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Rojas AKP, Linley SB, Vertes RP. Chemogenetic inactivation of the nucleus reuniens and its projections to the orbital cortex produce deficits on discrete measures of behavioral flexibility in the attentional set-shifting task. Behav Brain Res 2024; 470:115066. [PMID: 38801950 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
The nucleus reuniens (RE) of the ventral midline thalamus is a critical node in the communication between the orbitomedial prefrontal cortex (OFC) and the hippocampus (HF). While RE has been shown to directly participate in memory-associated functions through its connections with the medial prefrontal cortex and HF, less is known regarding the role of RE in executive functioning. Here, we examined the involvement of RE and its projections to the orbital cortex (ORB) in attention and behavioral flexibility in male rats using the attentional set shifting task (AST). Rats expressing the hM4Di DREADD receptor in RE were implanted with indwelling cannulas in either RE or the ventromedial ORB to pharmacologically inhibit RE or its projections to the ORB with intracranial infusions of clozapine-N-oxide hydrochloride (CNO). Chemogenetic-induced suppression of RE resulted in impairments in reversal learning and set-shifting. This supports a vital role for RE in behavioral flexibility - or the ability to adapt behavior to changing reward or rule contingencies. Interestingly, CNO suppression of RE projections to the ventromedial ORB produced impairments in rule abstraction - or dissociable effects elicited with direct RE suppression. In summary, the present findings indicate that RE, mediated in part by actions on the ORB, serves a critical role in the flexible use of rules to drive goal directed behavior. The cognitive deficits of various neurological disorders with impaired communication between the HF and OFC, may be partly attributed to alterations of RE -- as an established intermediary between these cortical structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda K P Rojas
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
| | - Stephanie B Linley
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA; Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
| | - Robert P Vertes
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA; Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA.
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2
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LaCrosse AL, May CE, Griffin WC, Olive MF. mGluR5 positive allosteric modulation prevents MK-801 induced increases in extracellular glutamate in the rat medial prefrontal cortex. Neuroscience 2024; 555:83-91. [PMID: 39019391 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.06.016] [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: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
Potentiation of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5) function produces antipsychotic-like and pro-cognitive effects in animal models of schizophrenia and can reverse cognitive deficits induced by N-methyl-D-aspartate type glutamate receptor (NMDAR) antagonists. However, it is currently unknown if mGluR5 positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) can modulate NMDAR antagonist-induced alterations in extracellular glutamate levels in regions underlying these cognitive and behavioral effects, such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). We therefore assessed the ability of the mGluR5 PAM, 3-cyano-N-(1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl) benzamide (CDPPB), to reduce elevated extracellular glutamate levels induced by the NMDAR antagonist, dizocilpine (MK-801), in the mPFC. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with a guide cannula aimed at the mPFC and treated for ten consecutive days with MK-801 and CDPPB or their corresponding vehicles. CDPPB or vehicle was administered thirty minutes before MK-801 or vehicle each day. On the final day of treatment, in vivo microdialysis was performed, and samples were collected every thirty minutes to analyze extracellular glutamate levels. Compared to animals receiving only vehicle, administration of MK-801 alone significantly increased extracellular levels of glutamate in the mPFC. This effect was not observed in animals administered CDPPB before MK-801, nor in those administered CDPPB alone, indicating that CDPPB decreased extracellular glutamate release stimulated by MK-801. Results indicate that CDPPB attenuates MK-801 induced elevations in extracellular glutamate in the mPFC. This effect of CDPPB may underlie neurochemical adaptations associated with the pro-cognitive effects of mGluR5 PAMs in rodent models of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber L LaCrosse
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Ave., Tempe, AZ 85281, United States; Department of Psychological Science, Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Ave, Marquette, MI 49855, United States.
| | - Christina E May
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, MSC 861, 67 President Street, Charleston, SC 29425, United States; Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States
| | - William C Griffin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, MSC 861, 67 President Street, Charleston, SC 29425, United States
| | - M Foster Olive
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Ave., Tempe, AZ 85281, United States
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Liu J, Guo H, Yang J, Xiao Y, Cai A, Zhao T, Womer FY, Zhao P, Zheng J, Zhang X, Wang J, Zhu R, Wang F. Visual cortex repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) reversing neurodevelopmental impairments in adolescents with major psychiatric disorders (MPDs): A cross-species translational study. CNS Neurosci Ther 2024; 30:e14427. [PMID: 37721197 PMCID: PMC10915985 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS Neurodevelopmental impairments are closely linked to the basis of adolescent major psychiatric disorders (MPDs). The visual cortex can regulate neuroplasticity throughout the brain during critical periods of neurodevelopment, which may provide a promising target for neuromodulation therapy. This cross-species translational study examined the effects of visual cortex repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on neurodevelopmental impairments in MPDs. METHODS Visual cortex rTMS was performed in both adolescent methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) rats and patients with MPDs. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and brain tissue proteomic data in rats and fMRI and clinical symptom data in patients were analyzed. RESULTS The regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis of fMRI data revealed an increase in the frontal cortex and a decrease in the posterior cortex in the MAM rats, representing the abnormal neurodevelopmental pattern in MPDs. In regard to the effects of rTMS, similar neuroimaging changes, particularly reduced frontal ReHo, were found both in MAM rats and adolescent patients, suggesting that rTMS may reverse the abnormal neurodevelopmental pattern. Proteomic analysis revealed that rTMS modulated frontal synapse-associated proteins, which may be the underpinnings of rTMS efficacy. Furthermore, a positive relationship was observed between frontal ReHo and clinical symptoms after rTMS in patients. CONCLUSION Visual cortex rTMS was proven to be an effective treatment for adolescent MPDs, and the underlying neural and molecular mechanisms were uncovered. Our study provides translational evidence for therapeutics targeting the neurodevelopmental factor in MPDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Liu
- Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
- Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Huiling Guo
- Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
- Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
- School of Biomedical Engineering and InformaticsNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
| | - Jingyu Yang
- Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
- Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Yao Xiao
- Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
- Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Aoling Cai
- School of Biomedical Engineering and InformaticsNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
- Changzhou Second People's Hospital, Changzhou Medical CenterNanjing Medical UniversityChangzhouJiangsuChina
| | - Tongtong Zhao
- Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
- Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Fay Y. Womer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesVanderbilt University Medical CenterNashvilleTennesseeUSA
| | - Pengfei Zhao
- Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
- Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Junjie Zheng
- Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
- Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Xizhe Zhang
- Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
- School of Biomedical Engineering and InformaticsNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
| | - Jie Wang
- Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and TechnologyChinese Academy of Sciences‐Wuhan National Laboratory for OptoelectronicsWuhanChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Rongxin Zhu
- Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
- Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Fei Wang
- Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain HospitalNanjing Medical UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
- Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical UniversityNanjingChina
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Santos-Silva T, dos Santos Fabris D, de Oliveira CL, Guimarães FS, Gomes FV. Prefrontal and Hippocampal Parvalbumin Interneurons in Animal Models for Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Schizophr Bull 2024; 50:210-223. [PMID: 37584417 PMCID: PMC10754178 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbad123] [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] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Consistent with postmortem findings in patients, most animal models for schizophrenia (SCZ) present abnormal levels of parvalbumin (PV), a marker of fast-spiking GABAergic interneurons, in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HIP). However, there are discrepancies in the literature. PV reductions lead to a functional loss of PV interneurons, which is proposed to underly SCZ symptoms. Given its complex etiology, different categories of animal models have been developed to study SCZ, which may distinctly impact PV levels in rodent brain areas. STUDY DESIGN We performed a quantitative meta-analysis on PV-positive cell number/density and expression levels in the PFC and HIP of animal models for SCZ based on pharmacological, neurodevelopmental, and genetic manipulations. RESULTS Our results confirmed that PV levels are significantly reduced in the PFC and HIP regardless of the animal model. By categorizing into subgroups, we found that all pharmacological models based on NMDA receptor antagonism decreased PV-positive cell number/density or PV expression levels in both brain areas examined. In neurodevelopmental models, abnormal PV levels were confirmed in both brain areas in maternal immune activation models and HIP of the methylazoxymethanol acetate model. In genetic models, negative effects were found in neuregulin 1 and ERBB4 mutant mice in both brain regions and the PFC of dysbindin mutant mice. Regarding sex differences, male rodents exhibited PV reductions in both brain regions only in pharmacological models, while few studies have been conducted in females. CONCLUSION Overall, our findings support deficits in prefrontal and hippocampal PV interneurons in animal models for SCZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thamyris Santos-Silva
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Débora dos Santos Fabris
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavioral Sciences, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Cilene Lino de Oliveira
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis,Brazil
| | - Francisco S Guimarães
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Felipe V Gomes
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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Patrono E, Hrůzova K, Svoboda J, Stuchlík A. The role of optogenetic stimulations of parvalbumin-positive interneurons in the prefrontal cortex and the ventral hippocampus on an acute MK-801 model of schizophrenia-like cognitive inflexibility. Schizophr Res 2023; 252:198-205. [PMID: 36657364 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2022.12.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia research has increased in recent decades and focused more on its neural basis. Decision-making and cognitive flexibility are the main cognitive functions that are impaired and considered schizophrenia endophenotypes. Cognitive impairment was recently connected with altered functions of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDAR) glutamatergic receptors, which increased cortical activity. Selective NMDAR antagonists, such as MK-801, have been used to model cognitive inflexibility in schizophrenia. Decreased GABAergic inhibitory activity has been shown elsewhere with enhanced cortical activity. This imbalance in the excitatory/inhibitory may reduce the entrainment of prefrontal gamma and hippocampal theta rhythms and result in gamma/theta band de-synchronization. The current study established an acute MK-801 administration model of schizophrenia-like cognitive inflexibility in rats and used the attentional set-shifting task in which rats learned to switch/reverse the relevant rule. During the task, we used in vivo optogenetic stimulations of parvalbumin-positive interneurons at specific light pulses in the prefrontal cortex and ventral hippocampus. The first experiments showed that acute dizocilpine in rats produced schizophrenia-like cognitive inflexibility. The second set of experiments demonstrated that specific optogenetic stimulation at specific frequencies of parvalbumin-positive interneurons in the prefrontal cortex and ventral hippocampus rescued the cognitive flexibility rats that received acute MK-801. These findings advance our knowledge of the pivotal role of parvalbumin interneurons in schizophrenia-like cognitive impairment and may guide further research on this severe psychiatric disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Patrono
- Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska, 1830, 142 20 Prague 4, Czech Republic.
| | - Karolina Hrůzova
- Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska, 1830, 142 20 Prague 4, Czech Republic; Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Ruská 87, 100 00, Prague 10, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Svoboda
- Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska, 1830, 142 20 Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Aleš Stuchlík
- Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska, 1830, 142 20 Prague 4, Czech Republic
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6
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Kaki S, DeRosa H, Timmerman B, Brummelte S, Hunter RG, Kentner AC. Developmental Manipulation-Induced Changes in Cognitive Functioning. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 63:241-289. [PMID: 36029460 PMCID: PMC9971379 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2022_389] [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] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with as-yet no identified cause. The use of animals has been critical to teasing apart the potential individual and intersecting roles of genetic and environmental risk factors in the development of schizophrenia. One way to recreate in animals the cognitive impairments seen in people with schizophrenia is to disrupt the prenatal or neonatal environment of laboratory rodent offspring. This approach can result in congruent perturbations in brain physiology, learning, memory, attention, and sensorimotor domains. Experimental designs utilizing such animal models have led to a greatly improved understanding of the biological mechanisms that could underlie the etiology and symptomology of schizophrenia, although there is still more to be discovered. The implementation of the Research and Domain Criterion (RDoC) has been critical in taking a more comprehensive approach to determining neural mechanisms underlying abnormal behavior in people with schizophrenia through its transdiagnostic approach toward targeting mechanisms rather than focusing on symptoms. Here, we describe several neurodevelopmental animal models of schizophrenia using an RDoC perspective approach. The implementation of animal models, combined with an RDoC framework, will bolster schizophrenia research leading to more targeted and likely effective therapeutic interventions resulting in better patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahith Kaki
- School of Arts and Sciences, Health Psychology Program, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Holly DeRosa
- School of Arts and Sciences, Health Psychology Program, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA, USA
- University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brian Timmerman
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Susanne Brummelte
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | | | - Amanda C Kentner
- School of Arts and Sciences, Health Psychology Program, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA, USA.
