1
|
Lake AA, Trainor BC. Leveraging the unique social organization of California mice to study circuit-specific effects of oxytocin on behavior. Horm Behav 2024; 160:105487. [PMID: 38281444 PMCID: PMC11391860 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Oxytocin is a versatile neuropeptide that modulates many different forms of social behavior. Recent hypotheses pose that oxytocin enhances the salience of rewarding and aversive social experiences, and the field has been working to identify mechanisms that allow oxytocin to have diverse effects on behavior. Here we review studies conducted on the California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) that shed light on how oxytocin modulates social behavior following stressful experiences. In this species, both males and females exhibit high levels of aggression, which has facilitated the study of how social stress impacts both sexes. We review findings of short- and long-term effects of social stress on the reactivity of oxytocin neurons. We also consider the results of pharmacological studies which show that oxytocin receptors in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and nucleus accumbens have distinct but overlapping effects on social approach behaviors. These findings help explain how social stress can have different behavioral effects in males and females, and how oxytocin can have such divergent effects on behavior. Finally, we consider how new technological developments and innovative research programs take advantage of the unique social organization of California mice to address questions that can be difficult to study in conventional rodent model species. These new methods and questions have opened new avenues for studying the neurobiology of social behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa A Lake
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States of America
| | - Brian C Trainor
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States of America.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Cooper MA, Hooker MK, Whitten CJ, Kelly JR, Jenkins MS, Mahometano SC, Scarbrough MC. Dominance status modulates activity in medial amygdala cells with projections to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Behav Brain Res 2023; 453:114628. [PMID: 37579818 PMCID: PMC10496856 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114628] [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: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
The medial amygdala (MeA) controls several types of social behavior via its projections to other limbic regions. Cells in the posterior dorsal and posterior ventral medial amygdala (MePD and MePV, respectively) project to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and these pathways respond to chemosensory cues and regulate aggressive and defensive behavior. Because the BNST is also essential for the display of stress-induced anxiety, a MePD/MePV-BNST pathway may modulate both aggression and responses to stress. In this study we tested the hypothesis that dominant animals would show greater neural activity than subordinates in BNST-projecting MePD and MePV cells after winning a dominance encounter as well as after losing a social defeat encounter. We created dominance relationships in male and female Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), used cholera toxin b (CTB) as a retrograde tracer to label BNST-projecting cells, and collected brains for c-Fos staining in the MePD and MePV. We found that c-Fos immunoreactivity in the MePD and MePV was positively associated with aggression in males, but not in females. Also, dominant males showed a greater proportion of c-Fos+ /CTB+ double-labeled cells compared to their same-sex subordinate counterparts. Another set of animals received social defeat stress after acquiring a dominant or subordinate social status and we stained for stress-induced c-Fos expression in the MePD and MePV. We found that dominant males showed a greater proportion of c-Fos+ /CTB+ double-labeled cells in the MePD after social defeat stress compared to subordinates. Also, dominants showed a longer latency to submit during social defeat than subordinates. Further, in males, latency to submit was positively associated with the proportion of c-Fos+ /CTB+ double-labeled cells in the MePD and MePV. These findings indicate that social dominance increases neural activity in BNST-projecting MePD and MePV cells and activity in this pathway is also associated with proactive responses during social defeat stress. In sum, activity in a MePD/MePV-BNST pathway contributes to status-dependent differences in stress coping responses and may underlie experience-dependent changes in stress resilience.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Cooper
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, USA.
| | | | - Conner J Whitten
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, USA
| | - Jeff R Kelly
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wang X, Ge S, Zhang C. Bed nuclei of the stria terminalis: A key hub in the modulation of anxiety. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 57:900-917. [PMID: 36725691 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The bed nuclei of the stria terminalis (BST) is recognised as a pivotal integrative centre for monitoring emotional valence. It is implicated in the regulation of diverse affective states and motivated behaviours, and decades of research have firmly established its critical role in anxiety-related behavioural processes. Researchers have recently intricately dissected the BST's dynamic activities, its connection patterns and its functions with respect to specific cell types using multiple techniques such as optogenetics, in vivo calcium imaging and transgenic tools to unmask the complex circuitry mechanisms that underlie anxiety. In this review, we principally focus on studies of anxiety-involved neuromodulators within the BST and provide a comprehensive architecture of the anxiety network-highlighting the BST as a key hub in orchestrating anxiety-like behaviour. We posit that these promising efforts will contribute to the identification of an accurate roadmap for future treatment of anxiety disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xinxin Wang
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Shenglin Ge
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Chengxin Zhang
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
de Miguel E, Vekovischeva O, Elsilä LV, Panhelainen A, Kankuri E, Aitta-Aho T, Korpi ER. Conditioned Aversion and Neuroplasticity Induced by a Superagonist of Extrasynaptic GABA A Receptors: Correlation With Activation of the Oval BNST Neurons and CRF Mechanisms. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:130. [PMID: 31178693 PMCID: PMC6543524 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
THIP (gaboxadol), a superagonist of the δ subunit-containing extrasynaptic GABAA receptors, produces persistent neuroplasticity in dopamine (DA) neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), similarly to rewarding drugs of abuse. However, unlike them THIP lacks abuse potential and induces conditioned place aversion in mice. The mechanism underlying the aversive effects of THIP remains elusive. Here, we show that mild aversive effects of THIP were detected 2 h after administration likely reflecting an anxiety-like state with increased corticosterone release and with central recruitment of corticotropin-releasing factor corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 (CRF1) receptors. A detailed immunohistochemical c-Fos expression mapping for THIP-activated brain areas revealed a correlation between the activation of CRF-expressing neurons in the oval nucleus of the bed nuclei of stria terminalis and THIP-induced aversive effects. In addition, the neuroplasticity of mesolimbic DA system (24 h after administration) and conditioned place aversion by THIP after four daily acute sessions were dependent on extrasynaptic GABAA receptors (abolished in δ-GABAA receptor knockout mice) and activation of the CRF1 receptors (abolished in wildtype mice by a CRF1 receptor antagonist). A selective THIP-induced activation of CRF-expressing neurons in the oval part of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis may constitute a novel mechanism for inducing plasticity in a population of VTA DA neurons and aversive behavioral states.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elena de Miguel
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olga Vekovischeva
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lauri V Elsilä
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anne Panhelainen
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Esko Kankuri
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Teemu Aitta-Aho
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Esa R Korpi
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Steinman MQ, Duque-Wilckens N, Trainor BC. Complementary Neural Circuits for Divergent Effects of Oxytocin: Social Approach Versus Social Anxiety. Biol Psychiatry 2019; 85:792-801. [PMID: 30503164 PMCID: PMC6709863 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Revised: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) is widely known for promoting social interactions, but there is growing appreciation that it can sometimes induce avoidance of social contexts. The social salience hypothesis posed an innovative solution to these apparently opposing actions by proposing that OT enhances the salience of both positive and negative social interactions. The mesolimbic dopamine system was put forth as a likely system to evaluate social salience owing to its well-described role in motivation. Evidence from several sources supports the premise that OT acting within the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area facilitates social reward and approach behavior. However, in aversive social contexts, additional pathways play critical roles in mediating the effects of OT. Recent data indicate that OT acts in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis to induce avoidance of potentially dangerous social contexts. Here, we review evidence for neural circuits mediating the effects of OT in appetitive and aversive social contexts. Specifically, we propose that distinct but potentially overlapping circuits mediate OT-dependent social approach or social avoidance. We conclude that a broader and more inclusive consideration of neural circuits of social approach and avoidance is needed as the field continues to evaluate the potential of OT-based therapeutics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Q Steinman
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California
| | - Natalia Duque-Wilckens
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences and Department of Physiology/Neuroscience, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Brian C Trainor
