Department of Psychiatry, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining, 272051, China
| | - Wenzhen Tu
- Department of Psychiatry, Wenzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, 325000, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Wenzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, 325000, China
| | - Chuanjun Zhuo
- Department of Psychiatry, Wenzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, 325000, China.,Insitute of Mental health, Jining Medical University, Jining, 272067, China.,Department of Psychiatric Neuroimaging Laboratory, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Tianjin Mental Health Center, Tianjin 300222, China.,Department of Psychiatry, Tianjin Anning Hospital, Tianjin 300300, China
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16
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Reguilón MD, Montagud-Romero S, Ferrer-Pérez C, Roger-Sánchez C, Aguilar MA, Miñarro J, Rodríguez-Arias M. Dopamine D 2 receptors mediate the increase in reinstatement of the conditioned rewarding effects of cocaine induced by acute social defeat. Eur J Pharmacol 2017; 799:48-57. [PMID: 28132915 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2017.01.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2016] [Revised: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 01/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Social stress modifies the activity of brain areas involved in the rewarding effects of psychostimulants, inducing neuroadaptations in the dopaminergic mesolimbic system and modifying the sensitivity of dopamine receptors. In the present study we evaluated the effect of the dopamine D1- and D2-like receptor antagonists (SCH23390 and raclopride, respectively) on the short-time effects of acute social defeat (ASD). Male OF1 mice were socially defeated before each conditioning session of the conditioned place preference (CPP) induced by 1mg/kg or 25mg/kg of cocaine plus the corresponding dopamine antagonist. A final experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of the dopamine antagonists on the CPP induced by 3mg/kg of cocaine with or without a stress experience. Mice exposed to ASD showed an increase in reinstatement of the conditioned reinforcing effects of cocaine that was blocked by all of the dopamine receptor antagonists. Blockade of dopamine D2-like receptors with raclopride specifically prevented the effects of stress without affecting the rewarding properties of cocaine. However, SCH23390 inhibited cocaine-induced preference in the control groups and even induced aversion in defeated mice conditioned with the lower dose of cocaine. Moreover, the lowest dose of SCH23390 blocked the rewarding effects of 3mg/kg of cocaine-induced CPP. Our results confirm that the dopamine D2 receptor is involved in the short-term effects of ASD on the rewarding effects of cocaine. The dopamine D1 receptor is clearly involved in the rewarding effects of cocaine, but its role in the effects of ASD remains to be demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Daiana Reguilón
- Department of Psychobiology, Facultad de Psicología, Psicología, Universitat de Valencia, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Sandra Montagud-Romero
- Department of Psychobiology, Facultad de Psicología, Psicología, Universitat de Valencia, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Carmen Ferrer-Pérez
- Department of Psychobiology, Facultad de Psicología, Psicología, Universitat de Valencia, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Concepción Roger-Sánchez
- Department of Psychobiology, Facultad de Psicología, Psicología, Universitat de Valencia, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - María Asunción Aguilar
- Department of Psychobiology, Facultad de Psicología, Psicología, Universitat de Valencia, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - José Miñarro
- Department of Psychobiology, Facultad de Psicología, Psicología, Universitat de Valencia, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Marta Rodríguez-Arias
- Department of Psychobiology, Facultad de Psicología, Psicología, Universitat de Valencia, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain.
