1
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Zhukovsky P, Ironside M, Duda JM, Moser AD, Null KE, Dhaynaut M, Normandin M, Guehl NJ, El Fakhri G, Alexander M, Holsen LM, Misra M, Narendran R, Hoye JM, Morris ED, Esfand SM, Goldstein JM, Pizzagalli DA. Acute Stress Increases Striatal Connectivity With Cortical Regions Enriched for μ and κ Opioid Receptors. Biol Psychiatry 2024; 96:717-726. [PMID: 38395372 PMCID: PMC11339240 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the neurobiological effects of stress is critical for addressing the etiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). Using a dimensional approach involving individuals with differing degree of MDD risk, we investigated 1) the effects of acute stress on cortico-cortical and subcortical-cortical functional connectivity (FC) and 2) how such effects are related to gene expression and receptor maps. METHODS Across 115 participants (37 control, 39 remitted MDD, 39 current MDD), we evaluated the effects of stress on FC during the Montreal Imaging Stress Task. Using partial least squares regression, we investigated genes whose expression in the Allen Human Brain Atlas was associated with anatomical patterns of stress-related FC change. Finally, we correlated stress-related FC change maps with opioid and GABAA (gamma-aminobutyric acid A) receptor distribution maps derived from positron emission tomography. RESULTS Results revealed robust effects of stress on global cortical connectivity, with increased global FC in frontoparietal and attentional networks and decreased global FC in the medial default mode network. Moreover, robust increases emerged in FC of the caudate, putamen, and amygdala with regions from the ventral attention/salience network, frontoparietal network, and motor networks. Such regions showed preferential expression of genes involved in cell-to-cell signaling (OPRM1, OPRK1, SST, GABRA3, GABRA5), similar to previous genetic MDD studies. CONCLUSIONS Acute stress altered global cortical connectivity and increased striatal connectivity with cortical regions that express genes that have previously been associated with imaging abnormalities in MDD and are rich in μ and κ opioid receptors. These findings point to overlapping circuitry underlying stress response, reward, and MDD.
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MESH Headings
- Humans
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/genetics
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/metabolism
- Male
- Female
- Adult
- Depressive Disorder, Major/diagnostic imaging
- Depressive Disorder, Major/metabolism
- Depressive Disorder, Major/physiopathology
- Depressive Disorder, Major/genetics
- Stress, Psychological/metabolism
- Stress, Psychological/physiopathology
- Stress, Psychological/diagnostic imaging
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/genetics
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/metabolism
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Cerebral Cortex/diagnostic imaging
- Cerebral Cortex/metabolism
- Cerebral Cortex/physiopathology
- Corpus Striatum/diagnostic imaging
- Corpus Striatum/metabolism
- Young Adult
- Positron-Emission Tomography
- Neural Pathways/diagnostic imaging
- Neural Pathways/physiopathology
- Connectome
- Nerve Net/diagnostic imaging
- Nerve Net/metabolism
- Nerve Net/physiopathology
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Zhukovsky
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Maria Ironside
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma
| | - Jessica M Duda
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Amelia D Moser
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Kaylee E Null
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Maeva Dhaynaut
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Marc Normandin
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Nicolas J Guehl
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Georges El Fakhri
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Madeline Alexander
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Laura M Holsen
- Division of Women's Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory of Sex Differences in the Brain, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Madhusmita Misra
- Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Rajesh Narendran
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Jocelyn M Hoye
- Yale Positron Emission Tomography Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Evan D Morris
- Yale Positron Emission Tomography Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Shiba M Esfand
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jill M Goldstein
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; Division of Women's Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory of Sex Differences in the Brain, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
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Sherman BE, Huang I, Wijaya EG, Turk-Browne NB, Goldfarb EV. Acute Stress Effects on Statistical Learning and Episodic Memory. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:1741-1759. [PMID: 38713878 PMCID: PMC11223726 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
Stress is widely considered to negatively impact hippocampal function, thus impairing episodic memory. However, the hippocampus is not merely the seat of episodic memory. Rather, it also (via distinct circuitry) supports statistical learning. On the basis of rodent work suggesting that stress may impair the hippocampal pathway involved in episodic memory while sparing or enhancing the pathway involved in statistical learning, we developed a behavioral experiment to investigate the effects of acute stress on both episodic memory and statistical learning in humans. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: stress (socially evaluated cold pressor) immediately before learning, stress ∼15 min before learning, or no stress. In the learning task, participants viewed a series of trial-unique scenes (allowing for episodic encoding of each image) in which certain scene categories reliably followed one another (allowing for statistical learning of associations between paired categories). Memory was assessed 24 hr later to isolate stress effects on encoding/learning rather than retrieval. We found modest support for our hypothesis that acute stress can amplify statistical learning: Only participants stressed ∼15 min in advance exhibited reliable evidence of learning across multiple measures. Furthermore, stress-induced cortisol levels predicted statistical learning retention 24 hr later. In contrast, episodic memory did not differ by stress condition, although we did find preliminary evidence that acute stress promoted memory for statistically predictable information and attenuated competition between statistical and episodic encoding. Together, these findings provide initial insights into how stress may differentially modulate learning processes within the hippocampus.