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Miles OW, Maren S. Role of the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis in PTSD: Insights From Preclinical Models. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:68. [PMID: 31024271 PMCID: PMC6461014 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) afflicts approximately 8% of the United States population and represents a significant public health burden, but the underlying neural mechanisms of this and other anxiety- and stressor-related disorders are largely unknown. Within the last few decades, several preclinical models of PSTD have been developed to help elucidate the mechanisms underlying dysregulated fear states. One brain area that has emerged as a critical mediator of stress-related behavioral processing in both clinical and laboratory settings is the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). The BNST is interconnected with essential emotional processing regions, including prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and amygdala. It is activated by stressor exposure and undergoes neurochemical and morphological alterations as a result of stressor exposure. Stress-related neuro-peptides including corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP) are also abundant in the BNST, further implicating an involvement of BNST in stress responses. Behaviorally, the BNST is critical for acquisition and expression of fear and is well positioned to regulate fear relapse after periods of extinction. Here, we consider the role of the BNST in stress and memory processes in the context of preclinical models of PTSD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Olivia W. Miles
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wagner S. Urocortins and their unfolding role in mammalian social behavior. Cell Tissue Res 2018; 375:133-142. [PMID: 30465153 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-018-2962-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system is well known for its major role in coordinating the endocrine, autonomic and behavioral responses to stress. These functions have been shown to be mediated mainly by the binding of the CRF neuropeptide to its specific receptor CRFR1. Yet, the CRF system comprises several more neuropeptides, including the three urocortins, UCN1, UCN2 and UCN3, of which the latter two bind specifically to a distinct receptor-CRFR2. Unlike the brain-wide abundant expression of CRF and CRFR1, the brain expression of the urocortins and CRFR2 is rather restricted and seems to be focused in limbic areas associated with social behavior. Here, we will review accumulating evidence from recent studies that unfold the role of UCN2 and UCN3 in regulating mammalian social behavior, via activation of CRFR2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shlomo Wagner
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, the Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBR), Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, 3498838, Haifa, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Janeček M, Dabrowska J. Oxytocin facilitates adaptive fear and attenuates anxiety responses in animal models and human studies-potential interaction with the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Cell Tissue Res 2018; 375:143-172. [PMID: 30054732 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-018-2889-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Despite its relatively well-understood role as a reproductive and pro-social peptide, oxytocin (OT) tells a more convoluted story in terms of its modulation of fear and anxiety. This nuanced story has been obscured by a great deal of research into the therapeutic applications of exogenous OT, driving more than 400 ongoing clinical trials. Drawing from animal models and human studies, we review the complex evidence concerning OT's role in fear learning and anxiety, clarifying the existing confusion about modulation of fear versus anxiety. We discuss animal models and human studies demonstrating the prevailing role of OT in strengthening fear memory to a discrete signal or cue, which allows accurate and rapid threat detection that facilitates survival. We also review ostensibly contrasting behavioral studies that nonetheless provide compelling evidence of OT attenuating sustained contextual fear and anxiety-like behavior, arguing that these OT effects on the modulation of fear vs. anxiety are not mutually exclusive. To disambiguate how endogenous OT modulates fear and anxiety, an understudied area compared to exogenous OT, we survey behavioral studies utilizing OT receptor (OTR) antagonists. Based on emerging evidence about the role of OTR in rat dorsolateral bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) and elsewhere, we postulate that OT plays a critical role in facilitating accurate discrimination between stimuli representing threat and safety. Supported by human studies, we demonstrate that OT uniquely facilitates adaptive fear but reduces maladaptive anxiety. Last, we explore the limited literature on endogenous OT and its interaction with corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) with a special emphasis on the dorsolateral BNST, which may hold the key to the neurobiology of phasic fear and sustained anxiety.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Janeček
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA
| | - Joanna Dabrowska
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA. .,Department of Neuroscience, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Dulka BN, Koul-Tiwari R, Grizzell JA, Harvey ML, Datta S, Cooper MA. Dominance relationships in Syrian hamsters modulate neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to social stress. Stress 2018; 21:1-6. [PMID: 29932809 PMCID: PMC6309596 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2018.1485646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress is a well-known risk factor for psychopathology and rodent models of social defeat have strong face, etiological, construct and predictive validity for these conditions. Syrian hamsters are highly aggressive and territorial, but after an acute social defeat experience they become submissive and no longer defend their home territory, even from a smaller, non-aggressive intruder. This defeat-induced change in social behavior is called conditioned defeat (CD). We have shown that dominant hamsters show increased neural activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) following social defeat stress and exhibit a reduced CD response at social interaction testing compared to subordinates. Although the vmPFC can inhibit the neuroendocrine stress response, it is unknown whether dominants and subordinates differ in stress-induced activity of the extended hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Here, we show that, following acute social defeat, dominants exhibit decreased submissive and defensive behavior compared to subordinates but do not differ from subordinates or social status controls (SSCs) in defeat-induced cortisol concentrations. Furthermore, both dominants and SSCs show greater corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA expression in the basolateral/central amygdala compared to subordinates, while there was no effect of social status on CRH mRNA expression in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus or bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Overall, status-dependent differences in the CD response do not appear linked to changes in stress-induced cortisol concentrations or CRH gene expression, which is consistent with the view that stress resilience is not a lack of a physiological stress response but the addition of stress coping mechanisms. Lay summary Dominant hamsters show resistance to the behavioral effects of acute social defeat compared to subordinates, but it is unclear whether social status modulates the neuroendocrine stress response in Syrian hamsters. This study indicates that dominant social status does not alter stress-induced activity of the extended hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which suggests that the ability of dominants to cope with social defeat stress is not associated with changes in their neuroendocrine stress response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brooke N. Dulka
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
- NeuroNET Research Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Richa Koul-Tiwari
- Department of Anesthesiology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - J. Alex Grizzell
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
- NeuroNET Research Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | | | - Subimal Datta
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
- Program in Comparative and Experimental Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Matthew A. Cooper
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
- NeuroNET Research Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Cooper MA, Seddighi S, Barnes AK, Grizzell JA, Dulka BN, Clinard CT. Dominance status alters restraint-induced neural activity in brain regions controlling stress vulnerability. Physiol Behav 2017; 179:153-161. [PMID: 28606772 PMCID: PMC5581240 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Revised: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 06/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the cellular mechanisms that control resistance and vulnerability to stress is an important step toward identifying novel targets for the prevention and treatment of stress-related mental illness. In Syrian hamsters, dominant and subordinate animals exhibit different behavioral and physiological responses to social defeat stress, with dominants showing stress resistance and subordinates showing stress vulnerability. We previously found that dominant and subordinate hamsters show different levels of defeat-induced neural activity in brain regions that modulate coping with stress, although the extent to which status-dependent differences in stress vulnerability generalize to non-social stressors is unknown. In this study, dominant, subordinate, and control male Syrian hamsters were exposed to acute physical restraint for 30min and restraint-induced c-Fos immunoreactivity was quantified in select brain regions. Subordinate animals showed less restraint-induced c-Fos immunoreactivity in the infralimbic (IL), prelimbic (PL), and ventral medial amygdala (vMeA) compared to dominants, which is consistent with the status-dependent effects of social defeat stress. Subordinate animals did not show increased c-Fos immunoreactivity in the rostroventral dorsal raphe nucleus (rvDRN), which is in contrast to the effects of social defeat stress. These findings indicate that status-dependent changes in neural activity generalize from one stressor to another in a brain region-dependent manner. These findings further suggest that while some neural circuits may support a generalized form of stress resistance, others may provide resistance to specific stressors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Cooper
- Department of Psychology, NeuroNET Research Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0900, United States.