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17
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Javadifar TS, Sahraei H, Ketabi MA, Nasehi M, Zarrindast MR. Transient inactivation of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell prominently ameliorates responses to acute stress in female rats. Brain Res 2016; 1649:1-8. [PMID: 27421178 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2016.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Revised: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
It is clear that the stress response differs between females and males. Moreover, the nucleus accumbens shell is considered a critical area in the brain's response to stress. In the present study we investigate the effect of the transient inactivation of the NAc shell on the metabolic and hormonal disturbance induced by acute stress in female rats. Female Wistar rats were canulated uni- or bilaterally in the NAc shell before stress induction. Electric foot shock was applied to the animals and lidocaine hydrochloride was administered intra-acumbally 5min before each stress session. Food and water intake, delay to eating time, plasma corticosterone, estradiol and progesterone were measured after stress administration. Our results indicate that food intake increased whereas water intake decreased in stress group, furthermore, delay in the onset of eating also was observed. In addition, plasma corticosterone and progesterone concentrations were increased whereas estradiol was decreased. Transient inactivation of right side of NAc shell inhibited the stress effect on food intake; however, the effect of stress was exacerbated when the left part of the NAc shell was inhibited. Transient inactivation of both NAc shell sides augmented the stress effect on water intake. The same results also obtained for the effect of stress on delay to eating time. Lidocaine administration inhibited the effects of stress on all of the hormones we tested. It can be concluded that the NAc shell plays an important role in the mediation of stress responses in female rats and this influence shows asymmetrical manner.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hedayat Sahraei
- Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah (a.s) University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad-Ali Ketabi
- Department of Endodontics, School of dentistry, Aja University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Nasehi
- Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Center, CNRC, Tehran Medical Science Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad-Reza Zarrindast
- Institute for Cognitive Science Studies (ICSS), Tehran, Iran; Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Center, CNRC, Tehran Medical Science Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran; Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Substance Abuse and Dependence Research Center, University of School Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran Iran.
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18
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Segev A, Akirav I. Cannabinoids and Glucocorticoids in the Basolateral Amygdala Modulate Hippocampal-Accumbens Plasticity After Stress. Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:1066-79. [PMID: 26289146 PMCID: PMC4748431 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2015] [Revised: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Acute stress results in release of glucocorticoids, which are potent modulators of learning and plasticity. This process is presumably mediated by the basolateral amygdala (BLA) where cannabinoids CB1 receptors have a key role in regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Growing attention has been focused on nucleus accumbens (NAc) plasticity, which regulates mood and motivation. The NAc integrates affective and context-dependent input from the BLA and ventral subiculum (vSub), respectively. As our previous data suggest that the CB1/2 receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 (WIN) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist RU-38486 (RU) can prevent the effects of stress on emotional memory, we examined whether intra-BLA WIN and RU can reverse the effects of acute stress on NAc plasticity. Bilateral, ipsilateral, and contralateral BLA administration of RU or WIN reversed the stress-induced impairment in vSub-NAc long-term potentiation (LTP) and the decrease in cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) activity in the NAc. BLA CB1 receptors were found to mediate the preventing effects of WIN on plasticity, but not the preventing effects of RU, after stress. Inactivating the ipsilateral BLA, but not the contralateral BLA, impaired LTP. The possible mechanisms underlying the effects of BLA on NAc plasticity are discussed; the data suggest that BLA-induced changes in the NAc may be mediated through neural pathways in the brain's stress circuit rather than peripheral pathways. The results suggest that glucocorticoid and cannabinoid systems in the BLA can restore normal function of the NAc and hence may have a central role in the treatment of a variety of stress-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Segev
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Irit Akirav
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel,Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Mt Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel, Tel: +972 4 8288268, Fax: +972 4 8263157, E-mail:
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19
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Opposite Sex Contact and Isolation: A Novel Depression/Anxiety Model. Neurosci Bull 2016; 32:92-8. [PMID: 26781876 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-015-0002-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2015] [Accepted: 08/03/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
To mimic human mood disorders, traditional chronic stresses and social defeat stress have been developed and widely applied. However, these active stresses do not mimic the emotional flaws induced by stresses, and their input levels vary greatly. Also, emotional stresses resulting from social unobtainability remain largely elusive due to the lack of useful animal models. In this study, we developed a mouse model named "opposite sex contact and isolation" (OSCI) and found that OSCI induced significant social avoidance, anhedonia, and anxiety. These behavioral defects developed differently after 7 days of OSCI. The social avoidance behavior was self-curable while anxiety gradually worsened but was alleviated by re-pairing with the same female partner. Corresponding to the behavior changes, the plasma corticosterone and phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein levels were decreased in the nucleus accumbens of the mice that experienced isolation. Together, this study has developed a novel strategy for depression/anxiety modeling and shows that OSCI may be a useful tool for studying the lovelorn/lovesick type of depression.