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3
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Paltoglou G, Stefanaki C, Chrousos GP. Functional MRI Techniques Suggesting that the Stress System Interacts with Three Large Scale Core Brain Networks to Help Coordinate the Adaptive Response: A Systematic Review. Curr Neuropharmacol 2024; 22:976-989. [PMID: 37533249 PMCID: PMC10845086 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x21666230801151718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Synthesis of functional MRI (fMRI) and functional connectivity (FC) analysis data on human stress system (SS) function, as it relates to the dynamic function of the Salience (SN), Default Mode (DMN) and Central Executive (CEN) networks. METHODS Systematic search of Medline, Scopus, Clinical Trials.gov, and Google Scholar databases of studies published prior to September 2022 resulted in 28 full-text articles included for qualitative synthesis. RESULTS Acute stress changes the states of intra-/inter- neural network FCs and activities from those of resting, low arousal state in the SN, DMN and CEN, during which intra- and inter-network FCs and activities of all three networks are low. SS activation is positively linked to the activity of the SN and negatively to that of the DMN, while, in parallel, it is associated with an initial decrease and a subsequent increase of the intra- network FC and activity of the CEN. The FC between the DMN and the CEN increases, while those between the SN and the CEN decrease, allowing time for frontal lobe strategy input and "proper" CEN activity and task decision. SN activation is linked to sensory hypersensitivity, "impaired" memory, and a switch from serial to parallel processing, while trait mindfulness is associated with FC changes promoting CEN activity and producing a "task-ready state". CONCLUSION SS activation is tightly connected to that of the SN, with stress hormones likely potentiating the intra-network FC of the latter, attenuating that of the DMN, and causing a biphasic suppression- to-activation response of the CEN, all adaptive changes favoring proper decisions and survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Paltoglou
- University Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health and Precision Medicine, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, “Aghia Sophia” Children's Hospital, Athens 11527, Greece
- Second Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, “A. & P. Kyriakou” Children's Hospital, Athens 11527, Greece
- UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 11527, Greece
| | - Charikleia Stefanaki
- University Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health and Precision Medicine, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, “Aghia Sophia” Children's Hospital, Athens 11527, Greece
- UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 11527, Greece
| | - George P. Chrousos
- University Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health and Precision Medicine, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, “Aghia Sophia” Children's Hospital, Athens 11527, Greece
- UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 11527, Greece
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4
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Palamarchuk IS, Slavich GM, Vaillancourt T, Rajji TK. Stress-related cellular pathophysiology as a crosstalk risk factor for neurocognitive and psychiatric disorders. BMC Neurosci 2023; 24:65. [PMID: 38087196 PMCID: PMC10714507 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-023-00831-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In this narrative review, we examine biological processes linking psychological stress and cognition, with a focus on how psychological stress can activate multiple neurobiological mechanisms that drive cognitive decline and behavioral change. First, we describe the general neurobiology of the stress response to define neurocognitive stress reactivity. Second, we review aspects of epigenetic regulation, synaptic transmission, sex hormones, photoperiodic plasticity, and psychoneuroimmunological processes that can contribute to cognitive decline and neuropsychiatric conditions. Third, we explain mechanistic processes linking the stress response and neuropathology. Fourth, we discuss molecular nuances such as an interplay between kinases and proteins, as well as differential role of sex hormones, that can increase vulnerability to cognitive and emotional dysregulation following stress. Finally, we explicate several testable hypotheses for stress, neurocognitive, and neuropsychiatric research. Together, this work highlights how stress processes alter neurophysiology on multiple levels to increase individuals' risk for neurocognitive and psychiatric disorders, and points toward novel therapeutic targets for mitigating these effects. The resulting models can thus advance dementia and mental health research, and translational neuroscience, with an eye toward clinical application in cognitive and behavioral neurology, and psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iryna S Palamarchuk
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 1001 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J1H4, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Division of Neurology, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Toronto Dementia Research Alliance, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - George M Slavich
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tracy Vaillancourt
- Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Tarek K Rajji
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 1001 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J1H4, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Toronto Dementia Research Alliance, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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5
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De Alcubierre D, Ferrari D, Mauro G, Isidori AM, Tomlinson JW, Pofi R. Glucocorticoids and cognitive function: a walkthrough in endogenous and exogenous alterations. J Endocrinol Invest 2023; 46:1961-1982. [PMID: 37058223 PMCID: PMC10514174 DOI: 10.1007/s40618-023-02091-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis exerts many actions on the central nervous system (CNS) aside from stress regulation. Glucocorticoids (GCs) play an important role in affecting several cognitive functions through the effects on both glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptors (MR). In this review, we aim to unravel the spectrum of cognitive dysfunction secondary to derangement of circulating levels of endogenous and exogenous glucocorticoids. METHODS All relevant human prospective and retrospective studies published up to 2022 in PubMed reporting information on HPA disorders, GCs, and cognition were included. RESULTS Cognitive impairment is commonly found in GC-related disorders. The main brain areas affected are the hippocampus and pre-frontal cortex, with memory being the most affected domain. Disease duration, circadian rhythm disruption, circulating GCs levels, and unbalanced MR/GR activation are all risk factors for cognitive decline in these patients, albeit with conflicting data among different conditions. Lack of normalization of cognitive dysfunction after treatment is potentially attributable to GC-dependent structural brain alterations, which can persist even after long-term remission. CONCLUSION The recognition of cognitive deficits in patients with GC-related disorders is challenging, often delayed, or mistaken. Prompt recognition and treatment of underlying disease may be important to avoid a long-lasting impact on GC-sensitive areas of the brain. However, the resolution of hormonal imbalance is not always followed by complete recovery, suggesting irreversible adverse effects on the CNS, for which there are no specific treatments. Further studies are needed to find the mechanisms involved, which may eventually be targeted for treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- D De Alcubierre
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - D Ferrari
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - G Mauro
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - A M Isidori
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - J W Tomlinson
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - R Pofi
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK.