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Lopes-Rocha A, Bezerra TO, Zanotto R, Lages Nascimento I, Rodrigues A, Salum C. The Antioxidant N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine Restores the Behavioral Deficits in a Neurodevelopmental Model of Schizophrenia Through a Mechanism That Involves Nitric Oxide. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:924955. [PMID: 35903343 PMCID: PMC9315304 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.924955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The disruption of neurodevelopment is a hypothesis for the emergence of schizophrenia. Some evidence supports the hypothesis that a redox imbalance could account for the developmental impairments associated with schizophrenia. Additionally, there is a deficit in glutathione (GSH), a main antioxidant, in this disorder. The injection of metilazoximetanol acetate (MAM) on the 17th day of gestation in Wistar rats recapitulates the neurodevelopmental and oxidative stress hypothesis of schizophrenia. The offspring of rats exposed to MAM treatment present in early adulthood behavioral and neurochemical deficits consistent with those seen in schizophrenia. The present study investigated if the acute and chronic (250 mg/kg) treatment during adulthood with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), a GSH precursor, can revert the behavioral deficits [hyperlocomotion, prepulse inhibition (PPI), and social interaction (SI)] in MAM rats and if the NAC-chronic-effects could be canceled by L-arginine (250 mg/kg, i.p, for 5 days), nitric oxide precursor. Analyses of markers involved in the inflammatory response, such as astrocytes (glial fibrillary acid protein, GFAP) and microglia (binding adapter molecule 1, Iba1), and parvalbumin (PV) positive GABAergic, were conducted in the prefrontal cortex [PFC, medial orbital cortex (MO) and prelimbic cortex (PrL)] and dorsal and ventral hippocampus [CA1, CA2, CA3, and dentate gyrus (DG)] in rats under chronic treatment with NAC. MAM rats showed decreased time of SI and increased locomotion, and both acute and chronic NAC treatments were able to recover these behavioral deficits. L-arginine blocked NAC behavioral effects. MAM rats presented increases in GFAP density at PFC and Iba1 at PFC and CA1. NAC increased the density of Iba1 cells at PFC and of PV cells at MO and CA1 of the ventral hippocampus. The results indicate that NAC recovered the behavioral deficits observed in MAM rats through a mechanism involving nitric oxide. Our data suggest an ongoing inflammatory process in MAM rats and support a potential antipsychotic effect of NAC.
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Dogra S, Conn PJ. Metabotropic glutamate receptors as emerging targets for the treatment of schizophrenia. Mol Pharmacol 2022; 101:275-285. [PMID: 35246479 PMCID: PMC9092465 DOI: 10.1124/molpharm.121.000460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence of glutamatergic abnormalities in the brains of schizophrenia patients has led to efforts to target various components of glutamatergic signaling as potential new approaches for schizophrenia. Exciting research suggests that metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors could provide a fundamentally new approach for better symptomatic relief in schizophrenia patients. In preclinical studies, the mGlu5 receptor positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) have efficacy in animal models relevant for all symptom domains in schizophrenia. Interestingly, biased pure mGlu5 receptor PAMs that do not potentiate coupling of mGlu5 receptors to NMDA receptors lack neurotoxic effects associated with mGlu5 PAMs that enhance coupling to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors or have allosteric agonist activity (ago-PAMs). This provides a better therapeutic profile for treating schizophrenia-like symptoms. Additionally, the mGlu1 receptor PAMs modulate dopamine release in the striatum, which may contribute to their antipsychotic-like effects. Besides group I mGlu (mGlu1 and mGlu5) receptors, agonists of mGlu2/3 receptor also induce robust antipsychotic-like and pro-cognitive effects in rodents and may be effective in treating symptoms of schizophrenia in a selective group of patients. Additionally, mGlu2/4 receptor heterodimers modulate glutamatergic neurotransmission in the prefrontal cortex at selective synapses activated in schizophrenia and, therefore, hold potential as novel antipsychotics. Excitingly, the mGlu3 receptor activation can enhance cognition in rodents suggesting that mGlu3 receptor agonist/PAM could provide a novel approach for the treatment of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Collectively, the development of mGlu receptor-specific ligands may provide an alternative approach to meet the clinical need for safer and efficacious therapeutics for schizophrenia. Significance Statement The currently available antipsychotic medications do not show significant efficacy for treating negative symptoms and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Emerging preclinical and clinical literature suggests that pharmacological targeting of metabotropic glutamate receptors could potentially provide an alternative approach for designing safer and efficacious therapeutics for treating schizophrenia.
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9
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Bae HJ, Kim J, Bae HJ, Park K, Yang X, Cho YJ, Jung SY, Park SJ, Ryu JH. Effects of repetitive training on learning and memory performance of TLR2 KO mice. Behav Brain Res 2022; 426:113836. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Stark T, Iannotti FA, Di Martino S, Di Bartolomeo M, Ruda-Kucerova J, Piscitelli F, Wotjak CT, D’Addario C, Drago F, Di Marzo V, Micale V. Early Blockade of CB1 Receptors Ameliorates Schizophrenia-like Alterations in the Neurodevelopmental MAM Model of Schizophrenia. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12010108. [PMID: 35053256 PMCID: PMC8773886 DOI: 10.3390/biom12010108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In agreement with the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia, prenatal exposure of Sprague-Dawley rats to the antimitotic agent methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) at gestational day 17 produces long-lasting behavioral alterations such as social withdrawal and cognitive impairment in adulthood, mimicking a schizophrenia-like phenotype. These abnormalities were preceded at neonatal age both by the delayed appearance of neonatal reflexes, an index of impaired brain maturation, and by higher 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) brain levels. Schizophrenia-like deficits were reversed by early treatment [from postnatal day (PND) 2 to PND 8] with the CB1 antagonist/inverse agonist AM251 (0.5 mg/kg/day). By contrast, early CB1 blockade affected the behavioral performance of control rats which was paralleled by enhanced 2-AG content in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). These results suggest that prenatal MAM insult leads to premorbid anomalies at neonatal age via altered tone of the endocannabinoid system, which may be considered as an early marker preceding the development of schizophrenia-like alterations in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tibor Stark
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; (T.S.); (J.R.-K.)
- Scientific Core Unit Neuroimaging, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Fabio Arturo Iannotti
- Endocannabinoid Research Group, Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy; (F.A.I.); (F.P.); (V.D.M.)
| | - Serena Di Martino
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (S.D.M.); (F.D.)
| | - Martina Di Bartolomeo
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (M.D.B.); (C.D.)
| | - Jana Ruda-Kucerova
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; (T.S.); (J.R.-K.)
| | - Fabiana Piscitelli
- Endocannabinoid Research Group, Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy; (F.A.I.); (F.P.); (V.D.M.)
| | - Carsten T. Wotjak
- Central Nervous System Diseases Research (CNSDR), Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co KG, 88397 Biberach an der Riss, Germany;
| | - Claudio D’Addario
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (M.D.B.); (C.D.)
| | - Filippo Drago
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (S.D.M.); (F.D.)
| | - Vincenzo Di Marzo
- Endocannabinoid Research Group, Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy; (F.A.I.); (F.P.); (V.D.M.)
- Canada Excellence Research Chair on the Microbiome-Endocannabinoidome Axis in Metabolic Health, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Centre de Recherche de l’Institut de Cardiologie et Pneumologie de l’Université et Institut sur la Nutrition et les Aliments Fonctionnels, Centre NUTRISS, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 4G5, Canada
| | - Vincenzo Micale
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (S.D.M.); (F.D.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-095-4781199
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11
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Sun D, Guo H, Womer FY, Yang J, Tang J, Liu J, Zhu Y, Duan J, Peng Z, Wang H, Tan Q, Zhu Q, Wei Y, Xu K, Zhang Y, Tang Y, Zhang X, Xu F, Wang J, Wang F. Frontal-posterior functional imbalance and aberrant function developmental patterns in schizophrenia. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:495. [PMID: 34580274 PMCID: PMC8476507 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01617-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SZ) is a neurodevelopmental disorder. There remain significant gaps in understanding the neural trajectory across development in SZ. A major research focus is to clarify the developmental functional changes of SZ and to identify the specific timing, the specific brain regions, and the underlying mechanisms of brain alterations during SZ development. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) characterizing brain function was collected and analyzed on humans with SZ (hSZ) and healthy controls (HC) cross-sectionally, and methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) rats, a neurodevelopmental model of SZ, and vehicle rats longitudinally from adolescence to adulthood. Metabolomic and proteomic profiling in adult MAM rats and vehicle rats was examined and bioanalyzed. Compared to HC or adult vehicle rats, similar ReHo alterations were observed in hSZ and adult MAM rats, characterized by increased frontal (medial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices) and decreased posterior (visual and associated cortices) ReHo. Longitudinal analysis of MAM rats showed aberrant ReHo patterns as decreased posterior ReHo in adolescence and increased frontal and decreased posterior ReHo in adulthood. Accordingly, it was suggested that the visual cortex was a critical locus and adolescence was a sensitive window in SZ development. In addition, metabolic and proteomic alterations in adult MAM rats suggested that central carbon metabolism disturbance and mitochondrial dysfunction were the potential mechanisms underlying the ReHo alterations. This study proposed frontal-posterior functional imbalance and aberrant function developmental patterns in SZ, suggesting that the adolescent visual cortex was a critical locus and a sensitive window in SZ development. These findings from linking data between hSZ and MAM rats may have a significant translational contribution to the development of effective therapies in SZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dandan Sun
- grid.452816.c0000 0004 1757 9522Department of Cardiovascular Ultrasound, The People’s Hospital of China Medical University & The People’s Hospital of Liaoning Province, Shenyang, China ,grid.412636.4Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Huiling Guo
- grid.412636.4Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Fay Y. Womer
- grid.4367.60000 0001 2355 7002Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO USA
| | - Jingyu Yang
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jingwei Tang
- grid.412636.4Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Juan Liu
- grid.412636.4Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yue Zhu
- grid.412636.4Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Jia Duan
- grid.412636.4Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhengwu Peng
- grid.233520.50000 0004 1761 4404Department of Psychiatry, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Huaning Wang
- grid.233520.50000 0004 1761 4404Department of Psychiatry, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Qingrong Tan
- grid.233520.50000 0004 1761 4404Department of Psychiatry, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Qiwen Zhu
- grid.415680.e0000 0000 9549 5392Liaoning Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
| | - Yange Wei
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ke Xu
- grid.412636.4Department of Radiology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yanbo Zhang
- grid.17089.37Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Yanqing Tang
- grid.412636.4Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Xizhe Zhang
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984School of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Fuqiang Xu
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China ,grid.9227.e0000000119573309Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jie Wang
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Fei Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China. .,Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China. .,Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
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12
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Riedel G, Klein J, Niewiadomska G, Kondak C, Schwab K, Lauer D, Magbagbeolu M, Steczkowska M, Zadrozny M, Wydrych M, Cranston A, Melis V, Santos RX, Theuring F, Harrington CR, Wischik CM. Mechanisms of Anticholinesterase Interference with Tau Aggregation Inhibitor Activity in a Tau-Transgenic Mouse Model. Curr Alzheimer Res 2021; 17:285-296. [PMID: 32091331 PMCID: PMC7403648 DOI: 10.2174/1567205017666200224120926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Background Symptomatic treatments of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) with cholinesterase inhibitors and/or memantine are relatively ineffective and there is a need for new treatments targeting the underlying pathology of AD. In most of the failed disease-modifying trials, patients have been allowed to continue taking symptomatic treatments at stable doses, under the assumption that they do not impair efficacy. In recently completed Phase 3 trials testing the tau aggregation inhibitor leuco-methylthioninium bis (hydromethane-sulfonate) (LMTM), we found significant differences in treatment response according to whether patients were taking LMTM either as monotherapy or as an add-on to symptomatic treatments. Methods We have examined the effect of either LMTM alone or chronic rivastigmine prior to LMTM treatment of tau transgenic mice expressing the short tau fragment that constitutes the tangle filaments of AD. We have measured acetylcholine levels, synaptosomal glutamate release, synaptic proteins, mitochondrial complex IV activity, tau pathology and Choline Acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunoreactivity. Results LMTM given alone increased hippocampal Acetylcholine (ACh) levels, glutamate release from synaptosomal preparations, synaptophysin levels in multiple brain regions and mitochondrial complex IV activity, reduced tau pathology, partially restored ChAT immunoreactivity in the basal forebrain and reversed deficits in spatial learning. Chronic pretreatment with rivastigmine was found to reduce or eliminate almost all these effects, apart from a reduction in tau aggregation pathology. LMTM effects on hippocampal ACh and synaptophysin levels were also reduced in wild-type mice. Conclusion The interference with the pharmacological activity of LMTM by a cholinesterase inhibitor can be reproduced in a tau transgenic mouse model and, to a lesser extent, in wild-type mice. Long-term pretreatment with a symptomatic drug alters a broad range of brain responses to LMTM across different transmitter systems and cellular compartments at multiple levels of brain function. There is, therefore, no single locus for the negative interaction. Rather, the chronic neuronal activation induced by reducing cholinesterase function produces compensatory homeostatic downregulation in multiple neuronal systems. This reduces a broad range of treatment responses to LMTM associated with a reduction in tau aggregation pathology. Since the interference is dictated by homeostatic responses to prior symptomatic treatment, it is likely that there would be similar interference with other drugs tested as add-on to the existing symptomatic treatment, regardless of the intended therapeutic target or mode of action. The present findings outline key results that now provide a working model to explain interference by symptomatic treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gernot Riedel
