1
|
Estradiol-dependent hypocretinergic/orexinergic behaviors throughout the estrous cycle. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:15-25. [PMID: 36571628 PMCID: PMC9816302 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06296-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The female menstrual or estrous cycle and its associated fluctuations in circulating estradiol (E2), progesterone, and other gonadal hormones alter orexin or hypocretin peptide production and receptor activity. Depending on the estrous cycle phase, the transcription of prepro-orexin mRNA, post-translational modification of orexin peptide, and abundance of orexin receptors change in a brain region-specific manner. The most dramatic changes occur in the hypothalamus, which is considered the starting point of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis as well as the hub of orexin-producing neurons. Thus, hypothalamus-regulated behaviors, including arousal, feeding, reward processing, and the stress response depend on coordinated efforts between E2, progesterone, and the orexin system. Given the rise of orexin therapeutics for various neuropsychiatric conditions including insomnia and affective disorders, it is important to delineate the behavioral outcomes of this drug class in both sexes, as well as within different time points of the female reproductive cycle. OBJECTIVES Summarize how the menstrual or estrous cycle affects orexin system functionality in animal models in order to predict how orexin pharmacotherapies exert varying degrees of behavioral effects across the dynamic hormonal milieu.
Collapse
|
2
|
Li G, Zhang K, Wang L, Cao C, Fang R, Liu P, Luo S, Liberzon I. The preliminary investigation of orexigenic hormone gene polymorphisms on posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 100:131-136. [PMID: 30326460 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.09.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Revised: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Orexigenic hormones are a group of hormones that can up-regulate appetite. Current studies have shown that orexigenic hormones also play important roles in stress responses and may be implicated in regulation of fear memory. However, these conclusions lack evidence from human studies. In this study, we examined associations between orexigenic hormone genes and fear-related mental disorders by investigating main, G × E, and G × G effects of ghrelin and orexin gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on human posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in 1134 Chinese earthquake survivors. SNPs Leu72Met of the GHRL gene (rs696217), Ile408Val of the HCRTR1 gene (rs2271933) and Val308Ile of the HCRTR2 gene (rs2653349) were genotyped. None of the SNPs showed significant main or G × E effects. However, a significant interaction effect between GHRL rs696217 and HCRTR1 rs2271933 was found to predict the PTSD Checklist (PCL-5) total score (P = 0.007). Further analysis revealed different interaction patterns in males and females. For females, the rs2271933 G allele was associated with an increased PCL-5 total score (B = 2.59, P = 0.024) when the rs696217 genotype TT/TG was present. For males, the rs696217 T allele is associated with an increased PCL-5 total score (B = 3.62, P = 0.040) when the rs2271933 genotype GG/GA was present. These current findings expand our knowledge of physiological function of the orexigenic hormone system, and suggest its involvement in development of fear-related mental disorders such as PTSD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gen Li
- Laboratory for Traumatic Stress studies and Center for Genetics and BioMedical Informatics Research, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kunlin Zhang
- Laboratory for Traumatic Stress studies and Center for Genetics and BioMedical Informatics Research, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Li Wang
- Laboratory for Traumatic Stress studies and Center for Genetics and BioMedical Informatics Research, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Chengqi Cao
- Laboratory for Traumatic Stress studies and Center for Genetics and BioMedical Informatics Research, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ruojiao Fang
- Laboratory for Traumatic Stress studies and Center for Genetics and BioMedical Informatics Research, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ping Liu
- People's Hospital of Deyang City, Deyang, Sichuan, China
| | - Shu Luo
- People's Hospital of Deyang City, Deyang, Sichuan, China
| | - Israel Liberzon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan and Mental Health Service, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Origins of arousal: roles for medullary reticular neurons. Trends Neurosci 2012; 35:468-76. [PMID: 22626543 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2012.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2011] [Revised: 04/18/2012] [Accepted: 04/23/2012] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The existence of a primitive CNS function involved in the activation of all vertebrate behaviors, generalized arousal (GA), has been proposed. Here, we provide an overview of the neuroanatomical, neurophysiological and molecular properties of reticular neurons within the nucleus gigantocellularis (NGC) of the mammalian medulla, and propose that the properties of these neurons equip them to contribute powerfully to GA. We also explore the hypothesis that these neurons may have evolved from the Mauthner cell in the medulla of teleost fish, although NGC neurons have a wider range of action far beyond the specific escape network served by Mauthner cells. Understanding the neuronal circuits that control and regulate GA is central to understanding how motivated behaviors such as hunger, thirst and sexual behaviors arise.