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6
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Brosens N, Lesuis SL, Bassie I, Reyes L, Gajadien P, Lucassen PJ, Krugers HJ. Elevated corticosterone after fear learning impairs remote auditory memory retrieval and alters brain network connectivity. Learn Mem 2023; 30:125-132. [PMID: 37487708 PMCID: PMC10519398 DOI: 10.1101/lm.053836.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids are potent memory modulators that can modify behavior in an adaptive or maladaptive manner. Elevated glucocorticoid levels after learning promote memory consolidation at recent time points, but their effects on remote time points are not well established. Here we set out to assess whether corticosterone (CORT) given after learning modifies remote fear memory. To that end, mice were exposed to a mild auditory fear conditioning paradigm followed by a single 2 mg/kg CORT injection, and after 28 d, auditory memory was assessed. Neuronal activation was investigated using immunohistochemistry for the immediate early gene c-Fos, and coactivation of brain regions was determined using a correlation matrix analysis. CORT-treated mice displayed significantly less remote auditory memory retrieval. While the net activity of studied brain regions was similar compared with the control condition, CORT-induced remote memory impairment was associated with altered correlated activity between brain regions. Specifically, connectivity of the lateral amygdala with the basal amygdala and the dorsal dentate gyrus was significantly reduced in CORT-treated mice, suggesting disrupted network connectivity that may underlie diminished remote memory retrieval. Elucidating the pathways underlying these effects could help provide mechanistic insight into the effects of stress on memory and possibly provide therapeutic targets for psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niek Brosens
- Brain Plasticity Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS)-Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience (CNS), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098 XH, the Netherlands
| | - Sylvie L Lesuis
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Ilse Bassie
- Brain Plasticity Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS)-Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience (CNS), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098 XH, the Netherlands
| | - Lara Reyes
- Brain Plasticity Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS)-Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience (CNS), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098 XH, the Netherlands
| | - Priya Gajadien
- Brain Plasticity Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS)-Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience (CNS), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098 XH, the Netherlands
| | - Paul J Lucassen
- Brain Plasticity Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS)-Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience (CNS), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098 XH, the Netherlands
| | - Harm J Krugers
- Brain Plasticity Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS)-Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience (CNS), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098 XH, the Netherlands
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7
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Ignjatović Đ, Tovilović-Kovačević G, Mićić B, Tomić M, Djordjevic A, Macut D, Vojnović Milutinović D. Effects of early life overnutrition and hyperandrogenism on spatial learning and memory in a rat model of polycystic ovary syndrome. Horm Behav 2023; 153:105392. [PMID: 37295324 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex disorder characterized by endocrine and metabolic abnormalities such as obesity and insulin resistance. PCOS is also associated with psychiatric disorders and cognitive impairment. The animal model of PCOS was induced by treating rats with 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT) and additionally modified to induce adiposity by litter size reduction (LSR). Spatial learning and memory were assessed using the Barnes Maze test, and striatal markers of synaptic plasticity were analyzed. Striatal insulin signaling was estimated by the levels of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1), its inhibitory phosphorylation at Ser307, and glycogen synthase kinase-3α/β (GSK3α/β) activity. Both LSR and DHT treatment significantly decreased striatal protein levels of IRS1, followed by increased GSK3α/β activity in small litters. Results of the behavioral study showed that LSR had a negative effect on learning rate and memory retention, whereas DHT treatment did not induce impairment in memory formation. While protein levels of synaptophysin, GAP43, and postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95) were not altered by the treatments, DHT treatment induced an increase in phosphorylation of PSD-95 at Ser295 in both normal and small litters. This study revealed that LSR and DHT treatment suppressed insulin signaling by downregulating IRS1 in the striatum. However, DHT treatment did not have an adverse effect on learning and memory, probably due to compensatory elevation in pPSD-95-Ser295, which had a positive effect on synaptic strength. This implies that hyperandrogenemia in this setting does not represent a threat to spatial learning and memory, opposite to the effect of overnutrition-related adiposity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Đurđica Ignjatović
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 142 Despot Stefan Blvd., 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Gordana Tovilović-Kovačević
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 142 Despot Stefan Blvd., 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Bojana Mićić
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 142 Despot Stefan Blvd., 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Mirko Tomić
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 142 Despot Stefan Blvd., 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Ana Djordjevic
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 142 Despot Stefan Blvd., 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Djuro Macut
- Clinic of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, University Clinical Centre of Serbia, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotića 13, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Danijela Vojnović Milutinović
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 142 Despot Stefan Blvd., 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
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8