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Jochen Klein
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue Str. 9, Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Grazyna Niewiadomska
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Constantin Kondak
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom.,Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue Str. 9, Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Karima Schwab
- Charite-Institute of Pharmacology, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dilyara Lauer
- Charite-Institute of Pharmacology, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Mandy Magbagbeolu
- Charite-Institute of Pharmacology, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Marta Steczkowska
- Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, 5 Pawinski Street, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Maciej Zadrozny
- Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, 5 Pawinski Street, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Wydrych
- Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, 5 Pawinski Street, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Cranston
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Valeria Melis
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Renato X Santos
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Franz Theuring
- Charite-Institute of Pharmacology, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hessische Str. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Charles R Harrington
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom.,TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., 395 King Street, Aberdeen AB24 5RP, United Kingdom
| | - Claude M Wischik
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom.,TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., 395 King Street, Aberdeen AB24 5RP, United Kingdom
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13
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Sonnenschein SF, Grace AA. Peripubertal mGluR2/3 Agonist Treatment Prevents Hippocampal Dysfunction and Dopamine System Hyperactivity in Adulthood in MAM Model of Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2021; 47:1806-1814. [PMID: 33928393 PMCID: PMC8530391 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbab047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Pomaglumetad methionil (POM), a group 2 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR2/3) agonist, showed promise as a novel antipsychotic in preclinical research but failed to show efficacy in clinical trials, though it has been suggested that it may be effective in certain patient populations, including early in disease patients. We used the methyazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) rat model of schizophrenia to determine whether POM may prevent the development of dopamine (DA) system dysfunction in a model representative of the hyperdopaminergic state thought to underlie psychosis, compared to control (SAL) rats. MAM and SAL rats were administered either POM (3 mg/kg, i.p.), vehicle (1 ml/kg), or no injection during postnatal day (PD) 31-40. In either late adolescence (PD 47-56) or adulthood (PD 83-96), novel object recognition (NOR) was tested, followed by anesthetized in vivo electrophysiological recordings of VTA DA neuron activity or ventral hippocampal (vHPC) pyramidal neuron activity. MAM rats treated with POM demonstrated increased NOR in adulthood compared to no injection MAM rats, but not compared to vehicle-treated MAM rats. POM-treated MAM rats demonstrated normalized DA neuron population activity and vHPC pyramidal neuron activity compared to vehicle and no injection MAM rats in both late adolescence and adulthood. No significant differences were observed across treatment groups in SAL rats. These results suggest that peripubertal mGluR2/3 agonist administration can prevent the emergence of vHPC pyramidal neuron hyperactivity and increased DA neuron population activity in adult MAM rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan F Sonnenschein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA,To whom correspondence should be addressed; Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 3501 Forbes Ave. Suite 530, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, US; tel: 989-600-9132, fax: 412-624-9198, e-mail:
| | - Anthony A Grace
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
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14
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Diminished excitatory synaptic transmission correlates with impaired spatial working memory in neurodevelopmental rodent models of schizophrenia. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2021; 202:173103. [PMID: 33444600 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2021.173103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental abnormalities are associated with cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. In particular, deficits of working memory, are consistently observed in schizophrenia, reflecting prefrontal cortex (PFc) dysfunction. To elucidate the mechanism of such deficits in working memory, the pathophysiological properties of PFc neurons and synaptic transmission have been studied in several developmental models of schizophrenia. Given the pathogenetic heterogeneity of schizophrenia, comparison of PFc synaptic transmission between models of prenatal and postnatal defect would promote our understanding on the developmental components of the biological vulnerability to schizophrenia. In the present study, we investigated the excitatory synaptic transmission onto pyramidal cells localized in layer 5 of the medial PFc (mPFc) in two developmental models of schizophrenia: gestational methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) administration and post-weaning social isolation (SI). We found that both models exhibited defective spatial working memory, as indicated by lower spontaneous alternations in a Y-maze paradigm. The recordings from pyramidal neurons in both models exhibited decreased spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic current (sEPSC), representing the reduction of excitatory synaptic transmission in the mPFc. Interestingly, a positive correlation between the impaired spontaneous alternation behavior and the decreased excitatory synaptic transmission of pyramidal neurons was found in both models. These findings suggest that diminished excitatory neurotransmission in the mPFc could be a common pathophysiology regardless of the prenatal and postnatal pathogenesis in developmental models of schizophrenia, and that it might underlie the mechanism of defective working memory in those models.
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15
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Tricklebank MD, Robbins TW, Simmons C, Wong EHF. Time to re-engage psychiatric drug discovery by strengthening confidence in preclinical psychopharmacology. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:1417-1436. [PMID: 33694032 PMCID: PMC7945970 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05787-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is urgent need for new medications for psychiatric disorders. Mental illness is expected to become the leading cause of disability worldwide by 2030. Yet, the last two decades have seen the pharmaceutical industry withdraw from psychiatric drug discovery after costly late-stage trial failures in which clinical efficacy predicted pre-clinically has not materialised, leading to a crisis in confidence in preclinical psychopharmacology. METHODS Based on a review of the relevant literature, we formulated some principles for improving investment in translational neuroscience aimed at psychiatric drug discovery. RESULTS We propose the following 8 principles that could be used, in various combinations, to enhance CNS drug discovery: (1) consider incorporating the NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) approach; (2) engage the power of translational and systems neuroscience approaches; (3) use disease-relevant experimental perturbations; (4) identify molecular targets via genomic analysis and patient-derived pluripotent stem cells; (5) embrace holistic neuroscience: a partnership with psychoneuroimmunology; (6) use translational measures of neuronal activation; (7) validate the reproducibility of findings by independent collaboration; and (8) learn and reflect. We provide recent examples of promising animal-to-human translation of drug discovery projects and highlight some that present re-purposing opportunities. CONCLUSIONS We hope that this review will re-awaken the pharma industry and mental health advocates to the opportunities for improving psychiatric pharmacotherapy and so restore confidence and justify re-investment in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark David Tricklebank
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, UK.
| | - Trevor W. Robbins
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, CB23EB, Cambridge, UK
| | - Camilla Simmons
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College, London, UK
| | - Erik H. F. Wong
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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16
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Kozhuharova P, Diaconescu AO, Allen P. Reduced cortical GABA and glutamate in high schizotypy. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:2459-2470. [PMID: 34146134 PMCID: PMC8373725 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05867-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Abnormal functioning of the inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and excitatory (glutamate) systems is proposed to play a role in the development of schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Although results are mixed, previous 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies in schizophrenia and clinical high-risk samples report these metabolites are altered in comparison to healthy controls. Currently, however, there are few studies of these metabolites in schizotypy samples, a personality dimension associated with the experience of schizophrenia and psychosis-like symptoms. OBJECTIVES We investigated if GABA and glutamate metabolite concentrations are altered in people with high schizotypy. We also explored the relationship between resilience to stress, GABA metabolite concentrations and schizotypy. METHODS We used MRS to examine GABA and glutamate levels in the medial prefrontal cortex in people with low and high schizotypy traits as assessed with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. Resilience to stress was assessed using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. RESULTS Compared to individuals with low schizotypy traits, high schizotypy individuals showed lower cortical prefrontal GABA (F (1,38) = 5.18, p = 0.03, η2 = 0.09) and glutamate metabolite levels (F (1, 49) = 6.25, p = 0.02, η2 = 0.02). Furthermore, participants with high GABA and high resilience levels were significantly more likely to be in the low schizotypy group than participants with low GABA and high resilience or high GABA and low resilience (95% CI 1.07-1.34, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate that subclinical schizotypal traits are associated with abnormal functioning of both inhibitory and excitatory systems and suggest that these transmitters are implicated in a personality trait believed to be on a continuum with psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petya Kozhuharova
- Centre for Cognition, Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, Holybourne Ave, Roehampton, London, SW15 4JD, UK.
| | - Andreea O Diaconescu
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain and Therapeutics, Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, CAMH, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Paul Allen
- Centre for Cognition, Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, Holybourne Ave, Roehampton, London, SW15 4JD, UK
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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17
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Gregory KJ, Goudet C. International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. CXI. Pharmacology, Signaling, and Physiology of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors. Pharmacol Rev 2020; 73:521-569. [PMID: 33361406 DOI: 10.1124/pr.119.019133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors respond to glutamate, the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain, mediating a modulatory role that is critical for higher-order brain functions such as learning and memory. Since the first mGlu receptor was cloned in 1992, eight subtypes have been identified along with many isoforms and splice variants. The mGlu receptors are transmembrane-spanning proteins belonging to the class C G protein-coupled receptor family and represent attractive targets for a multitude of central nervous system disorders. Concerted drug discovery efforts over the past three decades have yielded a wealth of pharmacological tools including subtype-selective agents that competitively block or mimic the actions of glutamate or act allosterically via distinct sites to enhance or inhibit receptor activity. Herein, we review the physiologic and pathophysiological roles for individual mGlu receptor subtypes including the pleiotropic nature of intracellular signal transduction arising from each. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the in vitro and in vivo pharmacological properties of prototypical and commercially available orthosteric agonists and antagonists as well as allosteric modulators, including ligands that have entered clinical trials. Finally, we highlight emerging areas of research that hold promise to facilitate rational design of highly selective mGlu receptor-targeting therapeutics in the future. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The metabotropic glutamate receptors are attractive therapeutic targets for a range of psychiatric and neurological disorders. Over the past three decades, intense discovery efforts have yielded diverse pharmacological tools acting either competitively or allosterically, which have enabled dissection of fundamental biological process modulated by metabotropic glutamate receptors and established proof of concept for many therapeutic indications. We review metabotropic glutamate receptor molecular pharmacology and highlight emerging areas that are offering new avenues to selectively modulate neurotransmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen J Gregory
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Department of Pharmacology, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia (K.J.G.) and Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle (IGF), University of Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM), Montpellier, France (C.G.)
| | - Cyril Goudet
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Department of Pharmacology, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia (K.J.G.) and Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle (IGF), University of Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM), Montpellier, France (C.G.)