| | - Sahba Seddighi
- Department of Psychology, NeuroNET Research Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0900, United States
| | - Abigail K Barnes
- Department of Psychology, NeuroNET Research Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0900, United States
| | - J Alex Grizzell
- Department of Psychology, NeuroNET Research Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0900, United States
| | - Brooke N Dulka
- Department of Psychology, NeuroNET Research Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0900, United States
| | - Catherine T Clinard
- Department of Psychology, NeuroNET Research Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0900, United States
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Bagosi Z, Karasz G, Czébely-Lénárt A, Csabafi K, Jászberényi M, Telegdy G. The effects of CRF and urocortins on the sociability of mice. Brain Res 2017; 1663:114-122. [PMID: 28315311 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2017.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Revised: 03/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The aim of our study was to determine the role of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), the urocortins (Ucn1, Ucn2 and Ucn3) and their receptors (CRF1 and CRF2) in the sociability of mice. Male CFLP mice were administered intracerebroventricularly (icv) with CRF and urocortins alone or in combination with antalarmin (specific CRF1 antagonist) and astressin2B (specific CRF2 antagonist) and then investigated in a Crawley social interaction test arena, that consists of three chambers. An unknown male in a cage was put in the first chamber and an empty cage was put in the opposite chamber. The tested male was habituated with the middle chamber for 5min and then allowed to explore the remaining chambers for 5min, during which the number of entries and the time of interaction were measured. Intracerebroventricular administration of CRF decreased significantly the number of entries and the time of interaction with the unknown male and these effects were blocked by antalarmin, but not astressin2B. In contrast, central administration of Ucn1 increased significantly the number of entries into the chamber of the unknown male, without changing the time of interaction and this effect was blocked by astressin2B, but not antalarmin. Central administration of Ucn2 and Ucn3 didn't influence remarkably the number of entries, but it reduced the time of interaction between the male mice. Our study suggests that CRF and Ucn1 may play important, but different roles in sociability, and that Ucn2 and Ucn3, playing similar roles, must be also involved in social interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zsolt Bagosi
- Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Hungary.
| | - Gergely Karasz
- Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Hungary
| | | | - Krisztina Csabafi
- Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Hungary
| | - Miklós Jászberényi
- Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Hungary
| | - Gyula Telegdy
- Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Makinson R, Lundgren KH, Seroogy KB, Herman JP. Chronic social subordination stress modulates glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) 67 mRNA expression in central stress circuits. Physiol Behav 2016; 146:7-15. [PMID: 26066725 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2015] [Revised: 04/10/2015] [Accepted: 04/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Chronic social subordination is a well-known precipitant of numerous psychiatric and physiological health concerns. In this study, we examine the effects of chronic social stress in the visible burrow system (VBS) on the expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) 67 and brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) mRNA in forebrain stress circuitry. Male rats in the VBS system form a dominance hierarchy, whereby subordinate males exhibit neuroendocrine and physiological profiles characteristic of chronic exposure to stress. We found that social subordination decreases GAD67 mRNA in the peri-paraventricular nucleus region of the hypothalamus and the interfascicular nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), and increases in GAD67 mRNA in the hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, and dorsal medial hypothalamus. Expression of BDNF mRNA increased in the dorsal region of the BNST, but remained unchanged in all other regions examined. Results from this study indicate that social subordination is associated with several region-specific alterations in GAD67 mRNA expression in central stress circuits, whereas changes in the expression of BDNF mRNA are limited to the BNST.
Collapse
|
13
|
Gilman TL, DaMert JP, Meduri JD, Jasnow AM. Grin1 deletion in CRF neurons sex-dependently enhances fear, sociability, and social stress responsivity. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2015; 58:33-45. [PMID: 25938741 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2015] [Revised: 04/13/2015] [Accepted: 04/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) system plays a critical role in responses to stressful stimuli, and is expressed in many areas of the brain involved in processing fear, anxiety, and social behaviors. To better understand the mechanisms by which the CRF system modulates responses to stressful events and social stimuli, we employed a mouse model that selectively disrupts NMDA receptor function via NMDA receptor subunit NR1 (Grin1) knockout specifically in Cre-expressing CRF neurons. These animals (Cre+/(fGrin1+)) were compared with littermates lacking Cre expression (Cre-/(fGrin1+)). Following cue discrimination fear conditioning, male Cre+/(fGrin1+) mice showed increased fear expression to the tone paired with a foot shock (CS+) while still discriminating the CS+ from a tone never paired with a foot shock (CS-). In contrast to males, female mice learned and discriminated fear cues equivalently across the genotypes. Similarly, no genotype differences in sociability or social novelty were observed in female mice, but Cre+/(fGrin1+) males displayed greater naive sociability and preference for social novelty than Cre-/(fGrin1+) littermates. Furthermore, the level of social withdrawal exhibited by male Cre+/(fGrin1+) mice susceptible to social defeat stress relative to same genotype controls was significantly more pronounced than that displayed by susceptible Cre-/(fGrin1+) mice compared to control Cre-/(fGrin1+) mice. Together, these results demonstrate increased fear, social, and stress responsiveness specifically in male Cre+/(fGrin1+) mice. Our findings indicate that NMDA-mediated glutamatergic regulation of CRF neurons is important for appropriately regulating fear and social responses, likely functioning to promote survival under aversive circumstances.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T Lee Gilman
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, 44242, OH, USA.
| | - Jeffrey P DaMert
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, 44242, OH, USA.
| | - Jeremy D Meduri
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, 44242, OH, USA.