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Wang T, Yan R, Zhang X, Wang Z, Duan H, Wang Z, Zhou Q. Paraventricular Thalamus Dynamically Modulates Aversive Memory via Tuning Prefrontal Inhibitory Circuitry. J Neurosci 2023; 43:3630-3646. [PMID: 37068932 PMCID: PMC10198459 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1028-22.2023] [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: 05/29/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The impact of stress on the formation and expression of memory is well studied, especially on the contributions of stress hormones. But how stress affects brain circuitry dynamically to modulate memory is far less understood. Here, we used male C57BL6/J mice in an auditory fear conditioning as a model system to examine this question and focused on the impact of stress on dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) neurons which play an important role in probabilistic fear memory. We found that paraventricular thalamus (PVT) neurons are robustly activated by acute restraining stress. Elevated PVT activity during probabilistic fear memory expression increases spiking in the dmPFC somatostatin neurons which in turn suppresses spiking of dmPFC parvalbumin (PV) neurons, and reverts the usual low fear responses associated with probabilistic fear memory to high fear. This dynamic and reversible modulation allows the original memory to be preserved and modulated during memory expression. In contrast, elevated PVT activity during fear conditioning impairs synaptic modifications in the dmPFC PV-neurons and abolishes the formation of probabilistic fear memory. Thus, PVT functions as a stress sensor to modulate the formation and expression of aversive memory by tuning inhibitory functions in the prefrontal circuitry.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The impact of stress on cognitive functions, such as memory and executive functions, are well documented especially on the impact by stress hormone. However, the contributions of brain circuitry are far less understood. Here, we show that a circuitry-based mechanism can dynamically modulate memory formation and expression, namely, higher stress-induced activity in paraventricular thalamus (PVT) impairs the formation and expression of probabilistic fear memory by elevating the activity of somatostatin-neurons to suppress spiking in dorsomedial prefrontal parvalbumin (PV) neurons. This stress impact on memory via dynamic tuning of prefrontal inhibition preserves the formed memory but enables a dynamic expression of memory. These findings have implications for better stress coping strategies as well as treatment options including better drug targets/mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, People's Republic of China
| | - Rongzhen Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinyang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, People's Republic of China
| | - Zongliang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, People's Republic of China
| | - Haoyu Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, People's Republic of China
| | - Zeyi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, People's Republic of China
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9
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Yang H, Narayan S, Schmidt MV. From Ligands to Behavioral Outcomes: Understanding the Role of Mineralocorticoid Receptors in Brain Function. Stress 2023; 26:2204366. [PMID: 37067948 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2023.2204366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress is a normal response to situational pressures or demands. Exposure to stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and leads to the release of corticosteroids, which act in the brain via two distinct receptors: mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR). Persistent HPA axis overactivation or dysregulation can disrupt an individual's homeostasis, thereby contributing to an increased risk for mental illness. On the other hand, successful coping with stressful events involves adaptive and cognitive processes in the brain that render individuals more resilient to similar stressors in the future. Here we review the role of the MR in these processes, starting with an overview of the physiological structure, ligand binding, and expression of MR, and further summarizing its role in the brain, its relevance to psychiatric disorders, and related rodent studies. Given the central role of MR in cognitive and emotional functioning, and its importance as a target for promoting resilience, future research should investigate how MR modulation can be used to alleviate disturbances in emotion and behavior, as well as cognitive impairment, in patients with stress-related psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanqing Yang
- Research Group Neurobiology of Stress Resilience, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Sowmya Narayan
- Research Group Neurobiology of Stress Resilience, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
- Department Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Mathias V Schmidt
- Research Group Neurobiology of Stress Resilience, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
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10
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Shan Q, Yu X, Tian Y. Adolescent social isolation shifts the balance of decision-making strategy from goal-directed action to habitual response in adulthood via suppressing the excitatory neurotransmission onto the direct pathway of the dorsomedial striatum. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:1595-1609. [PMID: 35524719 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Adverse experience, such as social isolation, during adolescence is one of the major causes of neuropsychiatric disorders that extend from adolescence into adulthood, such as substance addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and eating disorders leading to obesity. A common behavioral feature of these neuropsychiatric disorders is a shift in the balance of decision-making strategy from goal-directed action to habitual response. This study has verified that adolescent social isolation directly shifts the balance of decision-making strategy from goal-directed action to habitual response, and that it cannot be reversed by simple regrouping. This study has further revealed that adolescent social isolation induces a suppression in the excitatory neurotransmission onto the direct-pathway medium spiny neurons of the dorsomedial striatum (DMS), and that chemogenetically compensating this suppression effect shifts the balance of decision-making strategy from habitual response back to goal-directed action. These findings suggest that the plasticity in the DMS causes the shift in the balance of decision-making strategy, which would potentially help to develop a general therapy to treat the various neuropsychiatric disorders caused by adolescent social isolation. Such a study is especially necessary under the circumstances that social distancing and lockdown have caused during times of world-wide, society-wide pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Shan
- Laboratory for Synaptic Plasticity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, China
| | - Xiaoxuan Yu
- Laboratory for Synaptic Plasticity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, China
| | - Yao Tian
- Chern Institute of Mathematics, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
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11
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Chronic stress causes striatal disinhibition mediated by SOM-interneurons in male mice. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7355. [PMID: 36446783 PMCID: PMC9709160 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35028-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic stress (CS) is associated with a number of neuropsychiatric disorders, and it may also contribute to or exacerbate motor function. However, the mechanisms by which stress triggers motor symptoms are not fully understood. Here, we report that CS functionally alters dorsomedial striatum (DMS) circuits in male mice, by affecting GABAergic interneuron populations and somatostatin positive (SOM) interneurons in particular. Specifically, we show that CS impairs communication between SOM interneurons and medium spiny neurons, promoting striatal overactivation/disinhibition and increased motor output. Using probabilistic machine learning to analyze animal behavior, we demonstrate that in vivo chemogenetic manipulation of SOM interneurons in DMS modulates motor phenotypes in stressed mice. Altogether, we propose a causal link between dysfunction of striatal SOM interneurons and motor symptoms in models of chronic stress.