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18
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Hatzipantelis C, Langiu M, Vandekolk TH, Pierce TL, Nithianantharajah J, Stewart GD, Langmead CJ. Translation-Focused Approaches to GPCR Drug Discovery for Cognitive Impairments Associated with Schizophrenia. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2020; 3:1042-1062. [PMID: 33344888 PMCID: PMC7737210 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.0c00117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
There are no effective therapeutics for cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia (CIAS), which includes deficits in executive functions (working memory and cognitive flexibility) and episodic memory. Compounds that have entered clinical trials are inadequate in terms of efficacy and/or tolerability, highlighting a clear translational bottleneck and a need for a cohesive preclinical drug development strategy. In this review we propose hippocampal-prefrontal-cortical (HPC-PFC) circuitry underlying CIAS-relevant cognitive processes across mammalian species as a target source to guide the translation-focused discovery and development of novel, procognitive agents. We highlight several G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) enriched within HPC-PFC circuitry as therapeutic targets of interest, including noncanonical approaches (biased agonism and allosteric modulation) to conventional clinical targets, such as dopamine and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, along with prospective novel targets, including the orphan receptors GPR52 and GPR139. We also describe the translational limitations of popular preclinical cognition tests and suggest touchscreen-based assays that probe cognitive functions reliant on HPC-PFC circuitry and reflect tests used in the clinic, as tests of greater translational relevance. Combining pharmacological and behavioral testing strategies based in HPC-PFC circuit function creates a cohesive, translation-focused approach to preclinical drug development that may improve the translational bottleneck currently hindering the development of treatments for CIAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra
J. Hatzipantelis
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Monica Langiu
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Teresa H. Vandekolk
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Tracie L. Pierce
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Jess Nithianantharajah
- Florey
Institute of Neuroscience
and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Gregory D. Stewart
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Christopher J. Langmead
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
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19
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Kätzel D, Wolff AR, Bygrave AM, Bannerman DM. Hippocampal Hyperactivity as a Druggable Circuit-Level Origin of Aberrant Salience in Schizophrenia. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:486811. [PMID: 33178010 PMCID: PMC7596262 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.486811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of current neuroleptics was largely aiming to decrease excessive dopaminergic signaling in the striatum. However, the notion that abnormal dopamine creates psychotic symptoms by causing an aberrant assignment of salience that drives maladaptive learning chronically during disease development suggests a therapeutic value of early interventions that correct salience-related neural processing. The mesolimbic dopaminergic output is modulated by several interconnected brain-wide circuits centrally involving the hippocampus and key relays like the ventral and associative striatum, ventral pallidum, amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, nucleus reuniens, lateral and medial septum, prefrontal and cingulate cortex, among others. Unraveling the causal relationships between these circuits using modern neuroscience techniques holds promise for identifying novel cellular-and ultimately molecular-treatment targets for reducing transition to psychosis and symptoms of schizophrenia. Imaging studies in humans have implicated a hyperactivity of the hippocampus as a robust and early endophenotype in schizophrenia. Experiments in rodents, in turn, suggested that the activity of its output region-the ventral subiculum-may modulate dopamine release from ventral tegmental area (VTA) neurons in the ventral striatum. Even though these observations suggested a novel circuit-level target for anti-psychotic action, no therapy has yet been developed along this rationale. Recently evaluated treatment strategies-at least in part-target excess glutamatergic activity, e.g. N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), levetiracetam, and mGluR2/3 modulators. We here review the evidence for the central implication of the hippocampus-VTA axis in schizophrenia-related pathology, discuss its symptom-related implications with a particular focus on aberrant assignment of salience, and evaluate some of its short-comings and prospects for drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Kätzel
- Institute for Applied Physiology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Amy R. Wolff
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Alexei M. Bygrave
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - David M. Bannerman
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Potasiewicz A, Holuj M, Litwa E, Gzielo K, Socha L, Popik P, Nikiforuk A. Social dysfunction in the neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia in male and female rats: Behavioural and biochemical studies. Neuropharmacology 2020; 170:108040. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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21
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Daniju Y, Bossong MG, Brandt K, Allen P. Do the effects of cannabis on the hippocampus and striatum increase risk for psychosis? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 112:324-335. [PMID: 32057817 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Cannabis use is associated with increased risk of psychotic symptoms and in a small number of cases it can lead to psychoses. This review examines the neurobiological mechanisms that mediate the link between cannabis use and psychosis risk. We use an established preclinical model of psychosis, the methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) rodent model, as a framework to examine if psychosis risk in some cannabis users is mediated by the effects of cannabis on the hippocampus, and this region's role in the regulation of mesolimbic dopamine. We also examine how cannabis affects excitatory neurotransmission known to regulate hippocampal neural activity and output. Whilst there is clear evidence that cannabis/cannabinoids can affect hippocampal and medial temporal lobe function and structure, the evidence that cannabis/cannabinoids increase striatal dopamine function is less robust. There is limited evidence that cannabis use affects cortical and striatal glutamate levels, but there are currently too few studies to draw firm conclusions. Future work is needed to test the MAM model in relation to cannabis using multimodal neuroimaging approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Daniju
- Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK
| | - M G Bossong
- Department of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - K Brandt
- Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK
| | - P Allen
- Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK; Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, USA.
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22
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Weeks JJ, Rupprecht LE, Grace AA, Donny EC, Sved AF. Nicotine Self-administration Is Not Increased in the Methylazoxymethanol Acetate Rodent Model of Schizophrenia. Nicotine Tob Res 2020; 22:204-212. [PMID: 30899959 PMCID: PMC7297085 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntz048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) smoke at a rate of 4-5 times higher than the general population, contributing to negative health consequences in this group. One possible explanation for this increased smoking is that individuals with SCZ find nicotine (NIC) more reinforcing. However, data supporting this possibility are limited. METHODS The present experiments examined self-administration of NIC, alone or in combination with other reinforcers, across a range of doses in the methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) rodent model of SCZ. RESULTS MAM and control animals did not differ in NIC self-administration across a range of doses and schedules of reinforcement, in both standard 1-hour self-administration sessions and 23-hour extended access sessions. However, MAM animals responded less for sucrose or reinforcing visual stimuli alone or when paired with NIC. CONCLUSIONS To the extent that MAM-treated rats are a valid model of SCZ, these results suggest that increased NIC reinforcement does not account for increased smoking in SCZ patients. IMPLICATIONS This study is the first to utilize nicotine self-administration, the gold standard for studying nicotine reinforcement, in the methylazoxymethanol acetate model of schizophrenia, which is arguably the most comprehensive animal model of the disease currently available. Our assessment found no evidence of increased nicotine reinforcement in methylazoxymethanol acetate animals, suggesting that increased reinforcement may not perpetuate increased smoking in schizophrenia patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jillian J Weeks
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | | | - Anthony A Grace
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Eric C Donny
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
| | - Alan F Sved
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
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23
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Kállai V, Lénárd L, Péczely L, Gálosi R, Dusa D, Tóth A, László K, Kertes E, Kovács A, Zagoracz O, Berta B, Karádi Z, Ollmann T. Cognitive performance of the MAM-E17 schizophrenia model rats in different age-periods. Behav Brain Res 2020; 379:112345. [PMID: 31704232 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive disturbances are among the most important features of schizophrenia, and have a significant role in the outcome of the disease. However, the treatment of cognitive symptoms is poorly effective. In order to develop new therapeutic opportunities, the MAM-E17 rat model of schizophrenia can be an appropriate implement. In the present study we investigated several cognitive capabilities of MAM-treated rats using radial arm maze (RAM) task, which corresponds to the recent research directives. Because of the diachronic appearance of schizophrenia symptoms and the early appearance of cognitive deficiencies, we carried out our experiments in three different age-periods of rats, i.e. in prepuberty, late puberty and adulthood. The performance of MAM-E17 rats was similar to control rats in the acquisition phase of RAM task, except for puberty. However, after rearrangement of reward positions (in the reverse paradigm) the number of errors of MAM-treated rats was higher in each age-period. In the reverse paradigm MAM-treated groups visited more frequently those non-rewarding arms, which were previously rewarding. Our results suggest that working memory of MAM-E17 rats is impaired. This deficit depends on the difficulty of the task and on the age-period. MAM-E17 rats seem to be more sensitive in puberty in comparison to controls. Diminished behavioral flexibility was shown as well. These behavioral results observed in MAM-E17 rats were similar to those of cognitive deficiencies in schizophrenia patients. Therefore, MAM-E17 model can be a useful implement for further research aiming to improve cognition in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Kállai
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary; Centre for Neuroscience, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary
| | - László Lénárd
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary; Molecular Neuroendocrinology and Neurophysiology Research Group, Szentágothai Research Centre, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary; Centre for Neuroscience, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary.
| | - László Péczely
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary; Centre for Neuroscience, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Rita Gálosi
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary; Centre for Neuroscience, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Daniella Dusa
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary; Centre for Neuroscience, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Attila Tóth
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary; Centre for Neuroscience, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Kristóf László
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary; Centre for Neuroscience, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Erika Kertes
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary; Centre for Neuroscience, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Anita Kovács
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary; Centre for Neuroscience, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Olga Zagoracz
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary; Centre for Neuroscience, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Beáta Berta
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary; Centre for Neuroscience, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Karádi
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary; Molecular Neuroendocrinology and Neurophysiology Research Group, Szentágothai Research Centre, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary; Centre for Neuroscience, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Tamás Ollmann
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary; Centre for Neuroscience, Pécs University, Pécs, Hungary
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Perez SM, Boley A, Lodge DJ. Region specific knockdown of Parvalbumin or Somatostatin produces neuronal and behavioral deficits consistent with those observed in schizophrenia. Transl Psychiatry 2019; 9:264. [PMID: 31636253 PMCID: PMC6803626 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-019-0603-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The anterior hippocampus and prefrontal cortex are regions linked to symptoms of schizophrenia. The anterior hippocampus is believed to be a key regulator of the mesolimbic dopamine system and is thought to be the driving force contributing to positive symptoms, while the prefrontal cortex is involved in cognitive flexibility and negative symptoms. Aberrant activity in these regions is associated with decreases in GABAergic markers, indicative of an interneuron dysfunction. Specifically, selective decreases are observed in interneurons that contain parvalbumin (PV) or somatostatin (SST). Here, we used viral knockdown in rodents to recapitulate this finding and examine the region-specific roles of PV and SST on neuronal activity and behaviors associated with positive, negative and cognitive symptoms. We found that PV and SST had differential effects on neuronal activity and behavior when knocked down in the ventral hippocampus (vHipp) or medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Specifically, SST or PV knockdown in the vHipp increased pyramidal cell activity of the region and produced downstream effects on dopamine neuron activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). In contrast, mPFC knockdown did not affect the activity of VTA dopamine neuron activity; however, it did produce deficits in negative (social interaction) and cognitive (reversal learning) domains. Taken together, decreases in PV and/or SST were sufficient to produce schizophrenia-like deficits that were dependent on the region targeted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M Perez
- UT Health San Antonio, Department of Pharmacology, Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MC 7764, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA.