| | - Aaron M Jasnow
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, 44242, OH, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Li CY, Earley RL, Huang SP, Hsu Y. Fighting experience alters brain androgen receptor expression dependent on testosterone status. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 281:20141532. [PMID: 25320171 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.1532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Contest decisions are influenced by the outcomes of recent fights (winner-loser effects). Steroid hormones and serotonin are closely associated with aggression and therefore probably also play important roles in mediating winner-loser effects. In mangrove rivulus fish, Kryptolebias marmoratus, individuals with higher testosterone (T), 11-ketotestosterone and cortisol levels are more capable of winning, but titres of these hormones do not directly mediate winner-loser effects. In this study, we investigated the effects of winning/losing experiences on brain expression levels of the receptor genes for androgen (AR), oestrogen α/β (ERα/β), glucocorticoid (GR) and serotonin (5-HT1AR). The effect of contest experience on AR gene expression depended on T levels: repeated losses decreased, whereas repeated wins increased AR gene expression in individuals with low T but not in individuals with medium or high T levels. These results lend strong support for AR being involved in mediating winner-loser effects, which, in previous studies, were more detectable in individuals with lower T. Furthermore, the expression levels of ERα/β, 5-HT1AR and GR genes were higher in individuals that initiated contests against larger opponents than in those that did not. Overall, contest experience, underlying endocrine state and hormone and serotonin receptor expression patterns interacted to modulate contest decisions jointly.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Yu Li
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, 88, Section 4, Ting-Chou Road, Taipei 11677, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Ryan L Earley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, 300 Hackberry Lane, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401, USA
| | - Shu-Ping Huang
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, 88, Section 4, Ting-Chou Road, Taipei 11677, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Yuying Hsu
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, 88, Section 4, Ting-Chou Road, Taipei 11677, Taiwan, Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Coen CW, Kalamatianos T, Oosthuizen MK, Poorun R, Faulkes CG, Bennett NC. Sociality and the telencephalic distribution of corticotrophin-releasing factor, urocortin 3, and binding sites for CRF type 1 and type 2 receptors: A comparative study of eusocial naked mole-rats and solitary Cape mole-rats. J Comp Neurol 2015; 523:2344-71. [PMID: 25921928 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2015] [Revised: 04/02/2015] [Accepted: 04/14/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Various aspects of social behavior are influenced by the highly conserved corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) family of peptides and receptors in the mammalian telencephalon. This study has mapped and compared the telencephalic distribution of the CRF receptors, CRF1 and CRF2 , and two of their ligands, CRF and urocortin 3, respectively, in African mole-rat species with diametrically opposed social behavior. Naked mole-rats live in large eusocial colonies that are characterized by exceptional levels of social cohesion, tolerance, and cooperation in burrowing, foraging, defense, and alloparental care for the offspring of the single reproductive female. Cape mole-rats are solitary; they tolerate conspecifics only fleetingly during the breeding season. The telencephalic sites at which the level of CRF1 binding in naked mole-rats exceeds that in Cape mole-rats include the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus, hippocampal CA3 subfield, and dentate gyrus; in contrast, the level is greater in Cape mole-rats in the shell of the nucleus accumbens and medial habenular nucleus. For CRF2 binding, the sites with a greater level in naked mole-rats include the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus and dentate gyrus, but the septohippocampal nucleus, lateral septal nuclei, amygdalostriatal transition area, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and medial habenular nucleus display a greater level in Cape mole-rats. The results are discussed with reference to neuroanatomical and behavioral studies of various species, including monogamous and promiscuous voles. By analogy with findings in those species, we speculate that the abundance of CRF1 binding in the nucleus accumbens of Cape mole-rats reflects their lack of affiliative behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Clive W Coen
- Reproductive Neurobiology, Division of Women's Health, School of Medicine, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Theodosis Kalamatianos
- Reproductive Neurobiology, Division of Women's Health, School of Medicine, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Maria K Oosthuizen
- Reproductive Neurobiology, Division of Women's Health, School of Medicine, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom.,Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Ravi Poorun
- Reproductive Neurobiology, Division of Women's Health, School of Medicine, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher G Faulkes
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Nigel C Bennett
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Cooper MA, Clinard CT, Morrison KE. Neurobiological mechanisms supporting experience-dependent resistance to social stress. Neuroscience 2015; 291:1-14. [PMID: 25677096 PMCID: PMC4369454 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.01.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2014] [Revised: 01/28/2015] [Accepted: 01/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Humans and other animals show a remarkable capacity for resilience following traumatic, stressful events. Resilience is thought to be an active process related to coping with stress, although the cellular and molecular mechanisms that support active coping and stress resistance remain poorly understood. In this review, we focus on the neurobiological mechanisms by which environmental and social experiences promote stress resistance. In male Syrian hamsters, exposure to a brief social defeat stressor leads to increased avoidance of novel opponents, which we call conditioned defeat. Also, hamsters that have achieved dominant social status show reduced conditioned defeat as well as cellular and molecular changes in the neural circuits controlling the conditioned defeat response. We propose that experience-dependent neural plasticity occurs in the prelimbic (PL) cortex, infralimbic (IL) cortex, and ventral medial amygdala (vMeA) during the maintenance of dominance relationships, and that adaptations in these neural circuits support stress resistance in dominant individuals. Overall, behavioral treatments that promote success in competitive interactions may represent valuable interventions for instilling resilience.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M A Cooper
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
| | - C T Clinard
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - K E Morrison
- Department of Animal Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Weathington JM, Hamki A, Cooke BM. Sex- and region-specific pubertal maturation of the corticotropin-releasing factor receptor system in the rat. J Comp Neurol 2014; 522:1284-98. [PMID: 24115088 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2013] [Revised: 09/16/2013] [Accepted: 09/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
One of the most reliable findings in psychiatry is in the incidence of anxiety and depression. Beginning at puberty, women develop mood disorders twice as often as men. Because corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptors are implicated, we compared CRF receptor binding in pre- and postpubertal rats. In each brain area, CRF receptor binding was sexually dimorphic, but no two areas were alike in the way the sexes differed. In the nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle, CRF1 binding was initially the same in juveniles, but became greater in adult females. In piriform cortex, CRF1 binding increased in females and decreased in males, again becoming sexually dimorphic. CRF1 binding in the anterior cingulate was greater in females than in males at both ages. In CA3, CRF1 binding was greater in males before puberty but decreased during puberty, abolishing the sex difference. CRF2 binding in the posterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis was greater in males irrespective of age. In contrast, in each of three subdivisions of the lateral septum, females had greater CRF2 binding than males as juveniles, or, as juveniles and as adults. CRF2 binding in the ventromedial hypothalamus was the same in juveniles, but binding levels increased in males, leading to an adult sex difference. Thus, eight CRF receptor-expressing areas displayed eight distinct sex differences. These results show that sex differences pervade the CRF receptor system in juvenile and adult rats, and the mechanisms that control them are likely to be sex-, region-, and subtype-specific.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jill M Weathington
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Cooke BM, Weathington JM. Human and animal research into sex-specific effects of child abuse. Horm Behav 2014; 65:416-26. [PMID: 24657521 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2013] [Revised: 02/05/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Child abuse is the most potent experiential risk factor for developing a mood disorder later in life. The effects of child abuse are also more severe in girls and women than in men. In this review, we explore the origins of this epidemiological sex difference. We begin by offering the hypothesis that a sex-specific risk factor that influences how social cues are perceived and remembered makes girls more susceptible to the effects of child abuse. We then discuss the neural systems that mediate emotion and stress, and, how child abuse and/or mood disorders like anxiety and depression affect them. Drawing upon human and animal research, several candidates for such a risk factor are discussed. They include glucocorticoid receptor trafficking and corticotropin releasing factor receptor binding and signaling. Our own research shows that the morphometry of the prepubertal amygdala is sexually dimorphic, and could contribute to a sex difference in stimulus appraisal. We have also found that the brain of juvenile female rats is less selective than males' for threatening social stimuli. Thus, one way that women may be more vulnerable to the effects of child abuse is that they are more likely to perceive objectively benign stimuli as threatening. This bias in perception could compound with the genuinely traumatic memories caused by child abuse; the burden of traumatic memories and the increasingly reactive stress response systems could then dispose more women than men to develop depression and/or anxiety.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bradley M Cooke