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12
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Kaczmarczyk M, Wingenfeld K, Nowacki J, Chae WR, Deuter CE, Piber D, Otte C. No influence of mineralocorticoid and glutamatergic NMDA receptor stimulation on spatial learning and memory in individuals with major depression. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 152:97-103. [PMID: 35717867 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with impairments in spatial learning and memory and with altered functioning of central mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) and glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDA-R). Both receptors are highly expressed in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex - brain areas that are critical for spatial learning and memory. Here, we examined the effects of separate and combined MR and NMDA-R stimulation on spatial learning and memory in individuals with MDD and healthy controls. METHODS We used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled between-group study design to examine the effects of separate and combined stimulation of the MR (with 0.4 mg fludrocortisone) and NMDA-R (with 250 mg D-cycloserine) in 116 unmedicated individuals with MDD (mean age: 34.7 ± 13.3 years; 78.4% women) and 116 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: 1) placebo; 2) MR stimulation; 3) NMDA-R stimulation; and 4) combined MR/NMDA-R stimulation. Three hours after drug administration, spatial learning and memory were assessed using a virtual Morris Water Maze task. RESULTS Individuals with MDD and healthy controls did not differ in spatial learning and memory performance. Neither separate nor combined MR or NMDA-R stimulation altered measures of spatial performance. CONCLUSION In this study of relatively young, predominantly female, and unmedicated individuals, we found no effect of MDD and no effect of separate or combined MR and NMDA-R stimulation on spatial learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kaczmarczyk
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany; Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy, Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Straße 2, 10178, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Katja Wingenfeld
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Nowacki
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany
| | - Woo Ri Chae
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Eric Deuter
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dominique Piber
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany; Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy, Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Straße 2, 10178, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Otte
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany
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13
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Palamarchuk IS, Vaillancourt T. Integrative Brain Dynamics in Childhood Bullying Victimization: Cognitive and Emotional Convergence Associated With Stress Psychopathology. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:782154. [PMID: 35573445 PMCID: PMC9097078 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.782154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Bullying victimization is a form of psychological stress that is associated with poor outcomes in the areas of mental health and learning. Although the emotional maladjustment and memory impairment following interpersonal stress are well documented, the mechanisms of complex cerebral dysfunctions have neither been outlined nor studied in depth in the context of childhood bullying victimization. As a contribution to the cross-disciplinary field of developmental psychology and neuroscience, we review the neuropathophysiology of early life stress, as well as general psychological stress to synthesize the data and clarify the versatile dynamics within neuronal networks linked to bullying victimization. The stress-induced neuropsychological cascade and associated cerebral networks with a focus on cognitive and emotional convergence are described. The main findings are that stress-evoked neuroendocrine reactivity relates to neuromodulation and limbic dysregulation that hinder emotion processing and executive functioning such as semantic cognition, cognitive flexibility, and learning. Developmental aspects and interacting neural mechanisms linked to distressed cognitive and emotional processing are pinpointed and potential theory-of-mind nuances in targets of bullying are presented. The results show that childhood stress psychopathology is associated with a complex interplay where the major role belongs to, but is not limited to, the amygdala, fusiform gyrus, insula, striatum, and prefrontal cortex. This interplay contributes to the sensitivity toward facial expressions, poor cognitive reasoning, and distress that affect behavioral modulation and emotion regulation. We integrate the data on major brain dynamics in stress neuroactivity that can be associated with childhood psychopathology to help inform future studies that are focused on the treatment and prevention of psychiatric disorders and learning problems in bullied children and adolescents.