| | - Angela Boley
- UT Health San Antonio, Department of Pharmacology, Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MC 7764, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Daniel J Lodge
- UT Health San Antonio, Department of Pharmacology, Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MC 7764, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
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25
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Biró S, Lasztóczi B, Klausberger T. A Visual Two-Choice Rule-Switch Task for Head-Fixed Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:119. [PMID: 31244622 PMCID: PMC6562896 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility is the innate ability of the brain to change mental processes and to modify behavioral responses according to an ever-changing environment. As our brain has a limited capacity to process the information of our surroundings in any given moment, it uses sets as a strategy to aid neural processing systems. With assessing the capability of shifting between task sets, it is possible to test cognitive flexibility and executive functions. The most widely used neuropsychological task for the evaluation of these functions in humans is the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), which requires the subject to alter response strategies and use previously irrelevant information to solve a problem. The test has proven clinical relevance, as poor performance has been reported in multiple neuropsychiatric conditions. Although, similar tasks have been used in pre-clinical rodent research, many are limited because of their manual-based testing procedures and their hardware attenuates neuronal recordings. We developed a two-choice rule-switch task whereby head-fixed C57BL/6 mice had to choose correctly one of the two virtual objects presented to retrieve a small water reward. The animals learnt to discriminate the visual cues and they successfully switched their strategies according to the related rules. We show that reaching successful performance after the rule changes required more trials in this task and that animals took more time to execute decisions when the two rules were in conflict. We used optogenetics to inhibit temporarily the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) during reward delivery and consumption, which significantly increased the number of trials needed to perform the second rule successfully (i.e., succeed in switching between rules), compared to control experiments. Furthermore, by assessing two types of error animals made after the rule switch, we show that interfering with the positive feedback integration, but leaving the negative feedback processing intact, does not influence the initial disengagement from the first rule, but impedes the maintenance of the newly acquired response set. These findings support the role of prefrontal networks in mice for cognitive flexibility, which is impaired during numerous neuropsychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szabolcs Biró
- Center for Brain Research, Division of Cognitive Neurobiology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bálint Lasztóczi
- Center for Brain Research, Division of Cognitive Neurobiology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Klausberger
- Center for Brain Research, Division of Cognitive Neurobiology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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26
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Insights on current and novel antipsychotic mechanisms from the MAM model of schizophrenia. Neuropharmacology 2019; 163:107632. [PMID: 31077730 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Revised: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Current antipsychotic drugs (APDs) act on D2 receptors, and preclinical studies demonstrate that repeated D2 antagonist administration downregulates spontaneously active DA neurons by producing overexcitation-induced inactivation of firing (depolarization block). Animal models of schizophrenia based on the gestational MAM administration produces offspring with adult phenotypes consistent with schizophrenia, including ventral hippocampal hyperactivity and a DA neuron overactivity. The MAM model reveals that APDs act differently in a hyperdopamineregic system compared to a normal one, including rapid onset of depolarization block in response to acute D2 antagonist administration and downregulation of DA neuron population activity following acute and repeated D2 partial agonist administration, none of which are observed in normal rats. Novel target compounds have been developed based on the theory that glutamatergic dysfunction is central to schizophrenia pathology. Despite showing promise in preclinical research, none of the novel drugs succeeded in clinical trials. However, preclinical research is generally performed in normal, drug-naïve rats, whereas models with disease-relevant pathology and prior APD exposure may improve the predictive validity of preclinical research. Indeed, in MAM rats, chronic D2 antagonist treatment leads to persistent DA supersensitivity that interferes with the response to drugs that target upstream pathology. Moreover, MAM rats revealed that the peri-pubertal period is a stress-sensitive window that can be targeted to prevent the development of MAM pathology in adulthood. Neurodevelopmental models, such as the MAM model, can thus be used to test potential pharmacotherapies that may be able to treat schizophrenia in early stages of the disease. This article is part of the issue entitled 'Special Issue on Antipsychotics'.
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27
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Perez SM, Donegan JJ, Lodge DJ. Effect of estrous cycle on schizophrenia-like behaviors in MAM exposed rats. Behav Brain Res 2019; 362:258-265. [PMID: 30660776 PMCID: PMC6394843 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.01.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Revised: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Although there are clear sex differences in individuals with schizophrenia, preclinical research has historically favored the use of male rats for behavioral studies. The methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) model is a gestational disruption model of schizophrenia and has been reported to produce robust behavioral, neurophysiological and anatomical alterations in male rats; however, whether similar effects are observed in female rats is less well known. In this study, we characterize the behavioral, electrophysiological and molecular alterations induced by prenatal MAM administration in female rats while also examining the potential effects of the estrous cycle on schizophrenia-like behaviors. Specifically, MAM-treated female offspring demonstrated deficits in sensorimotor gating, latent inhibition, and social interaction, consistent with those observed in male animals. Interestingly, amphetamine-induced locomotor activity, latent inhibition, and social interaction were also affected by the estrous cycle. To examine the potential cellular mechanisms associated with these behavioral alterations, we analyzed hippocampal parvalbumin (PV) interneurons. Deficits in PV interneuron number and high-frequency gamma oscillations were disrupted in female MAM-treated rats regardless of the stage of the estrous cycle; however, alterations in PV protein expression were more prominent during metestrus/diestrus. Taken together, these data suggest that prenatal MAM exposure in female rats produces robust behavioral, molecular, and physiological deficits consistent with those observed in the male MAM model of schizophrenia. Moreover, our results also suggest that specific schizophrenia-like symptoms can also be influenced by the estrous cycle, and further emphasize the importance of sex as a biological variable when using preclinical models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M Perez
- UT Health San Antonio, Department of Pharmacology, Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MC 7764, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA.
| | - Jennifer J Donegan
- UT Health San Antonio, Department of Pharmacology, Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MC 7764, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA.
| | - Daniel J Lodge
- UT Health San Antonio, Department of Pharmacology, Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MC 7764, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA.
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28
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Lim J, Kim E, Noh HJ, Kang S, Phillips BU, Kim DG, Bussey TJ, Saksida L, Heath CJ, Kim CH. Assessment of mGluR5 KO mice under conditions of low stress using a rodent touchscreen apparatus reveals impaired behavioural flexibility driven by perseverative responses. Mol Brain 2019; 12:37. [PMID: 30971312 PMCID: PMC6458840 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-019-0441-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic and pharmacological manipulations targeting metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) affect performance in behavioural paradigms that depend on cognitive flexibility. Many of these studies involved exposing mice to highly stressful conditions including electric foot shocks or water immersion and forced swimming. Because mGluR5 is also implicated in resilience and stress responses, however, apparent impairments in inhibitory learning may have been an artifact of manipulation-induced changes in affective state. To address this, we present here a characterization of cognitive flexibility in mGluR5 knockout (KO) mice conducted with a rodent touchscreen cognitive assessment apparatus in which the animals experience significantly less stress. Our results indicate a significant reversal learning impairment relative to wild-type (WT) controls in the two-choice Visual Discrimination-Reversal (VDR) paradigm. Upon further analysis, we found that this deficit is primarily driven by a prolonged period of perseveration in the early phase of reversal. We also observed a similar perseveration phenotype in the KO mice in the Extinction (EXT) paradigm. In addition, mGluR5 KO mice show higher breakpoints in the touchscreen Progressive Ratio (PR) and altered decision making in the Effort-related Choice (ERC) tasks. Interestingly, this impairment in PR is an additional manifestation of an increased propensity to perseverate on the emission of relatively simplistic behavioural outputs. Together, these findings suggest that under conditions of low stress, mGluR5 KO mice exhibit a pronounced perseverative phenotype that blunts cognitive flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jisoo Lim
- Department of Pharmacology, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Eosu Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioural Science in Medicine, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Jong Noh
- Department of Pharmacology, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Shinwon Kang
- Department of Pharmacology, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Benjamin U Phillips
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Dong Goo Kim
- Department of Pharmacology, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.,Molecular Medicine Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Lisa Saksida
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.,Molecular Medicine Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Christopher J Heath
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK.
| | - Chul Hoon Kim
- Department of Pharmacology, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea. .,Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, South Korea.
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29
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Maćkowiak M, Latusz J, Głowacka U, Bator E, Bilecki W. Adolescent social isolation affects parvalbumin expression in the medial prefrontal cortex in the MAM-E17 model of schizophrenia. Metab Brain Dis 2019; 34:341-352. [PMID: 30519836 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-018-0359-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Altered parvalbumin (PV) expression is observed in the prefrontal cortex of subjects with schizophrenia. Environmental context, particularly during adolescence, might regulate PV expression. In the present study, we investigated the effect of adolescent social isolation (SI) on PV expression in the medial prefrontal cortex in a neurodevelopmental model (MAM-E17) of schizophrenia. SI exposure occurred from postnatal day 30 to 40, followed by resocialization until late adolescence or early adulthood. PV mRNA and protein levels, as well as the number of PV cells, were analysed at these ages. Moreover, epigenetic regulation of PV expression by histone methylation was examined by measuring the total and PV gene-bound H3K4me3 levels. MAM only decreased levels of the PV mRNA and protein in adulthood. Decreases in total H3K4me3 levels and its level at the PV gene were also observed at this age. In contrast, in late adolescence, SI induced a decrease in the expression of the PV mRNA in the MAM group that was related to the reduction in total and PV gene-bound H3K4me3 levels. However, at this age, SI increased the levels of the PV protein in both the control and MAM groups. In adulthood, SI did not affect PV mRNA or H3K4me3 levels but decreased levels of the PV protein in both groups. Both MAM and SI failed to change the number of PV cells at any age. The results indicate that adolescent SI accelerated epigenetic impairments of PV expression in MAM-E17 rats; however, subsequent resocialization abolished this dysfunction, but failed to prevent alterations in PV protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marzena Maćkowiak
- Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Laboratory of Pharmacology and Brain Biostructure, Smętna Street 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland.