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, PO Box 3999, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
| | - Jill M Weathington
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, PO Box 3999, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Sink KS, Davis M, Walker DL. CGRP antagonist infused into the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis impairs the acquisition and expression of context but not discretely cued fear. Learn Mem 2013; 20:730-9. [PMID: 24255102 PMCID: PMC3834624 DOI: 10.1101/lm.032482.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) infusions into the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) evoke increases in startle amplitude and increases in anxiety-like behavior in the plus maze. Conversely, intra-BNST infusions of the CGRP antagonist CGRP8–37 block unconditioned startle increases produced by fox odor. Here we evaluate the contribution of CGRP signaling in the BNST to the development and expression of learned fear. Rats received five pairings of a 3.7-sec light and footshock and were tested for fear-potentiated startle one or more days later. Neither pre-training (Experiment 1) nor pre-test (Experiment 2) infusions of the CGRP antagonist CGRP8–37 (800 ng/BNST) disrupted fear-potentiated startle to the 3.7-sec visual cue. However, in both experiments, CGRP8–37 infusions disrupted baseline startle increases that occurred when rats were tested in the same context as that in which they previously received footshock (Experiment 3). Intra-BNST CGRP8–37 infusions did not disrupt shock-evoked corticosterone release (Experiment 4). These data confirm previous findings implicating BNST CGRP receptors in fear and anxiety. They extend those results by showing an important contribution to learned fear and, specifically, to fear evoked by a shock-associated context rather than a discrete cue. This pattern is consistent with previous models of BNST function that have posited a preferential role in sustained anxiety as opposed to phasic fear responses. More generally, the results add to a growing body of evidence indicating behaviorally, possibly clinically, relevant modulation of BNST function by neuroactive peptides.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly S Sink
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
M T, JE G, RL H, AL H, VB R. The role of PKC signaling in CRF-induced modulation of startle. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2013; 229:579-89. [PMID: 23722830 PMCID: PMC3784645 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-013-3114-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2012] [Accepted: 04/11/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Hypersignaling of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) has been implicated in stress disorders; however, many of its downstream mechanisms of action remain unclear. In vitro, CRF1 receptor activation initiates multiple cell signaling cascades, including protein kinase A (PKA), protein kinase C (PKC), and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase MEK1/2 signaling. It is unclear, however, which of these signaling cascades mediate CRF-induced behaviors during stress. OBJECTIVES We examined the role of PKA, PKC, and MEK1/2 signaling pathways in CRF-induced anxiety as measured by startle hyperreactivity. METHODS Mice treated with intracerbroventricular (ICV) ovine CRF (oCRF) were pretreated with the PKA inhibitor Rp-cAMPS, PKC inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide (BIM), or MEK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 (ICV) and assessed for acoustic startle reactivity. RESULTS The PKC inhibitor BIM significantly attenuated CRF-induced increases in startle. BIM was also able to block startle increases induced by oCRF when both compounds were infused directly into the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST). PKA and MEK1/2 inhibition had no significant effects on CRF-induced changes in startle at the dose ranges tested. CRF-induced disruption of prepulse inhibition was not significantly reversed by any of the three pretreatments at the dose ranges tested. CONCLUSIONS PKC signaling is required for CRF-induced increases in startle, and this effect is mediated at least in part at the BNST. These findings suggest that PKC signaling cascades (1) may be important for the acute effects of CRF to induce startle hyperreactivity and (2) support further research of the role of PKC signaling in startle abnormalities relevant to disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Toth M
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, Veterans Affairs Hospital, La Jolla CA USA,Dept. of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla CA USA
| | - Gresack JE
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, Veterans Affairs Hospital, La Jolla CA USA,Dept. of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla CA USA,Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, The Rockefeller University, New York NY USA
| | - Hauger RL
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, Veterans Affairs Hospital, La Jolla CA USA,Dept. of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla CA USA
| | - Halberstadt AL
- Dept. of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla CA USA
| | - Risbrough VB
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, Veterans Affairs Hospital, La Jolla CA USA,Dept. of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla CA USA,Corresponding author: Victoria Risbrough, Ph.D., University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr. MC0804, La Jolla CA 92093-0804, Tel: 16195433582; Fax: 16195432475:
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Hostetler CM, Ryabinin AE. The CRF system and social behavior: a review. Front Neurosci 2013; 7:92. [PMID: 23754975 PMCID: PMC3668170 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2013.00092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2013] [Accepted: 05/14/2013] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system plays a key role in a diversity of behaviors accompanying stress, anxiety and depression. There is also substantial research on relationships between social behaviors and the CRF system in a variety of taxa including fish, birds, rodents, and primates. Some of these relationships are due to the broad role of CRF and urocortins in stress and anxiety, but these peptides also modulate social behavior specifically. For example, the social interaction (SI) test is often used to measure anxiety-like behavior. Many components of the CRF system including CRF, urocortin1, and the R1 receptor have been implicated in SI, via general effects on anxiety as well as specific effects depending on the brain region. The CRF system is also highly responsive to chronic social stressors such as social defeat and isolation. Animals exposed to these stressors display a number of anxiety- and stress-related behaviors, accompanied by changes in specific components the CRF system. Although the primary focus of CRF research on social behavior has been on the deleterious effects of social stress, there are also insights on a role for CRF and urocortins in prosocial and affiliative behaviors. The CRF system has been implicated in parental care, maternal defense, sexual behavior, and pair bonding. Species differences in the ligands and CRF receptors have been observed in vole and bird species differing in social behavior. Exogenous administration of CRF facilitates partner preference formation in monogamous male prairie voles, and these effects are dependent on both the CRF R1 and R2 receptors. These findings are particularly interesting as studies have also implicated the CRF and urocortins in social memory. With the rapid progress of social neuroscience and in understanding the complex structure of the CRF system, the next challenge is in parsing the exact contribution of individual components of this system to specific social behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline M Hostetler
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University Portland, OR, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Melanocortin-4 receptor in the medial amygdala regulates emotional stress-induced anxiety-like behaviour, anorexia and corticosterone secretion. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2013; 16:105-20. [PMID: 22176700 PMCID: PMC3708461 DOI: 10.1017/s146114571100174x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The central melanocortin system has been implicated in emotional stress-induced anxiety, anorexia and activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. However, the underlying neural substrates have not been identified. The medial amygdala (MeA) is highly sensitive to emotional stress and expresses high levels of the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R). This study investigated the effects of activation and blockade of MC4R in the MeA on anxiety-like behaviour, food intake and corticosterone secretion. We demonstrate that MC4R-expressing neurons in the MeA were activated by acute restraint stress, as indicated by induction of c-fos mRNA expression. Infusion of a selective MC4R agonist into the MeA elicited anxiogenic-like effects in the elevated plus-maze test and decreased food intake. In contrast, local MeA infusion of SHU 9119, a MC4R antagonist, blocked restraint stress-induced anxiogenic and anorectic effects. Moreover, plasma corticosterone levels were increased by intra-MeA infusion of the MC4R agonist under non-stressed conditions and restraint stress-induced elevation of plasma corticosterone levels was attenuated by pretreatment with SHU 9119 in the MeA. Thus, stimulating MC4R in the MeA induces stress-like anxiogenic and anorectic effects as well as activation of the HPA axis, whereas antagonizing MC4R in this region blocks such effects induced by restraint stress. Together, our results implicate MC4R signalling in the MeA in behavioural and endocrine responses to stress.