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14
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Paul SN, Wingenfeld K, Otte C, Meijer OC. Brain Mineralocorticoid receptor in health and disease: from molecular signaling to cognitive and emotional function. Br J Pharmacol 2022; 179:3205-3219. [PMID: 35297038 PMCID: PMC9323486 DOI: 10.1111/bph.15835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) mediate effects of glucocorticoid hormones in stress adaptation, as well as the effects of aldosterone itself in relation to salt homeostasis. Brain stem MRs respond to aldosterone, whereas forebrain MRs mediate rapid and delayed glucocorticoid effects in conjunction with the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). MR‐mediated effects depend on age, gender, genetic variations, and environmental influences. Disturbed MR activity through chronic stress, certain (endocrine) diseases or during glucocorticoid therapy can cause deleterious effects on affective state, cognitive and behavioural function in susceptible individuals. Considering the important role MR plays in cognition and emotional function in health and disease, MR modulation by pharmacological intervention could relieve stress‐ and endocrine‐related symptoms. Here, we discuss recent pharmacological interventions in the clinic and genetic developments in the molecular underpinnings of MR signalling. Further understanding of MR‐dependent pathways may help to improve psychiatric symptoms in a diversity of settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana N Paul
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Katja Wingenfeld
- Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Charité Universitätsmedizin Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Otte
- Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Charité Universitätsmedizin Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany.,NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Onno C Meijer
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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15
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Schwabe L, Hermans EJ, Joëls M, Roozendaal B. Mechanisms of memory under stress. Neuron 2022; 110:1450-1467. [PMID: 35316661 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
It is well established that stress has a major impact on memory, driven by the concerted action of various stress mediators on the brain. Recent years, however, have seen considerable advances in our understanding of the cellular, neural network, and cognitive mechanisms through which stress alters memory. These novel insights highlight the intricate interplay of multiple stress mediators, including-beyond corticosteroids, catecholamines, and peptides-for instance, endocannabinoids, which results in time-dependent shifts in large-scale neural networks. Such stress-induced network shifts enable highly specific memories of the stressful experience in the long run at the cost of transient impairments in mnemonic flexibility during and shortly after a stressful event. Based on these recent discoveries, we provide a new integrative framework that links the cellular, systems, and cognitive mechanisms underlying acute stress effects on memory processes and points to potential targets for treating aberrant memory in stress-related mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Erno J Hermans
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Marian Joëls
- University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands; UMC Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Benno Roozendaal
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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16
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Karst H, den Boon FS, Vervoort N, Adrian M, Kapitein LC, Joëls M. Non-genomic steroid signaling through the mineralocorticoid receptor: Involvement of a membrane-associated receptor? Mol Cell Endocrinol 2022; 541:111501. [PMID: 34740745 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2021.111501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Corticosteroid receptors in the mammalian brain mediate genomic as well as non-genomic actions. Although receptors mediating genomic actions were already cloned 35 years ago, it remains unclear whether the same molecules are responsible for the non-genomic actions or that the latter involve a separate class of receptors. Here we focus on one type of corticosteroid receptors, i.e. the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR). We summarize some of the known properties and the current insight in the localization of the MR in peripheral cells and neurons, especially in relation to non-genomic signaling. Previous studies from our own and other labs provided evidence that MRs mediating non-genomic actions are identical to the ones involved in genomic signaling, but may be translocated to the plasma cell membrane instead of the nucleus. With fixed cell imaging and live cell imaging techniques we tried to visualize these presumed membrane-associated MRs, using antibodies or overexpression of MR-GFP in COS7 and hippocampal cultured neurons. Despite the physiological evidence for MR location in or close to the cell membrane, we could not convincingly visualize membrane localization of endogenous MRs or GFP-MR molecules. However, we did find punctae of labeled antibodies intracellularly, which might indicate transactivating spots of MR near the membrane. We also found some evidence for trafficking of MR via beta-arrestins. In beta-arrestin knockout mice, we didn't observe metaplasticity in the basolateral amygdala anymore, indicating that internalization of MRs could play a role during corticosterone activation. Furthermore, we speculate that membrane-associated MRs could act indirectly via activating other membrane located structures like e.g. GPER and/or receptor tyrosine kinases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henk Karst
- Dept Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
| | - Femke S den Boon
- Dept Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | - Niek Vervoort
- University Utrecht, Faculty of Science, Division of Cell Biology, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Max Adrian
- University Utrecht, Faculty of Science, Division of Cell Biology, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Lukas C Kapitein
- University Utrecht, Faculty of Science, Division of Cell Biology, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Marian Joëls
- Dept Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, the Netherlands; University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
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17
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Elias E, Zhang AY, Manners MT. Novel Pharmacological Approaches to the Treatment of Depression. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:196. [PMID: 35207483 PMCID: PMC8879976 DOI: 10.3390/life12020196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Major depressive disorder is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders. Monoamine-based antidepressants were the first drugs developed to treat major depressive disorder. More recently, ketamine and other analogues were introduced as fast-acting antidepressants. Unfortunately, currently available therapeutics are inadequate; lack of efficacy, adverse effects, and risks leave patients with limited treatment options. Efforts are now focused on understanding the etiology of depression and identifying novel targets for pharmacological treatment. In this review, we discuss promising novel pharmacological targets for the treatment of major depressive disorder. Targeting receptors including N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, G-protein-coupled receptor 39, metabotropic glutamate receptors, galanin and opioid receptors has potential antidepressant effects. Compounds targeting biological processes: inflammation, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway, and gut microbiota have also shown therapeutic potential. Additionally, natural products including plants, herbs, and fatty acids improved depressive symptoms and behaviors. In this review, a brief history of clinically available antidepressants will be provided, with a primary focus on novel pharmaceutical approaches with promising antidepressant effects in preclinical and clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Melissa T. Manners
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences, 600 South 43rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; (E.E.); (A.Y.Z.)