| | - Joachim Latusz
- Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Laboratory of Pharmacology and Brain Biostructure, Smętna Street 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Urszula Głowacka
- Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Laboratory of Pharmacology and Brain Biostructure, Smętna Street 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Ewelina Bator
- Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Laboratory of Pharmacology and Brain Biostructure, Smętna Street 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Wiktor Bilecki
- Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Laboratory of Pharmacology and Brain Biostructure, Smętna Street 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
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30
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Schelter BO, Shiells H, Baddeley TC, Rubino CM, Ganesan H, Hammel J, Vuksanovic V, Staff RT, Murray AD, Bracoud L, Riedel G, Gauthier S, Jia J, Bentham P, Kook K, Storey JM, Harrington CR, Wischik CM. Concentration-Dependent Activity of Hydromethylthionine on Cognitive Decline and Brain Atrophy in Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis 2019; 72:931-946. [PMID: 31658058 PMCID: PMC6918900 DOI: 10.3233/jad-190772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although hydromethylthionine is a potent tau aggregation inhibitor, no difference was found in either of two Phase III trials in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) comparing doses in the range 150-250 mg/day with 8 mg/day intended as a control. OBJECTIVE To determine how drug exposure is related to treatment response. METHODS A sensitive plasma assay for the drug was used in a population pharmacokinetic analysis of samples from 1,162 of the 1,686 patients who participated in either of the Phase III trials with available samples and efficacy outcome data. RESULTS There are steep concentration-response relationships for steady state plasma levels in the range 0.3-0.8 ng/ml at the 8 mg/day dose. Using a threshold based on the lower limit of quantitation of the assay on Day 1, there are highly significant differences in cognitive decline and brain atrophy in patients with above threshold plasma levels, both for monotherapy and add-on therapy, but with effect sizes reduced by half as add-on. Plasma concentrations in the range 4-21 ng/ml produced by the high doses are not associated with any additional benefit. CONCLUSIONS Hydromethylthionine has pharmacological activity on brain structure and function at the 8 mg/day dose as monotherapy or as add-on to symptomatic treatments. This combined with a plateau at higher doses is consistent with the lack of dose-response seen in the Phase III trials. Treatment benefit is predicted to be maximal at 16 mg/day as monotherapy. A placebo-controlled trial in mild/moderate AD is now ongoing to confirm efficacy at this dose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bjoern O. Schelter
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
- Institute for Complex Systems and Mathematical Biology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | | | | | | | - Harish Ganesan
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacodynamics, Schenectady, NY, USA
| | - Jeffrey Hammel
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacodynamics, Schenectady, NY, USA
| | - Vesna Vuksanovic
- Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Center, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, UK
| | | | - Alison D. Murray
- Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Center, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, UK
| | | | - Gernot Riedel
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Serge Gauthier
- McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit, and Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jianping Jia
- Innovation Center for Neurological Disorders, Neurology Department, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | | | | | - John M.D. Storey
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Charles R. Harrington
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Claude M. Wischik
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, UK
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Mechanisms underlying prelimbic prefrontal cortex mGlu 3/mGlu 5-dependent plasticity and reversal learning deficits following acute stress. Neuropharmacology 2018; 144:19-28. [PMID: 30326237 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Revised: 09/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Stress can precipitate or worsen symptoms of many psychiatric illnesses. Dysregulation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) glutamate system may underlie these disruptions and restoring PFC glutamate signaling has emerged as a promising avenue for the treatment of stress disorders. Recently, we demonstrated that activation of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 3 (mGlu3) induces a postsynaptic form of long-term depression (LTD) that is dependent on the activity of another subtype, mGlu5. Stress exposure disrupted this plasticity, but the underlying signaling mechanisms and involvement in higher-order cognition have not yet been investigated. Acute stress was applied by 20-min restraint and early reversal learning was evaluated in an operant-based food-seeking task. We employed whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of layer 5 prelimbic (PL)-PFC pyramidal cells to examine mGlu3-LTD and several mechanistically distinct mGlu5-dependent functions. Acute stress impaired both mGlu3-LTD and early reversal learning. Interestingly, potentiating mGlu5 signaling with the mGlu5 positive allosteric modulator (PAM) VU0409551 rescued stress-induced deficits in both mGlu3-LTD and reversal learning. Other aspects of PL-PFC mGlu5 function were not disrupted following stress; however, signaling downstream of mGlu5-Homer interactions, phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K), Akt, and glycogen synthase kinase 3β was implicated in these phenomena. These findings demonstrate that acute stress disrupts early reversal learning and PL-PFC-dependent synaptic plasticity and that potentiating mGlu5 function can restore these impairments. These findings provide a framework through which modulating coordinated mGlu3/mGlu5 signaling may confer benefits for the treatment of stress-related psychiatric disorders.
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Tait DS, Bowman EM, Neuwirth LS, Brown VJ. Assessment of intradimensional/extradimensional attentional set-shifting in rats. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 89:72-84. [PMID: 29474818 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The rat intradimensional/extradimensional (ID/ED) task, first described by Birrell and Brown 18 years ago, has become the predominant means by which attentional set-shifting is investigated in rodents: the use of rats in the task has been described in over 135 publications by researchers from nearly 90 universities and pharmaceutical companies. There is variation in the protocols used by different groups, including differences in apparatus, stimuli (both stimulus dimensions and exemplars within), and also the methodology. Nevertheless, most of these variations seem to be of little consequence: there is remarkable similarity in the profile of published data, with consistency of learning rates and in the size and reliability of the set-shifting and reversal 'costs'. However, we suspect that there may be inconsistent data that is unpublished or perhaps 'failed experiments' that may have been caused by unintended deviations from effective protocols. The purpose of this review is to describe our approach and the rationale behind certain aspects of the protocol, including common pitfalls that are encountered when establishing an effective local protocol.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Tait
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Mary's Quad, South Street, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9JP, UK.
| | - Eric M Bowman
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Mary's Quad, South Street, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9JP, UK
| | - Lorenz S Neuwirth
- Department of Psychology, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, 11568, USA; SUNY Neuroscience Research Institute, Old Westbury, NY, 11568, USA
| | - Verity J Brown
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Mary's Quad, South Street, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9JP, UK
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Stansley BJ, Conn PJ. The therapeutic potential of metabotropic glutamate receptor modulation for schizophrenia. Curr Opin Pharmacol 2018; 38:31-36. [PMID: 29486374 PMCID: PMC5949078 DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2018.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that a dysregulation of the glutamatergic system exists in the brains of schizophrenia patients. The metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors are being investigated as novel drug targets for this disease, and have shown promise in both preclinical and clinical studies. Activation of mGlu5 receptors may be efficacious for several symptom domains (positive, negative, and cognitive) and the potential for targeting mGlu5 receptors has been bolstered by recent research on mitigating toxicity profiles associated with mGlu5 activation. Additionally, genetic profiling of schizophrenia patients suggests that genes encoding for mGlu1 and mGlu3 receptors are altered, prompting preclinical studies that have demonstrated potential antipsychotic and cognitive enhancing effects of agents that activate mGlu1 and mGlu3 receptors, respectively. Development of subtype-specific drugs for the mGlu receptors, such as allosteric modulators, could provide a path forward for more efficacious and tolerable therapeutics for schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Branden J Stansley
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - P Jeffrey Conn
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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Cortese GP, Olin A, O'Riordan K, Hullinger R, Burger C. Environmental enrichment improves hippocampal function in aged rats by enhancing learning and memory, LTP, and mGluR5-Homer1c activity. Neurobiol Aging 2017; 63:1-11. [PMID: 29207276 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2017] [Revised: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that environmental enrichment (EE) in young rats results in improved learning ability and enhanced metabotropic glutamate receptor-dependent long-term potentiation (mGluR-dependent LTP) resulting from sustained activation of p70S6 kinase. Here, we investigated whether 1-month EE is sufficient to improve hippocampus-dependent learning and memory and enhance hippocampal LTP in 23-24 month-old Fischer 344 male rats. Aged rats were housed in environmentally enriched, socially enriched, or standard housing conditions. We find that aged rats exposed to 1-month of EE demonstrate enhanced learning and memory relative to standard housed controls when tested in the Morris water maze and novel object recognition behavioral tasks. Furthermore, we find that environmentally enriched rats perform significantly better than socially enriched or standard housed rats in the radial-arm water maze and display enhanced mGluR5-dependent hippocampal LTP. Enhanced hippocampal function results from activity-dependent increases in the levels of mGluR5, Homer1c, and phospho-p70S6 kinase. These findings demonstrate that a short exposure of EE to aged rats can have significant effects on hippocampal function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe P Cortese
- Department of Neurology, Medical Sciences Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Andrew Olin
- College of Letters and Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Kenneth O'Riordan
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Rikki Hullinger
- Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Corinna Burger
- Department of Neurology, Medical Sciences Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
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Robbins TW. Cross-species studies of cognition relevant to drug discovery: a translational approach. Br J Pharmacol 2017; 174:3191-3199. [PMID: 28432778 PMCID: PMC5595762 DOI: 10.1111/bph.13826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2017] [Revised: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
This review advances the case that bidirectional, cross-species translation of findings from experimental animals to and from humans is an important strategy for drug discovery. Animal models of mental disorders require appropriate behavioural or cognitive outcome variables that can be generalized cross-species. One example is the treatment of impulsive behaviour in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with stimulant drugs. Performance on the stop signal reaction task as an index of impulsivity is improved both in healthy human volunteers and in patients with adult ADHD by stimulant drugs and also by the selective noradrenaline reuptake blocker atomoxetine. Functional neuroimaging evidence suggests a modulation of circuitry including the inferior prefrontal cortex by this drug. Parallel work in rats had shown that atomoxetine improves stop signal performance by affecting possibly homologous regions of the rodent prefrontal cortex. This parallel effect of atomoxetine in rodents and humans could potentially be exploited in other disorders in which impulsivity plays a role, such as stimulant abuse and Parkinson's disease. A contrasting relative lack of involvement of 5-HT mechanisms in the stop signal reaction time task will also be described. Research in humans and experimental animals that demonstrate effects of serotoninergic agents such as the selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitor citalopram on probabilistic learning and reversal (upon which atomoxetine has little effect) will also be reviewed, possibly relevant to the treatment of clinical depression, Finally, other promising examples of parallel studies of behavioural effects of CNS-active drugs in animals and humans will also be described. Linked Articles This article is part of a themed section on Pharmacology of Cognition: a Panacea for Neuropsychiatric Disease? To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v174.19/issuetoc.