Collapse
|
23
|
Dabrowska J, Hazra R, Ahern TH, Guo JD, McDonald AJ, Mascagni F, Muller JF, Young LJ, Rainnie DG. Neuroanatomical evidence for reciprocal regulation of the corticotrophin-releasing factor and oxytocin systems in the hypothalamus and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis of the rat: Implications for balancing stress and affect. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2011; 36:1312-26. [PMID: 21481539 PMCID: PMC3142325 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 185] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2010] [Revised: 03/04/2011] [Accepted: 03/08/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Activation of corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) is necessary for establishing the classic endocrine response to stress, while activation of forebrain CRF neurons mediates affective components of the stress response. Previous studies have reported that mRNA for CRF2 receptor (CRFR2) is expressed in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) as well as hypothalamic nuclei, but little is known about the localization and cellular distribution of CRFR2 in these regions. Using immunofluorescence with confocal microscopy, as well as electron microscopy, we demonstrate that in the BNST CRFR2-immunoreactive fibers represent moderate to strong labeling on axons terminals. Dual-immunofluorescence demonstrated that CRFR2-fibers co-localize oxytocin (OT), but not arginine-vasopressin (AVP), and make perisomatic contacts with CRF neurons. Dual-immunofluorescence and single cell RT-PCR demonstrate that in the hypothalamus, CRFR2 immunoreactivity and mRNA are found in OT, but not in CRF or AVP-neurons. Furthermore, CRF neurons of the PVN and BNST express mRNA for the oxytocin receptor, while the majority of OT/CRFR2 neurons in the hypothalamus do not. Finally, using adenoviral-based anterograde tracing of PVN neurons, we show that OT/CRFR2-immunoreactive fibers observed in the BNST originate in the PVN. Our results strongly suggest that CRFR2 located on oxytocinergic neurons and axon terminals might regulate the release of this neuropeptide and hence might be a crucial part of potential feedback loop between the hypothalamic oxytocin system and the forebrain CRF system that could significantly impact affective and social behaviors, in particular during times of stress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Dabrowska
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Division of Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychiatric Disorders, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 300329
| | - Rimi Hazra
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Division of Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychiatric Disorders, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 300329
| | - Todd H. Ahern
- Center for Neuroendocrine Studies and Department of Psychology, Tobin Hall, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003
| | - Ji-Dong Guo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Division of Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychiatric Disorders, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 300329
| | - Alexander J. McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, 29208
| | - Franco Mascagni
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, 29208
| | - Jay F. Muller
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, 29208
| | - Larry J. Young
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Division of Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychiatric Disorders, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 300329
| | - Donald G. Rainnie
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Division of Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychiatric Disorders, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 300329
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Hammack SE, Cooper MA, Lezak KR. Overlapping neurobiology of learned helplessness and conditioned defeat: implications for PTSD and mood disorders. Neuropharmacology 2011; 62:565-75. [PMID: 21396383 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2010] [Revised: 02/23/2011] [Accepted: 02/27/2011] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to traumatic events can increase the risk for major depressive disorder (MDD) as well as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and pharmacological treatments for these disorders often involve the modulation of serotonergic (5-HT) systems. Several behavioral paradigms in rodents produce changes in behavior that resemble symptoms of MDD and these behavioral changes are sensitive to antidepressant treatments. Here we review two animal models in which MDD-like behavioral changes are elicited by exposure to an acute traumatic event during adulthood, learned helplessness (LH) and conditioned defeat. In LH, exposure of rats to inescapable, but not escapable, tailshock produces a constellation of behavioral changes that include deficits in fight/flight responding and enhanced anxiety-like behavior. In conditioned defeat, exposure of Syrian hamsters to a social defeat by a more aggressive animal leads to a loss of territorial aggression and an increase in submissive and defensive behaviors in subsequent encounters with non-aggressive conspecifics. Investigations into the neural substrates that control LH and conditioned defeat revealed that increased 5-HT activity in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) is critical for both models. Other key brain regions that regulate the acquisition and/or expression of behavior in these two paradigms include the basolateral amygdala (BLA), central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). In this review, we compare and contrast the role of each of these neural structures in mediating LH and conditioned defeat, and discuss the relevance of these data in developing a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying trauma-related depression. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sayamwong E Hammack
- Department of Psychology, University of Vermont, 2 Colchester Avenue, John Dewey Hall, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Trainor BC, Pride MC, Villalon Landeros R, Knoblauch NW, Takahashi EY, Silva AL, Crean KK. Sex differences in social interaction behavior following social defeat stress in the monogamous California mouse (Peromyscus californicus). PLoS One 2011; 6:e17405. [PMID: 21364768 PMCID: PMC3045459 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2010] [Accepted: 01/29/2011] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Stressful life experiences are known to be a precipitating factor for many mental disorders. The social defeat model induces behavioral responses in rodents (e.g. reduced social interaction) that are similar to behavioral patterns associated with mood disorders. The model has contributed to the discovery of novel mechanisms regulating behavioral responses to stress, but its utility has been largely limited to males. This is disadvantageous because most mood disorders have a higher incidence in women versus men. Male and female California mice (Peromyscus californicus) aggressively defend territories, which allowed us to observe the effects of social defeat in both sexes. In two experiments, mice were exposed to three social defeat or control episodes. Mice were then behaviorally phenotyped, and indirect markers of brain activity and corticosterone responses to a novel social stimulus were assessed. Sex differences in behavioral responses to social stress were long lasting (4 wks). Social defeat reduced social interaction responses in females but not males. In females, social defeat induced an increase in the number of phosphorylated CREB positive cells in the nucleus accumbens shell after exposure to a novel social stimulus. This effect of defeat was not observed in males. The effects of defeat in females were limited to social contexts, as there were no differences in exploratory behavior in the open field or light-dark box test. These data suggest that California mice could be a useful model for studying sex differences in behavioral responses to stress, particularly in neurobiological mechanisms that are involved with the regulation of social behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian C Trainor
- Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
Cooper MA, Huhman KL. Blocking corticotropin-releasing factor-2 receptors, but not corticotropin-releasing factor-1 receptors or glucocorticoid feedback, disrupts the development of conditioned defeat. Physiol Behav 2010; 101:527-32. [PMID: 20705077 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2010] [Revised: 07/15/2010] [Accepted: 08/02/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Several neuroendocrine signals of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis are released following exposure to stressful events. It has long been proposed that the signals in this cascade each act to modify ongoing and future behavior. In this study we investigated whether blocking glucocorticoid synthesis, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)-1 receptors, or CRF-2 receptors during social defeat would alter subsequent behavioral responses. We used a conditioned defeat model in Syrian hamsters in which social defeat results in a dramatic shift from territorial aggression to increased submissive and defensive behavior in future social encounters. We found that intracerebroventricular administration of anti-sauvagine-30, a CRF-2 receptor antagonist, prior to social defeat training reduced the acquisition of conditioned defeat. In contrast, the acquisition of conditioned defeat was not altered by the CRF-1 receptor antagonist CP-154,526 or the glucocorticoid synthesis inhibitor metyrapone. Our results suggest that CRF, and perhaps related neuropeptides such as urocortins, act at CRF-2 receptors to promote the development of defeat-induced changes in social behavior, whereas signaling at CRF-1 and glucocorticoid receptors plays a negligible role in this process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Cooper