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18
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Dolfen N, Veldman MP, Gann MA, von Leupoldt A, Puts NAJ, Edden RAE, Mikkelsen M, Swinnen S, Schwabe L, Albouy G, King BR. A role for GABA in the modulation of striatal and hippocampal systems under stress. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1033. [PMID: 34475515 PMCID: PMC8413374 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02535-x] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research has demonstrated that stress modulates the competitive interaction between the hippocampus and striatum, two structures known to be critically involved in motor sequence learning. These earlier investigations, however, have largely focused on blood oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) responses. No study to date has examined the link between stress, motor learning and levels of striatal and hippocampal gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). This knowledge gap is surprising given the known role of GABA in neuroplasticity subserving learning and memory. The current study thus examined: a) the effects of motor learning and stress on striatal and hippocampal GABA levels; and b) how learning- and stress-induced changes in GABA relate to the neural correlates of learning. To do so, fifty-three healthy young adults were exposed to a stressful or non-stressful control intervention before motor sequence learning. Striatal and hippocampal GABA levels were assessed at baseline and post-intervention/learning using magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Regression analyses indicated that stress modulated the link between striatal GABA levels and functional plasticity in both the hippocampus and striatum during learning as measured with fMRI. This study provides evidence for a role of GABA in the stress-induced modulation of striatal and hippocampal systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Dolfen
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Menno P Veldman
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mareike A Gann
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Nicolaas A J Puts
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Richard A E Edden
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mark Mikkelsen
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Stephan Swinnen
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Geneviève Albouy
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium.
- Department of Health and Kinesiology, College of Health, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
| | - Bradley R King
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Health and Kinesiology, College of Health, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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19
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Thomason ME, Hect JL, Waller R, Curtin P. Interactive relations between maternal prenatal stress, fetal brain connectivity, and gestational age at delivery. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1839-1847. [PMID: 34188185 PMCID: PMC8357800 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01066-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Studies reporting significant associations between maternal prenatal stress and child outcomes are frequently confounded by correlates of prenatal stress that influence the postnatal rearing environment. The major objective of this study is to identify whether maternal prenatal stress is associated with variation in human brain functional connectivity prior to birth. We utilized fetal fMRI in 118 fetuses [48 female; mean age 32.9 weeks (SD = 3.87)] to evaluate this association and further addressed whether fetal neural differences were related to maternal health behaviors, social support, or birth outcomes. Community detection was used to empirically define networks and enrichment was used to isolate differential within- or between-network connectivity effects. Significance for χ2 enrichment was determined by randomly permuting the subject pairing of fetal brain connectivity and maternal stress values 10,000 times. Mixtures modelling was used to test whether fetal neural differences were related to maternal health behaviors, social support, or birth outcomes. Increased maternal prenatal negative affect/stress was associated with alterations in fetal frontoparietal, striatal, and temporoparietal connectivity (β = 0.82, p < 0.001). Follow-up analysis demonstrated that these associations were stronger in women with better health behaviors, more positive interpersonal support, and lower overall stress (β = 0.16, p = 0.02). Additionally, magnitude of stress-related differences in neural connectivity was marginally correlated with younger gestational age at delivery (β = -0.18, p = 0.05). This is the first evidence that negative affect/stress during pregnancy is reflected in functional network differences in the human brain in utero, and also provides information about how positive interpersonal and health behaviors could mitigate prenatal brain programming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moriah E Thomason
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Population Health, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Jasmine L Hect
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Pittsburgh & Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Rebecca Waller
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Paul Curtin
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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20
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Palamarchuk IS, Vaillancourt T. Mental Resilience and Coping With Stress: A Comprehensive, Multi-level Model of Cognitive Processing, Decision Making, and Behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:719674. [PMID: 34421556 PMCID: PMC8377204 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.719674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aversive events can evoke strong emotions that trigger cerebral neuroactivity to facilitate behavioral and cognitive shifts to secure physiological stability. However, upon intense and/or chronic exposure to such events, the neural coping processes can be maladaptive and disrupt mental well-being. This maladaptation denotes a pivotal point when psychological stress occurs, which can trigger subconscious, "automatic" neuroreactivity as a defence mechanism to protect the individual from potential danger including overwhelming unpleasant feelings and disturbing or threatening thoughts.The outcomes of maladaptive neural activity are cognitive dysfunctions such as altered memory, decision making, and behavior that impose a risk for mental disorders. Although the neurocognitive phenomena associated with psychological stress are well documented, the complex neural activity and pathways related to stressor detection and stress coping have not been outlined in detail. Accordingly, we define acute and chronic stress-induced pathways, phases, and stages in relation to novel/unpredicted, uncontrollable, and ambiguous stressors. We offer a comprehensive model of the stress-induced alterations associated with multifaceted pathophysiology related to cognitive appraisal and executive functioning in stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iryna S Palamarchuk
- Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Tracy Vaillancourt
- Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.,School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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21