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20
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Ventral hippocampal afferents to the nucleus accumbens regulate susceptibility to depression. Nat Commun 2015; 6:7062. [PMID: 25952660 PMCID: PMC4430111 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 318] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2014] [Accepted: 03/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhanced glutamatergic transmission in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a region critical for reward and motivation, has been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression; however, the afferent source of this increased glutamate tone is not known. The NAc receives glutamatergic inputs from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), ventral hippocampus (vHIP) and basolateral amygdala (AMY). Here, we demonstrate that glutamatergic vHIP afferents to NAc regulate susceptibility to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS). We observe reduced activity in vHIP in mice resilient to CSDS. Furthermore, attenuation of vHIP-NAc transmission by optogenetic induction of long-term depression is pro-resilient, whereas acute enhancement of this input is pro-susceptible. This effect is specific to vHIP afferents to the NAc, as optogenetic stimulation of either mPFC or AMY afferents to the NAc is pro-resilient. These data indicate that vHIP afferents to NAc uniquely regulate susceptibility to CSDS, highlighting an important, novel circuit-specific mechanism in depression.
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21
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Bridgett DJ, Burt NM, Edwards ES, Deater-Deckard K. Intergenerational transmission of self-regulation: A multidisciplinary review and integrative conceptual framework. Psychol Bull 2015; 141:602-654. [PMID: 25938878 PMCID: PMC4422221 DOI: 10.1037/a0038662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 318] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
This review examines mechanisms contributing to the intergenerational transmission of self-regulation. To provide an integrated account of how self-regulation is transmitted across generations, we draw from over 75 years of accumulated evidence, spanning case studies to experimental approaches, in literatures covering developmental, social, and clinical psychology, and criminology, physiology, genetics, and human and animal neuroscience (among others). First, we present a taxonomy of what self-regulation is and then examine how it develops--overviews that guide the main foci of the review. Next, studies supporting an association between parent and child self-regulation are reviewed. Subsequently, literature that considers potential social mechanisms of transmission, specifically parenting behavior, interparental (i.e., marital) relationship behaviors, and broader rearing influences (e.g., household chaos) is considered. Finally, evidence that prenatal programming may be the starting point of the intergenerational transmission of self-regulation is covered, along with key findings from the behavioral and molecular genetics literatures. To integrate these literatures, we introduce the self-regulation intergenerational transmission model, a framework that brings together prenatal, social/contextual, and neurobiological mechanisms (spanning endocrine, neural, and genetic levels, including gene-environment interplay and epigenetic processes) to explain the intergenerational transmission of self-regulation. This model also incorporates potential transactional processes between generations (e.g., children's self-regulation and parent-child interaction dynamics that may affect parents' self-regulation) that further influence intergenerational processes. In pointing the way forward, we note key future directions and ways to address limitations in existing work throughout the review and in closing. We also conclude by noting several implications for intervention work.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicole M Burt
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University
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22
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Chase HW, Clos M, Dibble S, Fox P, Grace AA, Phillips ML, Eickhoff SB. Evidence for an anterior-posterior differentiation in the human hippocampal formation revealed by meta-analytic parcellation of fMRI coordinate maps: focus on the subiculum. Neuroimage 2015; 113:44-60. [PMID: 25776219 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.02.