Collapse
|
4
|
Schober J, Weil Z, Pfaff D. How generalized CNS arousal strengthens sexual arousal (and vice versa). Horm Behav 2011; 59:689-95. [PMID: 20950622 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2010.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2010] [Revised: 09/23/2010] [Accepted: 10/02/2010] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Heightened states of generalized CNS arousal are proposed here to facilitate sexual arousal in both males and females. Genetic, pharmacologic and biophysical mechanisms by which this happens are reviewed. Moreover, stimulation of the genital epithelia, as triggers of sex behavior, is hypothesized to lead to a greater generalized arousal in a manner that intensifies sexual motivation. Finally, launched from histochemical studies intended to characterize cells in the genital epithelium, a surprising idea is proposed that links density of innervation with the efficiency of wound healing and with the capacity of that epithelium to stimulate generalized CNS arousal. Thus, bidirectional arousal-related mechanisms that foster sexual behaviors are envisioned as follows: from specific to generalized (as with genital stimulation) and from generalized to specific.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justine Schober
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, NY, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Devidze N, Zhou Y, Ho A, Zhang Q, Pfaff DW, Kreek MJ. Steady-state methadone effect on generalized arousal in male and female mice. Behav Neurosci 2009; 122:1248-56. [PMID: 19045944 DOI: 10.1037/a0013276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Methadone is widely used in treatment of short-acting opiate addiction. The on-off effects of opioids have been documented to have profound differences from steady-state opioids. The authors hypothesize that opioids play important roles in either generalized arousal (GA) or aversive state of arousal during opioid withdrawal. Both male and female C57BL6 mice received steady-state methadone (SSM) through osmotic pumps at 10 or 20 mg/kg/day, and GA was measured in voluntary motor activity, sensory responsivity, and contextual fear conditioning. SSM did not have any effect on those GA behaviors in either sex. Females had higher activity and less fear conditioning than males. The effects of SSM on stress-responsive orexin gene expression in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and medial hypothalamus (MH, including perifornical and dorsomedial areas) were measured after the behavioral tests. Females showed significantly lower basal LH (but not MH) orexin mRNA levels than males. A panel of GA stressors increased LH orexin mRNA levels in females only; these increases were blunted by SSM at 20 mg/kg. In summary, SSM had no effect on GA behaviors. In females, SSM blunted the GA stress-induced LH orexin gene expression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N Devidze
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Willott JF. Effects of sex, gonadal hormones, and augmented acoustic environments on sensorineural hearing loss and the central auditory system: insights from research on C57BL/6J mice. Hear Res 2008; 252:89-99. [PMID: 19114100 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2008.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2008] [Revised: 11/24/2008] [Accepted: 12/01/2008] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Mice of the C57BL/6J (B6) inbred strain exhibit genetic progressive sensorineural hearing loss and have been widely used as a model of adult-onset hearing loss and presbycusis. Males and females exhibit similar degrees of hearing loss until about 3 months of age, after which, the loss accelerates in females. This paper reviews research on how the B6 auditory system is affected by sex, gonadectomy (i.e., a reduction of gonadal hormone levels), and nightly exposure to moderately intense augmented acoustic environments (AAEs) - a low-frequency noise band (LAAE) or high-frequency band (HAAE). Several findings indicate a negative effect of ovarian hormones on the female B6 auditory system. Whereas the sex difference in high-frequency hearing loss was not significantly affected by gondadectomies, the female disadvantage in ABR thresholds at lower frequencies was erased by ovariectomy. Moreover, exposure to the LAAE or HAAE caused losses of hair cells that were more severe in intact females than in ovariectomized females or in males. Finally, intact females had more severe loss of neurons in the low-frequency region of the anterior ventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN) than other groups. In contrast, the presence of androgens had beneficial effects. Loss of hair cells and AVCN neurons after AAE exposure were more severe in orchidectomized males than in intact males. Ideas, hypotheses, and potential mechanisms concerning the findings are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James F Willott
- Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., PCD4118G, Tampa, FL 33620, USA; The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Sakuma Y. Neural Substrates for Sexual Preference and Motivation in the Female and Male Rat. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2008; 1129:55-60. [DOI: 10.1196/annals.1417.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
|
8
|
Shelley DN, Dwyer E, Johnson C, Wittkowski KM, Pfaff DW. Interactions between estrogen effects and hunger effects in ovariectomized female mice. I. Measures of arousal. Horm Behav 2007; 52:546-53. [PMID: 17868674 PMCID: PMC2080855 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2007.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2006] [Revised: 07/03/2007] [Accepted: 07/19/2007] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Measures of arousal were used to study effects of estradiol and food restriction, and their potential interactions, in ovariectomized female C57Bl/6 mice. It was hypothesized based on a proposed theoretical equation [Pfaff, D.W., 2006a. Brain Arousal and Information Theory. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Pfaff, D.W., (Ed.), 2006b. Knobil and Neill's The Physiology of Reproduction, 3rd edition. Elsevier/Academic Press, San Diego] that each treatment would increase arousal-related behaviors and that their combination would further increase arousal behavior. Following baseline testing, animals (n=28) were divided into 3 groups that, in different experimental phases, received either estradiol (in subcutaneous capsules), restricted diet (a liquid diet providing 60% of daily caloric requirements) or a combination of those two. An automated arousal behavior monitoring system was used to measure home cage voluntary motor activity and sensory responsiveness, these being components of a new operational definition of 'generalized arousal'. KEY FINDINGS (1) During the light, all treatments reduced voluntary activity. (2) In the dark, estrogens increased, while estrogens in combination with restricted diet decreased, horizontal activity. (3) In the dark, restricted diet alone had little effect on voluntary activity, but reduced it when combined with estrogen treatment. (4) All treatments reduced responses to the olfactory stimulus. The dependence of results on time of day was unexpected. Further, different patterns of results for the three treatments suggest that estrogens and food restriction did not have equivalent or additive effects on arousal. While contrary to the main prediction, these findings are discussed in terms of the animals' adaptive preparations for reproduction [Schneider, J.E., 2006. Metabolic and hormonal control of the desire for food and sex: implications for obesity and eating disorders. Horm. Behav. 50, 562-571].
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Deborah N Shelley
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, Box 275, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Willott JF, VandenBosche J, Shimizu T, Ding DL, Salvi R. Effects of exposing gonadectomized and intact C57BL/6J mice to a high-frequency augmented acoustic environment: Auditory brainstem response thresholds and cytocochleograms. Hear Res 2006; 221:73-81. [PMID: 16973316 PMCID: PMC1831842 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2006.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2006] [Revised: 07/21/2006] [Accepted: 07/28/2006] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Gonadectomized and surgically intact adult C57BL/6J (B6) mice of both sexes were exposed for 12h nightly to a high-frequency augmented acoustic environment (AAE): repetitive bursts of a half-octave noise band centered at 20 kHz, 70 dB SPL. The effects of sex, gonadectomy, and AAE treatment on genetic progressive hearing loss (exhibited by B6 mice) were evaluated by obtaining auditory brainstem response thresholds at ages 3-, 6-, and 9-months; hair cell counts (cytocochleograms) were obtained at 9 months. A sex difference in the rate of genetic progressive hearing loss in B6 mice (observed by earlier studies) was confirmed, with females exhibiting a faster rate of threshold elevations and more severe loss of hair cells at age 9 months. Gonadectomy had no consistent effects on the rate or severity of hearing loss in non-exposed mice of either sex. An unexpected finding was that the high-frequency AAE treatment caused additional ABR threshold elevations and hair cell loss. In an earlier study, the same high-frequency AAE treatment on DBA/2J mice ameliorated hearing loss. The most severe AAE-induced losses occurred in surgically intact females, suggesting a potentiating effect of ovarian hormone(s).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James F Willott
- Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave. PCD4118G, Tampa, FL 33620, USA.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|