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Affiliation(s)
- T W Robbins
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
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Donegan JJ, Tyson JA, Branch SY, Beckstead MJ, Anderson SA, Lodge DJ. Stem cell-derived interneuron transplants as a treatment for schizophrenia: preclinical validation in a rodent model. Mol Psychiatry 2017; 22:1492-1501. [PMID: 27480492 PMCID: PMC5290293 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2016.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2015] [Revised: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 06/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
An increasing literature suggests that schizophrenia is associated with a reduction in hippocampal interneuron function. Thus, we posit that stem cell-derived interneuron transplants may be an effective therapeutic strategy to reduce hippocampal hyperactivity and attenuate behavioral deficits in schizophrenia. Here we used a dual-reporter embryonic stem cell line to generate enriched populations of parvalbumin (PV)- or somatostatin (SST)-positive interneurons, which were transplanted into the ventral hippocampus of the methylazoxymethanol rodent model of schizophrenia. These interneuron transplants integrate within the existing circuitry, reduce hippocampal hyperactivity and normalize aberrant dopamine neuron activity. Further, interneuron transplants alleviate behaviors that model negative and cognitive symptoms, including deficits in social interaction and cognitive inflexibility. Interestingly, PV- and SST-enriched transplants produced differential effects on behavior, with PV-enriched populations effectively normalizing all the behaviors examined. These data suggest that the stem cell-derived interneuron transplants may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- J J Donegan
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - J A Tyson
- Department of Psychiatry, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - S Y Branch
- Department of Physiology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - M J Beckstead
- Department of Physiology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - S A Anderson
- Department of Psychiatry, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - D J Lodge
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
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Mar AC, Nilsson SRO, Gamallo-Lana B, Lei M, Dourado T, Alsiö J, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ, Robbins TW. MAM-E17 rat model impairments on a novel continuous performance task: effects of potential cognitive enhancing drugs. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2017; 234:2837-2857. [PMID: 28744563 PMCID: PMC5591806 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-017-4679-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 06/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Impairments in attention and inhibitory control are endophenotypic markers of neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and represent key targets for therapeutic management. Robust preclinical models and assays sensitive to clinically relevant treatments are crucial for improving cognitive enhancement strategies. OBJECTIVES We assessed a rodent model with neural and behavioral features relevant to schizophrenia (gestational day 17 methylazoxymethanol acetate treatment (MAM-E17)) on a novel test of attention and executive function, and examined the impact of putative nootropic drugs. METHODS MAM-E17 and sham control rats were trained on a novel touchscreen-based rodent continuous performance test (rCPT) designed to closely mimic the human CPT paradigm. Performance following acute, systemic treatment with an array of pharmacological compounds was investigated. RESULTS Two cohorts of MAM-E17 rats were impaired on rCPT performance including deficits in sensitivity (d') and increased false alarm rates (FARs). Sulpiride (0-30 mg/kg) dose-dependently reduced elevated FAR in MAM-E17 rats whereas low-dose modafinil (8 mg/kg) only improved d' in sham controls. ABT-594 (5.9-19.4 μg/kg) and modafinil (64 mg/kg) showed expected stimulant-like effects, while LSN2463359 (5 mg/kg), RO493858 (10 mg/kg), atomoxetine (0.3-1 mg/kg), and sulpiride (30 mg/kg) showed expected suppressant effects on performance across all animals. Donepezil (0.1-1 mg/kg) showed near-significant enhancements in d', and EVP-6124 (0.3-3 mg/kg) exerted no effects in the rCPT paradigm. CONCLUSION The MAM-E17 model exhibits robust and replicable impairments in rCPT performance that resemble attention and inhibitory control deficits seen in schizophrenia. Pharmacological profiles were highly consistent with known drug effects on cognition in preclinical and clinical studies. The rCPT is a sensitive and reliable tool with high translational potential for understanding the etiology and treatment of disorders affecting attention and executive dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam C Mar
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- MRC and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Simon R O Nilsson
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10016, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- MRC and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Begoña Gamallo-Lana
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10016, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- MRC and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ming Lei
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- MRC and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Health Industry Management, Beijing International Studies University, 1 Dingfuzhuang Nanli, Beijing, China
| | - Theda Dourado
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- MRC and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Johan Alsiö
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- MRC and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, Unit of Functional Neurobiology, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- MRC and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Molecular Medicine Research Group, Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- MRC and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Molecular Medicine Research Group, Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- MRC and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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38
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Significance of the nicotinic alpha7 receptor in cognition and antipsychotic-like behavior in the rat. Behav Brain Res 2017; 333:129-134. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Revised: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Maksymetz J, Moran SP, Conn PJ. Targeting metabotropic glutamate receptors for novel treatments of schizophrenia. Mol Brain 2017; 10:15. [PMID: 28446243 PMCID: PMC5405554 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-017-0293-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Support for the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction hypothesis of schizophrenia has led to increasing focus on restoring proper glutamatergic signaling as an approach for treatment of this devastating disease. The ability of metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors to modulate glutamatergic neurotransmission has thus attracted considerable attention for the development of novel antipsychotics. Consisting of eight subtypes classified into three groups based on sequence homology, signal transduction, and pharmacology, the mGlu receptors provide a wide range of targets to modulate NMDAR function as well as glutamate release. Recently, allosteric modulators of mGlu receptors have been developed that allow unprecedented selectivity among subtypes, not just groups, facilitating the investigation of the effects of subtype-specific modulation. In preclinical animal models, positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of the group I mGlu receptor mGlu5 have efficacy across all three symptom domains of schizophrenia (positive, negative, and cognitive). The discovery and development of mGlu5 PAMs that display unique signal bias suggests that efficacy can be retained while avoiding the neurotoxic effects of earlier compounds. Interestingly, mGlu1 negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) appear efficacious in positive symptom models of the disease but are still in early preclinical development. While selective group II mGlu receptor (mGlu2/3) agonists have reached clinical trials but were unsuccessful, specific mGlu2 or mGlu3 receptor targeting still hold great promise. Genetic studies implicated mGlu2 in the antipsychotic effects of group II agonists and mGlu2 PAMs have since entered into clinical trials. Additionally, mGlu3 appears to play an important role in cognition, may confer neuroprotective effects, and thus is a promising target to alleviate cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Although group III mGlu receptors (mGlu4/6/7/8) have attracted less attention, mGlu4 agonists and PAMs appear to have efficacy across all three symptoms domains in preclinical models. The recent discovery of heterodimers comprising mGlu2 and mGlu4 may explain the efficacy of mGlu4 selective compounds but this remains to be determined. Taken together, compounds targeting mGlu receptors, specifically subtype-selective allosteric modulators, provide a compelling alternative approach to fill the unmet clinical needs for patients with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Maksymetz
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232 USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Nashville, TN 37232 USA
| | - Sean P. Moran
- Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Nashville, TN 37232 USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232 USA
| | - P. Jeffrey Conn
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232 USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Nashville, TN 37232 USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232 USA
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Hypofrontality and Posterior Hyperactivity in Early Schizophrenia: Imaging and Behavior in a Preclinical Model. Biol Psychiatry 2017; 81:503-513. [PMID: 27450031 PMCID: PMC5130616 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2016] [Revised: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia is a debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder typically diagnosed from late adolescence to adulthood. Subthreshold behavioral symptoms (e.g., cognitive deficits and substance abuse) often precede the clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia. However, these prodromal symptoms have not been consistently associated with structural and functional brain biomarkers, limiting the chance of early diagnosis of schizophrenia. METHODS Using an extensively multimodal range of magnetic resonance methods (for anatomy, metabolism, and function), we screened early biomarkers in a methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) rat model of schizophrenia and saline-treated control (SHAM) rats, in conjunction with immunohistochemistry, myelin staining, and a novel three-choice, reversal-learning task to identify early behavioral markers corresponding the subthreshold symptoms. RESULTS MAM (vs. SHAM) rats had lower/higher structural connectivity in anterior/posterior corpus callosum. The orbitofrontal cortex of MAM rats showed lower resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging functional connectivity in conjunction with lower neuronal density, lower glucose oxidation, and attenuated neurotransmission (hypofrontality). In contrast, these measures were all higher in visual cortex of MAM rats (posterior hyperactivity), which might parallel perceptual problems in schizophrenia. In behavioral studies, MAM (vs. SHAM) rats displayed abnormal orbitofrontal cortex-mediated decision-making processes, resulting in a novel reward-sensitive hyperflexible phenotype, which might reflect vulnerability of prodromal patients to substance abuse. CONCLUSIONS We identified two novel biomarkers of early schizophrenia in a preclinical rat model: hypofrontality associated with the hyperflexible phenotype, and posterior hyperactivity. Because each of these magnetic resonance methods is clinically translatable, these markers could contribute to early diagnosis and the development of novel therapies of schizophrenia.
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Buschler A, Manahan-Vaughan D. Metabotropic glutamate receptor, mGlu5, mediates enhancements of hippocampal long-term potentiation after environmental enrichment in young and old mice. Neuropharmacology 2016; 115:42-50. [PMID: 27267685 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Revised: 06/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptor, mGlu5, is of particular relevance for hippocampal function. It is critically required for the expression of long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD), regulates neuronal oscillations, maintains the stability of place fields and is required for hippocampus-dependent memory. MGlu5-dysfunctions are associated with profound cognitive deficits in humans, and mGlu5 has been targeted as a putative cognitive enhancer. Cognitive enhancement, by means of environmental enrichment (EE) in rodents, results in improved hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory. Here, we explored whether mGlu5 contributes to these enhancements. MGlu5-antagonism dose-dependently impaired the early phase of LTP (>4 h) in the CA1 region of young(3-4 month old) mice. Late-LTP (>24 h) was also impaired. LTP (>24 h) elicited in old (10-14 month old) mice displayed reduced sensitivity to mGlu5 antagonism. Short-term potentiation (STP, < 2 h) that was elicited by weaker afferent stimulation was unaffected by mGlu5-antagonism in both age-groups. EE significantly amplified STP (<2 h) in old and young animals, but did not increase the duration of synaptic potentiation, or promote induction of LTP. The improvement in STP was prevented by mGlu5-antagonism, in both young and old animals. These results indicate that modifications of the synapse that underlie improvements of LTP by EE require the contribution of mGlu5. Strikingly, although LTP in old mice does not critically depend on mGlu5, improvements in synaptic potentiation resulting from EE are mGlu5-dependent in old mice. Regarded in light of the known role for mGlu5 in hippocampal function and pathophysiology, these data suggest that mGlu5 regulation of synaptic information storage is pivotal to optimal hippocampal function. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors, 5 years on'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Buschler
- Ruhr University Bochum, Medical Faculty, Department of Neurophysiology, Bochum, Germany
| | - Denise Manahan-Vaughan
- Ruhr University Bochum, Medical Faculty, Department of Neurophysiology, Bochum, Germany.