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2014] [Revised: 12/17/2014] [Accepted: 02/25/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies, predominantly in experimental animals, have suggested the presence of a differentiation of function across the hippocampal formation. In rodents, ventral regions are thought to be involved in emotional behavior while dorsal regions mediate cognitive or spatial processes. Using a combination of modeling the co-occurrence of significant activations across thousands of neuroimaging experiments and subsequent data-driven clustering of these data we were able to provide evidence of distinct subregions within a region corresponding to the human subiculum, a critical hub within the hippocampal formation. This connectivity-based model consists of a bilateral anterior region, as well as separate posterior and intermediate regions on each hemisphere. Functional connectivity assessed both by meta-analytic and resting fMRI approaches revealed that more anterior regions were more strongly connected to the default mode network, and more posterior regions were more strongly connected to 'task positive' regions. In addition, our analysis revealed that the anterior subregion was functionally connected to the ventral striatum, midbrain and amygdala, a circuit that is central to models of stress and motivated behavior. Analysis of a behavioral taxonomy provided evidence for a role for each subregion in mnemonic processing, as well as implication of the anterior subregion in emotional and visual processing and the right posterior subregion in reward processing. These findings lend support to models which posit anterior-posterior differentiation of function within the human hippocampal formation and complement other early steps toward a comparative (cross-species) model of the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry W Chase
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Mareike Clos
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Center Jülich, Germany; Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany
| | - Sofia Dibble
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Peter Fox
- Research Imaging Center, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA; South Texas Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Anthony A Grace
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Mary L Phillips
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Simon B Eickhoff
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Center Jülich, Germany; Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
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23
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Korem N, Akirav I. Cannabinoids prevent the effects of a footshock followed by situational reminders on emotional processing. Neuropsychopharmacology 2014; 39:2709-22. [PMID: 24897957 PMCID: PMC4200492 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2014.132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2014] [Revised: 05/06/2014] [Accepted: 05/30/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop following exposure to a traumatic event. Hence, what we do in the first few hours after trauma exposure may alter the trajectory of PTSD. We examined whether cannabinoids can prevent the effects of a single footshock followed by situational reminders (SRs) on emotional processing. Rats were exposed to a footshock (1.5 mA, 10 s) on day 1 followed by exposure to SRs of the shock on days 3 and 5. The CB1/2 receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 or vehicle were injected intraperitoneally 2 h after the shock. After 1 week, PTSD-like symptoms were examined. Exposure to SRs exacerbated the effects of the shock as rats exposed to shock and SRs, but not shock alone, showed impaired extinction of the traumatic event, impaired plasticity in the hippocmapal-accumbens pathway, enhanced latency to startle, and altered expression of CB1 receptors (CB1r) and glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) in the CA1, basolateral amygdala (BLA) and prefrontal cortex (PFC). WIN55,212-2 prevented the effects of the shock and SRs on extinction, plasticity, and startle response. WIN55,212-2 normalized the shock/SR-induced upregulation in CB1r in the PFC, and CA1 and GRs in the CA1, with no effect on BLA downregulation of CB1r and GRs. Shock and SRs caused lasting (1 week) alterations in emotional processing associated with changes in GR and CB1r expression in brain areas related to PTSD. WIN55,212-2 administered after trauma exposure prevented these alterations via PFC- and CA1-CB1r and CA1-GRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nachshon Korem
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Irit Akirav
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel,Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel, Tel: +972 4 8288268, Fax: +972 4 8263157, E-mail:
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24
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Nava-Mesa MO, Jiménez-Díaz L, Yajeya J, Navarro-Lopez JD. GABAergic neurotransmission and new strategies of neuromodulation to compensate synaptic dysfunction in early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Front Cell Neurosci 2014; 8:167. [PMID: 24987334 PMCID: PMC4070063 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2014.00167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2014] [Accepted: 06/02/2014] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by cognitive decline, brain atrophy due to neuronal and synapse loss, and formation of two pathological lesions: extracellular amyloid plaques, composed largely of amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ), and neurofibrillary tangles formed by intracellular aggregates of hyperphosphorylated tau protein. Lesions mainly accumulate in brain regions that modulate cognitive functions such as the hippocampus, septum or amygdala. These brain structures have dense reciprocal glutamatergic, cholinergic, and GABAergic connections and their relationships directly affect learning and memory processes, so they have been proposed as