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Walker DL, Miles LA, Davis M. Selective participation of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and CRF in sustained anxiety-like versus phasic fear-like responses. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2009; 33:1291-308. [PMID: 19595731 PMCID: PMC2783512 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2009.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 258] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2009] [Revised: 06/26/2009] [Accepted: 06/29/2009] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The medial division of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA(M)) and the lateral division of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST(L)) are closely related. Both receive projections from the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and both project to brain areas that mediate fear-influenced behaviors. In contrast to CeA(M) however, initial attempts to implicate the BNST in conditioned fear responses were largely unsuccessful. More recent studies have shown that the BNST does participate in some types of anxiety and stress responses. Here, we review evidence suggesting that the CeA(M) and BNST(L) are functionally complementary, with CeA(M) mediating short- but not long-duration threat responses (i.e., phasic fear) and BNST(L) mediating long- but not short-duration responses (sustained fear or 'anxiety'). We also review findings implicating the stress-related peptide corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in sustained but not phasic threat responses, and attempt to integrate these findings into a neural circuit model which accounts for these and related observations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D. L. Walker
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA,Correspondence should be addressed to: David L. Walker, Emory University School of Medicine, 954 Gatewood Road NE, Yerkes Neurosci Bldg – Rm 5214, Atlanta, GA 30329, Ph: (404) 727-3587, Fax: (404) 727-8070,
| | | | - M. Davis
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA,The Center for Behavior Neurosci, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Cooper MA, Grober MS, Nicholas CR, Huhman KL. Aggressive encounters alter the activation of serotonergic neurons and the expression of 5-HT1A mRNA in the hamster dorsal raphe nucleus. Neuroscience 2009; 161:680-90. [PMID: 19362123 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.03.084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2008] [Revised: 03/27/2009] [Accepted: 03/31/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Serotonergic (5-HT) neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) have been implicated in stress-induced changes in behavior. Previous research indicates that stressful stimuli activate 5-HT neurons in select subregions of the DRN. Uncontrollable stress is thought to sensitize 5-HT neurons in the DRN and allow for an exaggerated 5-HT response to future stimuli. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that following aggressive encounters, losing male Syrian hamsters would exhibit increased c-Fos immunoreactivity in 5-HT DRN neurons compared to winners or controls. In addition, we tested the hypothesis that losers would have decreased 5-HT1A mRNA levels in the DRN compared to winners or controls. We found that a single 15-min aggressive encounter increased c-Fos expression in 5-HT and non-5-HT neurons in losers compared to winners and controls. The increased c-Fos expression in losers was restricted to ventral regions of the rostral DRN. We also found that four 5-min aggressive encounters reduced total 5-HT1A mRNA levels in the DRN in losers compared to winners and controls, and that differences in mRNA levels were not restricted to specific DRN subregions. These results suggest that social defeat activates neurons in select subregions of the DRN and reduces message for DRN 5-HT1A autoreceptors. Our results support the hypothesis that social stress can activate 5-HT neurons in the DRN, reduce 5-HT1A autoreceptor-mediated inhibition, and lead to hyperactivity of 5-HT neurons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M A Cooper
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0900, USA.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Fekete EM, Zhao Y, Li C, Sabino V, Vale WW, Zorrilla EP. Social defeat stress activates medial amygdala cells that express type 2 corticotropin-releasing factor receptor mRNA. Neuroscience 2009; 162:5-13. [PMID: 19358876 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.03.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2008] [Revised: 02/24/2009] [Accepted: 03/28/2009] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Defeat is a social stressor involving subordination by a threatening conspecific. Type 2 corticotropin-releasing factor receptors (CRF(2)) are abundant in brain regions implicated in defeat responses and are putative stress-related molecules. The present study sought to determine whether neuroactivation and CRF(2) expression co-occurred at brain region or cellular levels following acute defeat. Male "intruder" Wistar rats were placed into the cage of an aggressive "resident" Long-Evans rat (n=6). Upon defeat, intruders (n=6) were placed in a wire-mesh chamber and were returned to the resident's cage for an additional 75 min. Controls (n=6) were handled and returned to their home cage for the same duration. Coronal brain sections were stained for an immediate early gene product, Fos, as a neuronal activation marker. Combined immunohistochemistry with in situ hybridization was performed on a subset of brain sections from defeated intruders to visualize Fos immunoreactivity and CRF(2) mRNA jointly. Defeated rats had fivefold, sevenfold, and 10-fold more Fos-positive cells than controls in the arcuate, ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, and medial amygdala post-defeat. Significant colocalization of CRF(2) mRNA and Fos-positive cells was observed in the posterior medial amygdala but not in the arcuate nucleus or ventromedial hypothalamus. The results indicate CRF(2) receptor-positive neurons in the posterior medial amygdala are involved in the neural response to social defeat.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E M Fekete
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Cooper MA, Huhman KL. Corticotropin-releasing factor receptors in the dorsal raphe nucleus modulate social behavior in Syrian hamsters. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2007; 194:297-307. [PMID: 17581742 PMCID: PMC2714987 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-007-0849-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2006] [Accepted: 06/01/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE In Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), social defeat produces a prolonged change in subsequent agonistic behavior termed conditioned defeat. This stress-induced change in behavior is marked by increased submissive and defensive behavior toward a novel, nonaggressive opponent and a complete loss of normal territorial aggression. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) has been shown to affect serotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) and to modulate learned helplessness via a CRF type-2 receptor (CRF-R2) mechanism. OBJECTIVES In this study, we tested the hypothesis that a nonselective CRF receptor antagonist (experiment 1: 250 or 500 ng D: -Phe CRF in 200 nl saline), or a selective CRF-R2 antagonist (experiment 2: 500 ng anti-Svg-30 in 200 nl saline), injected into the DRN would reduce the acquisition of conditioned defeat in male hamsters. We also tested similar hypotheses for the expression of conditioned defeat (experiments 3 and 4). RESULTS Infusion of D: -Phe CRF into the DRN significantly reduced both the acquisition and expression of conditioned defeat compared to vehicle controls, whereas infusion of anti-Svg-30 into the DRN reduced expression but not acquisition. In particular, CRF antagonism in the DRN decreased fleeing from novel opponents but did not reinstate normal territorial aggression after social defeat. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the increased flight associated with conditioned defeat is modulated by CRF-R2 activation within the DRN. Overall, social defeat is an ethologically relevant stressor that appears to activate at least some of the same neural substrates that have been implicated in the control of learned helplessness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Cooper
- Department of Psychology, Austin Peay Building, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-0900, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Bakshi VP, Newman SM, Smith-Roe S, Jochman KA, Kalin NH. Stimulation of lateral septum CRF2 receptors promotes anorexia and stress-like behaviors: functional homology to CRF1 receptors in basolateral amygdala. J Neurosci 2007; 27:10568-77. [PMID: 17898228 PMCID: PMC6673168 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3044-06.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2006] [Revised: 08/03/2007] [Accepted: 08/04/2007] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system is the primary central mediator of stress-like states, coordinating behavioral, endocrine, and autonomic responses to stress. Although induction of anorexia is a well documented effect of CRF receptor agonist administration, the central sites and behavioral processes underlying this phenomenon are poorly understood. The present studies addressed this question by examining the neuroanatomical, behavioral, and pharmacological mechanisms mediating decreases in feeding produced by the CRF1/CRF2 receptor agonist urocortin. Separate groups of food-restricted male Sprague Dawley rats were given infusions of urocortin (0, 50, 125, 250 ng/0.5 microl) into the lateral septum (LS) and immediately afterward were rated on a wide array of behaviors (locomotion, rearing, grooming, stereotypies) including a microstructural analysis of ingestive behavior. Intra-LS urocortin infusion dose-dependently reduced feeding and drinking while concomitantly increasing grooming, stereotypies, and ethological plus traditional measures of anxiety-like responses in the elevated plus-maze. Urocortin infusion into neighboring sites (lateral ventricle, medial caudate) had no effects. Coinfusion into the LS of the mixed CRF1/CRF2 receptor antagonist D-Phe-CRF(12-41) (0, 100, 1000 ng/0.5 microl) or the novel selective CRF2 receptor antagonist Astressin2B (0, 500, 1000 ng/0.5 microl) blocked urocortin-induced effects, but the CRF1-selective antagonist NBI27914 (0, 500, 1000 ng/0.5 microl) had no effect, although it completely reversed the behavioral sequelae of CRF when infused into the basolateral amygdala. These results indicate that one of the modes through which the CRF system promotes anorexia is the recruitment of stress-like states after stimulation of CRF2 receptors within the LS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vaishali P Bakshi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53719, USA.