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42
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LaCrosse AL, Taylor SB, Nemirovsky NE, Gass JT, Olive MF. mGluR5 Positive and Negative Allosteric Modulators Differentially Affect Dendritic Spine Density and Morphology in the Prefrontal Cortex. CNS & NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS-DRUG TARGETS 2016; 14:476-85. [PMID: 25921744 DOI: 10.2174/1871527314666150429112849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2014] [Revised: 01/17/2015] [Accepted: 01/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Positive and negative allosteric modulators (PAMs and NAMs, respectively) of type 5 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR5) are currently being investigated as novel treatments for neuropsychiatric diseases including drug addiction, schizophrenia, and Fragile X syndrome. However, only a handful of studies have examined the effects of mGluR5 PAMs or NAMs on the structural plasticity of dendritic spines in otherwise naïve animals, particularly in brain regions mediating executive function. In the present study, we assessed dendritic spine density and morphology in pyramidal cells of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) after repeated administration of either the prototypical mGluR5 PAM 3-cyano-N-(1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazol-5- yl)benzamide (CDPPB, 20 mg/kg), the clinically utilized mGluR5 NAM 1-(3-chlorophenyl)-3-(3-methyl-5-oxo-4Himidazol- 2-yl)urea (fenobam, 20 mg/kg), or vehicle in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Following once daily treatment for 10 consecutive days, coronal brain sections containing the mPFC underwent diolistic labeling and 3D image analysis of dendritic spines. Compared to vehicle treated animals, rats administered fenobam exhibited significant increases in dendritic spine density and the overall frequency of spines with small (<0.2 μm) head diameters, decreases in frequency of spines with medium (0.2-0.4 μm) head diameters, and had no changes in frequency of spines with large head diameters (>0.4 μm). Administration of CDPPB had no discernable effects on dendritic spine density or morphology, and neither CDPPB nor fenobam had any effect on spine length or volume. We conclude that mGluR5 PAMs and NAMs differentially affect mPFC dendritic spine structural plasticity in otherwise naïve animals, and additional studies assessing their effects in combination with cognitive or behavioral tasks are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Michael F Olive
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, PO Box 871104, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
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Conde-Ceide S, Alcázar J, Alonso de Diego SA, López S, Martín-Martín ML, Martínez-Viturro CM, Pena MA, Tong HM, Lavreysen H, Mackie C, Bridges TM, Daniels JS, Niswender CM, Jones CK, Macdonald GJ, Steckler T, Conn PJ, Stauffer SR, Lindsley CW, Bartolomé-Nebreda JM. Preliminary investigation of 6,7-dihydropyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrazin-4-one derivatives as a novel series of mGlu5 receptor positive allosteric modulators with efficacy in preclinical models of schizophrenia. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2016; 26:429-434. [PMID: 26684851 PMCID: PMC4835042 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2015.11.098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2015] [Revised: 11/25/2015] [Accepted: 11/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
As part of our efforts to identify a suitable back-up compound to our recently disclosed mGlu5 positive allosteric modulator (PAM) clinical candidate VU0490551/JNJ-46778212, this letter details the investigation and challenges of a novel series of 6,7-dihydropyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrazin-4-one derivatives. From these efforts, compound 4k emerged as a potent and selective mGlu5 PAM displaying overall attractive in vitro (pharmacological and ADMET) and PK profiles combined with in vivo efficacy in preclinical models of schizophrenia. However, further advancement of the compound was precluded due to severely limiting CNS-related side-effects confirming the previously reported association between excessive mGlu5 activation and target-related toxicities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Conde-Ceide
- Neuroscience Medicinal Chemistry, Janssen Research and Development, Jarama 75A, 45007 Toledo, Spain
| | - Jesús Alcázar
- Neuroscience Medicinal Chemistry, Janssen Research and Development, Jarama 75A, 45007 Toledo, Spain
| | - Sergio A Alonso de Diego
- Neuroscience Medicinal Chemistry, Janssen Research and Development, Jarama 75A, 45007 Toledo, Spain
| | - Silvia López
- Neuroscience Medicinal Chemistry, Janssen Research and Development, Jarama 75A, 45007 Toledo, Spain
| | - María Luz Martín-Martín
- Neuroscience Medicinal Chemistry, Janssen Research and Development, Jarama 75A, 45007 Toledo, Spain
| | | | - Miguel-Angel Pena
- Neuroscience Medicinal Chemistry, Janssen Research and Development, Jarama 75A, 45007 Toledo, Spain
| | - Han Min Tong
- Neuroscience Medicinal Chemistry, Janssen Research and Development, Jarama 75A, 45007 Toledo, Spain
| | - Hilde Lavreysen
- Neuroscience, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Claire Mackie
- Discovery Sciences ADME/Tox, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Thomas M Bridges
- Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - J Scott Daniels
- Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Colleen M Niswender
- Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Carrie K Jones
- Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Gregor J Macdonald
- Neuroscience, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Thomas Steckler
- Neuroscience, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - P Jeffrey Conn
- Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Shaun R Stauffer
- Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Craig W Lindsley
- Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 – a promising target in drug development and neuroimaging. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2016; 43:1151-70. [DOI: 10.1007/s00259-015-3301-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/22/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Wierońska JM, Zorn SH, Doller D, Pilc A. Metabotropic glutamate receptors as targets for new antipsychotic drugs: Historical perspective and critical comparative assessment. Pharmacol Ther 2015; 157:10-27. [PMID: 26549541 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2015.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
In this review, we aim to present, discuss and clarify our current understanding regarding the prediction of possible antipsychotic effects of metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptor ligands. The number of preclinical trials clearly indicates, that this group of compounds constitutes an excellent alternative to presently used antipsychotic therapy, being effective not only to positive, but also negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. Although the results of clinical trials that were performed for the group of mGlu2/3 agonists were not so enthusiastic as in animal studies, they still showed that mGlu ligands do not induced variety of side effects typical for presently used antipsychotics, and were generally well tolerated. The lack of satisfactory effectiveness towards schizophrenia symptoms of mGlu2/3 activators in humans could be a result of variety of uncontrolled factors and unidentified biomarkers different for each schizophrenia patient, that should be taken into consideration in the future set of clinical trials. The subject is still open for further research, and the novel classes of mGlu5 or mGlu2/3 agonists/PAMs were recently introduced, including the large group of compounds from the third group of mGlu receptors, especially of mGlu4 subtype. Finally, more precise treatment based on simultaneous administration of minimal doses of the ligands for two or more receptors, seems to be promising in the context of symptoms-specific schizophrenia treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna M Wierońska
- Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-343 Krakow, Poland
| | | | | | - Andrzej Pilc
- Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-343 Krakow, Poland.
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mGlu5-GABAB interplay in animal models of positive, negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. Neurochem Int 2015; 88:97-109. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2015.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2014] [Revised: 03/17/2015] [Accepted: 03/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Miller HL, Ragozzino ME, Cook EH, Sweeney JA, Mosconi MW. Cognitive set shifting deficits and their relationship to repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2015; 45:805-15. [PMID: 25234483 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-014-2244-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The neurocognitive impairments associated with restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are not yet clear. Prior studies indicate that individuals with ASD show reduced cognitive flexibility, which could reflect difficulty shifting from a previously learned response pattern or a failure to maintain a new response set. We examined different error types on a test of set-shifting completed by 60 individuals with ASD and 55 age- and nonverbal IQ-matched controls. Individuals with ASD were able to initially shift sets, but they exhibited difficulty maintaining new response sets. Difficulty with set maintenance was related to increased severity of RRBs. General difficulty maintaining new response sets and a heightened tendency to revert to old preferences may contribute to RRBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haylie L Miller
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX, USA
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Svoboda J, Stankova A, Entlerova M, Stuchlik A. Acute administration of MK-801 in an animal model of psychosis in rats interferes with cognitively demanding forms of behavioral flexibility on a rotating arena. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:75. [PMID: 25883558 PMCID: PMC4381641 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2014] [Accepted: 03/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients with schizophrenia often manifest deficits in behavioral flexibility. Non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonists such as MK-801 induce schizophrenia-like symptoms in rodents, including cognitive functions. Despite work exploring flexibility has been done employing behavioral paradigms with simple stimuli, much less is known about what kinds of flexibility are affected in an MK-801 model of schizophrenia-like behavior in the spatial domain. We used a rotating arena-based apparatus (Carousel) requiring rats to avoid an unmarked sector defined in either the reference frame of the rotating arena (arena frame task, AF) or the stationary room (room frame task, RF). We investigated behavioral flexibility in four conditions involving different cognitive loads. Each condition encompassed an initial (five sessions) and a test phase (five sessions) in which some aspects of the task were changed to test flexibility and in which rats were given saline, 0.05 mg/kg or 0.1 mg/kg MK-801 thirty minutes prior to a session. In the first condition, rats acquired avoidance in RF with clockwise rotation of the arena while in the test phase the arena rotated counterclockwise. In the second condition, rats initially acquired avoidance in RF with the sector on the north and then it was reversed to south (spatial reversal). In the third and fourth conditions, rats initially performed an AF (RF, respectively) task, followed by an RF (AF, respectively) task, testing the ability of cognitive set-shifting. We found no effect of MK-801 either on simple motor adjustment after reversal of arena rotation or on spatial reversal within the RF. In contrast, administration of MK-801 at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg interfered with set-shifting in both conditions. Furthermore, we observed MK-801 0.1 mg/kg elevated locomotion in all cases. These data suggest that blockade of NMDA receptors by acute system administration of MK-801 preferentially affects set-shifting in the cognitive domain rather than reversal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Svoboda
- Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Anna Stankova
- Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague, Czech Republic ; Laboratory of Neurobehavioral Studies, National Institute of Mental Health Klecany, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marie Entlerova
- Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ales Stuchlik
- Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague, Czech Republic ; Laboratory of Neurobehavioral Studies, National Institute of Mental Health Klecany, Prague, Czech Republic
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Gomes FV, Guimarães FS, Grace AA. Effects of pubertal cannabinoid administration on attentional set-shifting and dopaminergic hyper-responsivity in a developmental disruption model of schizophrenia. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 18:pyu018. [PMID: 25522381 PMCID: PMC4368886 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyu018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescent exposure to cannabinoids in vulnerable individuals is proposed to be a risk factor for psychiatric conditions later in life, particularly schizophrenia. Evidence from studies in animals has indicated that a combination of repeated pubertal cannabinoid administration with either neonatal prefrontocortical lesion, isolation rearing, or chronic NMDA receptor antagonism administration induces enhanced schizophrenia-like behavioral disruptions. The effects of adolescent exposure to CB1 receptor agonists, however, have not been tested in a developmental disruption model of schizophrenia. METHODS This was tested in the methylazoxymethanol (MAM) model, in which repeated treatment with the synthetic cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212-2 (WIN; 1.2mg/kg) was extended over 25 days throughout puberty (postnatal days 40-65) in control and MAM rats. The rats received 20 injections, which were delivered irregularly to mimic the human condition. Adult rats were tested for attentional set-shifting task and locomotor response to amphetamine, which was compared with in vivo recording from ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons. RESULTS MAM-treated rats showed impairment in the attentional set-shifting task, augmented locomotor response to amphetamine administration, and an increased number of spontaneously active DA neurons in the VTA. Interestingly, pubertal WIN treatment in normal animals induced similar changes at adulthood as those observed in MAM-treated rats, supporting the notion that adolescence exposure to cannabinoids may represent a risk factor for developing schizophrenia-like signs at adulthood. However, contrary to expectations, pubertal WIN administration did not exacerbate the behavioral and electrophysiological changes in MAM-treated rats beyond that observed in WIN-treated saline rats (Sal). Indeed, WIN treatment actually attenuated the locomotor response to amphetamine in MAM rats without impacting DA neuron activity states. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, the present results indicate that the impact of cannabinoids during puberty/adolescence on schizophrenia models is more complex than may be predicted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe V Gomes
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Brazil (Drs Gomes and Guimarães); Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Applied Neurosciences, University of São Paulo, Brazil (Drs Gomes and Guimarães); Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, A210 Langley Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (Dr Grace).
| | - Francisco S Guimarães
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Brazil (Drs Gomes and Guimarães); Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Applied Neurosciences, University of São Paulo, Brazil (Drs Gomes and Guimarães); Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, A210 Langley Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (Dr Grace)
| | - Anthony A Grace
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Brazil (Drs Gomes and Guimarães); Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Applied Neurosciences, University of São Paulo, Brazil (Drs Gomes and Guimarães); Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, A210 Langley Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (Dr Grace)
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mGluR5 positive allosteric modulation and its effects on MK-801 induced set-shifting impairments in a rat operant delayed matching/non-matching-to-sample task. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:251-8. [PMID: 24973895 PMCID: PMC4278949 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3653-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2013] [Accepted: 06/08/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of type 5 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR5) exert pro-cognitive effects in animal models of various neuropsychiatric diseases. However, few studies to date have examined ability of mGluR5 PAMs to reverse cognitive deficits in operant delayed matching/non-matching-to-sample (DMS/DNMS) tasks. OBJECTIVES This study aims to determine the ability of the mGluR5 PAM 3-cyano-N-(1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)benzamide (CDPPB) to reverse set-shifting deficits induced by the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK-801. METHODS Male Sprague-Dawley rats were initially trained to lever press for sucrose reinforcement under either DMS or DNMS conditions. Following successful acquisition of the task, reinforcement conditions were reversed (DNMS → DMS or DMS → DNMS). In Experiment 1, rats were treated daily prior to each session with vehicle/vehicle, vehicle/MK-801 (0.06 mg/kg) simultaneously, CDPPB (20 mg/kg)/MK-801 simultaneously, or CDPPB 30 min prior to MK-801. In Experiment 2, rats were treated with either vehicle/vehicle, vehicle/MK-801, or CDPPB 30 min prior to MK-801 only prior to sessions that followed task reversal. RESULTS In Experiment 1, no group differences in initial task acquisition were observed. Rats treated with vehicle/MK-801 showed significant set-shifting impairments following task reversal, which were partially attenuated by simultaneous administration of CDPPB/MK-801 and completely precluded by administration of CDPPB 30 min prior to MK-801. In Experiment 2, MK-801 did not impair reversal learning, and no other group differences were observed. CONCLUSIONS MK-801-induced deficits in operant set-shifting ability were prevented by pretreatment with CDPPB. MK-801 did not produce deficits in task learning when treatment was initiated following task reversal.
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