highly susceptible regions to suffer damage by Aβ during AD course. Last findings support the emerging concept that soluble Aβ peptides, inducing an initial stage of synaptic dysfunction which probably starts 20–30 years before the clinical onset of AD, can perturb the excitatory–inhibitory balance of neural circuitries. In turn, neurotransmission imbalance will result in altered network activity that might be responsible of cognitive deficits in AD. Therefore, Aβ interactions on neurotransmission systems in memory-related brain regions such as amygdaloid complex, medial septum or hippocampus are critical in cognitive functions and appear as a pivotal target for drug design to improve learning and dysfunctions that manifest with age. Since treatments based on glutamatergic and cholinergic pharmacology in AD have shown limited success, therapies combining modulators of different neurotransmission systems including recent findings regarding the GABAergic system, emerge as a more useful tool for the treatment, and overall prevention, of this dementia. In this review, focused on inhibitory systems, we will analyze pharmacological strategies to compensate neurotransmission imbalance that might be considered as potential therapeutic interventions in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lydia Jiménez-Díaz
- Neurophysiology and Behavior Lab, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, School of Medicine of Ciudad Real, University of Castilla-La Mancha Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Javier Yajeya
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Salamanca Salamanca, Spain
| | - Juan D Navarro-Lopez
- Neurophysiology and Behavior Lab, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, School of Medicine of Ciudad Real, University of Castilla-La Mancha Ciudad Real, Spain
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Cannabinoid receptor activation prevents the effects of chronic mild stress on emotional learning and LTP in a rat model of depression. Neuropsychopharmacology 2014; 39:919-33. [PMID: 24141570 PMCID: PMC3924526 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2013] [Revised: 10/08/2013] [Accepted: 10/16/2013] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Most psychiatric disorders are characterized by emotional memory or learning disturbances. Chronic mild stress (CMS) is a common animal model for stress-induced depression. Here we examined whether 3 days of treatment using the CB1/2 receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 could ameliorate the effects of CMS on emotional learning (ie, conditioned avoidance and extinction), long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampal-accumbens pathway, and depression-like symptoms (ie, coping with stress behavior, anhedonia, and weight changes). We also examined whether the ameliorating effects of WIN55,212-2 on behavior and physiology after CMS are mediated by CB1 and glucocorticoid receptors (GRs). Rats were exposed to CMS or handled on days 1-21. The agonist WIN55,212-2 or vehicle were administered on days 19-21 (IP; 0.5 mg/kg) and behavioral and electrophysiological measures were taken on days 23 and 28. The CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 (IP; 0.3 mg/kg) or the GR antagonist RU-38486 (IP; 10 mg/kg) were co-administered with WIN55,212-2. Our results show that CMS significantly modified physiological and behavioral reactions, as observed by the impairment in avoidance extinction and LTP in the hippocampal-accumbens pathway, and the alterations in depression-like symptoms, such as coping with stress behavior, weight gain, and sucrose consumption. The most significant effect observed in this study was that 3 days of WIN55,212-2 administration prevented the CMS-induced alterations in emotional memory (ie, extinction) and plasticity. This effect was mediated by CB1 receptors as the CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 prevented the ameliorating effects of WIN55,212-2 on extinction and LTP. The GR antagonist RU-38486 also prevented the CMS-induced alterations in extinction and plasticity, and when co-administered with WIN55,212-2, the preventive effects after CMS were maintained. The findings suggest that enhancing cannabinoid signaling could represent a novel approach to the treatment of cognitive deficits that accompany stress-related depression.
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Abstract
Mood disorders are common and debilitating conditions characterized in part by profound deficits in reward-related behavioural domains. A recent literature has identified important structural and functional alterations within the brain's reward circuitry--particularly in the ventral tegmental area-nucleus accumbens pathway--that are associated with symptoms such as anhedonia and aberrant reward-associated perception and memory. This Review synthesizes recent data from human and rodent studies from which emerges a circuit-level framework for understanding reward deficits in depression. We also discuss some of the molecular and cellular underpinnings of this framework, ranging from adaptations in glutamatergic synapses and neurotrophic factors to transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott J Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA. scott.russo@mssm. edu
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