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Solomon MB, Karom MC, Huhman KL. Sex and estrous cycle differences in the display of conditioned defeat in Syrian hamsters. Horm Behav 2007; 52:211-9. [PMID: 17555756 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2007.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2007] [Revised: 04/12/2007] [Accepted: 04/13/2007] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We have reported that there is a sex difference in the behavioral response to social defeat in hamsters. While previously defeated male hamsters fail to display normal territorial aggression and instead produce submissive/defensive behavior, a phenomenon that we have termed conditioned defeat (CD), only a small portion of previously defeated females exhibit CD. In Experiment 1, we tested the hypothesis that CD varies over the estrous cycle and found that previously defeated female hamsters tested on diestrus 2 and proestrus were more likely to exhibit CD than were females tested on diestrus 1 and estrus. In Experiment 2, we found that regardless of hormonal status, non-defeated females displayed normal territorial aggression, indicating that the behavioral changes observed in Experiment 1 were not due to a cyclic variation in submissive behavior independent of a previous defeat encounter. In Experiment 3, we found that females tested 4 days after defeat responded similarly to those tested 1 day after defeat suggesting that the hormonal status of females on the day of testing is a more important determinant of the behavioral response to defeat than is the hormonal status on the day of defeat training. Finally, in Experiment 4, we monitored anxiety-like behaviors in diestrous 1 and proestrous females in an open field arena and found that there was no effect of cycle on any of the observed behavioral measures, suggesting that the observed differences in CD are not the result of differences in generalized anxiety-like behaviors across the estrous cycle.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matia B Solomon
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302-4010, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
33
|
Razzoli M, Carboni L, Guidi A, Gerrard P, Arban R. Social defeat-induced contextual conditioning differentially imprints behavioral and adrenal reactivity: a time-course study in the rat. Physiol Behav 2007; 92:734-40. [PMID: 17707870 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.05.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2007] [Revised: 05/22/2007] [Accepted: 05/22/2007] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The present experiments were based on the rat resident-intruder paradigm and aimed at better understanding the long-term conditioning properties of this social stress model. Intruders were exposed to aggressive conspecifics residents. During 3 daily encounters, intruders were either defeated or threatened by residents, providing the defeated-threatened (DT) and threatened-threatened (TT) groups respectively, or exposed to a novel empty cage (EC). The effect of such exposures was assessed in 3 separate experiments 8, 14, or 21 days following the last session on both behavior and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis parameters. A specific and persistent behavioral conditioning due to social defeat but also to the sole social threat experience was observed as defensive behaviors and anxiety-like behaviors were observed respectively in DT and TT rats, highlighting a lack of habituation for the conditioning properties of this social stressor. On the other hand, at the earlier time points examined a less specific activation of the HPA axis parameters was found, starting to show habituation at day 21 in EC but not in DT or TT rats. These data give further support to the lasting effects of this social stress model, bestowing a special emphasis upon the impact of its psychological component and upon the relevance of its development and maintenance over time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Razzoli
- Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Biology, Psychiatry CEDD GlaxoSmithKline Research Centre, via Alessandro Fleming 4, 37135 Verona, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Powell KR, Albers HE. Center for Behavioral Neuroscience: a prototype multi-institutional collaborative research center. JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL DISCOVERY AND COLLABORATION 2006; 1:9. [PMID: 16846500 PMCID: PMC1557540 DOI: 10.1186/1747-5333-1-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2006] [Accepted: 07/17/2006] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The Center for Behavioral Neuroscience was launched in the fall of 1999 with support from the National Science Foundation, the Georgia Research Alliance, and our eight participating institutions (Georgia State University, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Clark-Atlanta University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Morris Brown College). The CBN provides the resources to foster innovative research in behavioral neuroscience, with a specific focus on the neurobiology of social behavior. Center faculty working in collaboratories use diverse model systems from invertebrates to humans to investigate fear, aggression, affiliation, and reproductive behaviors. The addition of new research foci in reward and reinforcement, memory and cognition, and sex differences has expanded the potential for collaborations among Center investigators. Technology core laboratories develop the molecular, cellular, systems, behavioral, and imaging tools essential for investigating how the brain influences complex social behavior and, in turn, how social experience influences brain function. In addition to scientific discovery, a major goal of the CBN is to train the next generation of behavioral neuroscientists and to increase the number of women and under-represented minorities in neuroscience. Educational programs are offered for K-12 students to spark an interest in science. Undergraduate and graduate initiatives encourage students to participate in interdisciplinary and inter-institutional programs, while postdoctoral programs provide a bridge between laboratories and allow the interdisciplinary research and educational ventures to flourish. Finally, the CBN is committed to knowledge transfer, partnering with community organizations to bring neuroscience to the public. This multifaceted approach through research, education, and knowledge transfer will have a major impact on how we study interactions between the brain and behavior, as well as how the public views brain function and neuroscience.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly R Powell
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 3966, Atlanta, Georgia 30302-3966, USA
| | - H Elliott Albers
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 3966, Atlanta, Georgia 30302-3966, USA
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Sahuque L, Kullberg EF, Mcgeehan AJ, Kinder JR, Hicks MP, Blanton MG, Janak PH, Olive MF. Anxiogenic and aversive effects of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in the rat: role of CRF receptor subtypes. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2006; 186:122-32. [PMID: 16568282 PMCID: PMC1473306 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-006-0362-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2006] [Accepted: 02/27/2006] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) produces anxiety-like and aversive effects when infused directly into the various regions of the brain, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). However, the CRF receptor subtypes within the BNST mediating these phenomena have not been established. OBJECTIVES We used selective CRF receptor antagonists to determine the receptor subtypes involved in the anxiogenic-like and aversive effects CRF in the BNST. MATERIALS AND METHODS Male Long-Evans rats were bilaterally infused with CRF (0.2 or 1.0 nmol) either alone or in combination with the CRF1 receptor antagonist CP154,526 or the CRF2 receptor antagonist anti-sauvagine 30 (AS30) before behavioral testing in the elevated plus maze or place conditioning paradigms. RESULTS Intra-BNST administration of CRF produced a dose-dependent reduction in open arm entries and open arm time in the elevated plus maze, indicating an anxiogenic-like effect. These effects were inhibited by co-infusion of CP154,526 but not of AS30, indicating that the anxiogenic-like effects of CRF in the BNST are mediated by CRF1 receptors. Place conditioning with intra-BNST administration of CRF produced a dose-dependent aversion to the CRF-paired environment that was prevented by co-infusion of either CP154,526 or AS30, indicating that both CRF receptor subtypes mediate the aversive effects of this peptide. Intra-BNST infusions of the CRF receptor antagonists alone produced no effects in either behavioral paradigm. CONCLUSIONS CRF1 receptors in the BNST mediate the anxiogenic-like effects of CRF in this region, whereas both CRF1 and CRF2 receptor subtypes mediate the conditioned aversive effects of this peptide within the BNST.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lacey Sahuque
- Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, Department of Neurology, University of California at San Francisco, Emeryville, California 94608 USA
| | - Erika F. Kullberg
- Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425 USA
| | - Andrew J. Mcgeehan
- Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, Department of Neurology, University of California at San Francisco, Emeryville, California 94608 USA
| | - Jennifer R. Kinder
- Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, Department of Neurology, University of California at San Francisco, Emeryville, California 94608 USA
| | - Megan P. Hicks
- Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425 USA
| | - Mary G. Blanton
- Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425 USA
| | - Patricia H. Janak
- Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, Department of Neurology, University of California at San Francisco, Emeryville, California 94608 USA
| | - M. Foster Olive
- Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425 USA
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Warnock G, Prickaerts J, Steckler T. Interactions between CRF and acetylcholine in the modulation of cognitive behaviour. EXS 2006; 98:41-63. [PMID: 17019882 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-7643-7772-4_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Geoff Warnock
- Dept. Psychiatry, RED Europe, Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|