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Zerbes G, Schwabe L. Stress-induced bias of multiple memory systems during retrieval depends on training intensity. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 130:105281. [PMID: 34058559 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Stressful events promote a shift from hippocampus-dependent 'cognitive' learning towards dorsal striatum-dependent 'habit' learning. Beyond modulating the recruitment of multiple memory systems during learning, recent evidence suggests that stress may also affect which of these memory systems is employed during retrieval, thereby affecting the nature of remembering. However, while some studies reported increased reliance on 'habit' memory retrieval after stress, other studies suggested even a bias towards 'cognitive' memory retrieval after stress. In the present experiment, we tested the hypothesis that the nature of the stress effect on the control of memory retrieval depends on the extent of initial training. To this end, participants completed a probabilistic classification learning (PCL) task that can be solved by both the 'cognitive' and the 'habit' memory systems, which is reflected in the engagement of specific behavioral strategies. Critically, participants received either moderate (100 trials) or intensive (200 trials) training in the PCL task. Participants then underwent a stress protocol or a non-stressful control procedure, before they completed a retrieval version of the PCL task. The effectiveness of the stress manipulation was verified by increases in salivary cortisol and autonomic arousal. Our results further revealed that participants who received moderate training showed, during retrieval, a stress-induced shift towards strategies indicative of the dorsal striatal 'habit' memory system. After prolonged training, however, stress did not affect which memory system guided retrieval. The present results indicate that the effect of stress on the engagement of multiple memory systems during retrieval is critically dependent on the extent of initial training and, by inference, on the strength of the multiple memory traces established during learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gundula Zerbes
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Universität Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Universität Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
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22
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Böhm R, Westermann P, Gleim M, Cascorbi I, Gruenewald M, Herdegen T, Ohnesorge H. High-dose spironolactone lacks effectiveness in treatment of fibromyalgia (RCT). Eur J Pain 2021; 25:1739-1750. [PMID: 33909330 DOI: 10.1002/ejp.1784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spironolactone (SPL) is a reversible mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and androgen receptor (AR) antagonist which attracts pharmacotherapeutic interest not only because of its beneficial effects in heart failure but also because of the pathogenetic roles of MR and AR activities in neuropsychiatric diseases. Recently, beneficial and rapid-onset effects of SPL have been documented in a case series of women with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). To reaffirm this observation, we performed a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial (RCT). METHODS A total of 69 patients were screened, 56 patients were eligible and randomized to SPL or placebo (each n = 28). Forty-three patients completed the clinical trial to the last visit (n = 21 and n = 22). After a run-in phase of 50 and 100 mg/day, 200 mg/day SPL or placebo were applied between days 7 and 28. Primary outcome was the change in the FIQ-G score (Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, German version). Secondary outcome parameters were the changes in pain (numeric rating scale, NRS), mood (ADS), quality of life (SF-36) and change in FIQ scores 14 days after the end of the medication. RESULTS SPL of 200 mg/day did not change significantly either the primary or the secondary end points. SPL evoked a transient rise in serum potassium and a transient fall in GFR maximal after 2 weeks, but without clinical relevance. CONCLUSIONS SPL at 200 mg/day does not improve symptoms in women with FMS, but was considered not to cause harm. SIGNIFICANCE The mineralocorticoid receptor and androgen receptor antagonist spironolactone is repeatedly tested for its therapeutic effectivity against neuropsychiatric disorders. The present RCT demonstrated that 200 mg spironolactone does not change the symptoms of the fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) in adult women. Between 2 and 4 weeks, spironolactone evokes a transient decrease in GFR and increase in serum potassium. Spironolactone cannot be recommended for the treatment of FMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruwen Böhm
- Institute for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Paul Westermann
- Clinic for Anesthesiology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Martin Gleim
- Clinic for Anesthesiology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Ingolf Cascorbi
- Institute for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Matthias Gruenewald
- Institute for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Thomas Herdegen
- Institute for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Henning Ohnesorge
- Clinic for Anesthesiology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
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23
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Sanguino‐Gómez J, Buurstede JC, Abiega O, Fitzsimons CP, Lucassen PJ, Eggen BJL, Lesuis SL, Meijer OC, Krugers HJ. An emerging role for microglia in stress‐effects on memory. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 55:2491-2518. [PMID: 33724565 PMCID: PMC9373920 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Stressful experiences evoke, among others, a rapid increase in brain (nor)epinephrine (NE) levels and a slower increase in glucocorticoid hormones (GCs) in the brain. Microglia are key regulators of neuronal function and contain receptors for NE and GCs. These brain cells may therefore potentially be involved in modulating stress effects on neuronal function and learning and memory. In this review, we discuss that stress induces (1) an increase in microglial numbers as well as (2) a shift toward a pro‐inflammatory profile. These microglia have (3) impaired crosstalk with neurons and (4) disrupted glutamate signaling. Moreover, microglial immune responses after stress (5) alter the kynurenine pathway through metabolites that impair glutamatergic transmission. All these effects could be involved in the impairments in memory and in synaptic plasticity caused by (prolonged) stress, implicating microglia as a potential novel target in stress‐related memory impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jacobus C. Buurstede
- Department of Medicine Division of Endocrinology Leiden University Medical Center Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Oihane Abiega
- Brain Plasticity Group SILS‐CNS University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Carlos P. Fitzsimons
- Brain Plasticity Group SILS‐CNS University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Paul J. Lucassen
- Brain Plasticity Group SILS‐CNS University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Bart J. L. Eggen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells & Systems Section Molecular Neurobiology University of Groningen University Medical Center Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Sylvie L. Lesuis
- Brain Plasticity Group SILS‐CNS University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health Hospital for Sick Children Toronto ON Canada
| | - Onno C. Meijer
- Department of Medicine Division of Endocrinology Leiden University Medical Center Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Harm J. Krugers
- Brain Plasticity Group SILS‐CNS University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
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24
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Kalafatakis K, Russell GM, Ferguson SG, Grabski M, Harmer CJ, Munafò MR, Marchant N, Wilson A, Brooks JC, Thakrar J, Murphy P, Thai NJ, Lightman SL. Glucocorticoid ultradian rhythmicity differentially regulates mood and resting state networks in the human brain: A randomised controlled clinical trial. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 124:105096. [PMID: 33296841 PMCID: PMC7895801 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.105096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Adrenal glucocorticoid secretion into the systematic circulation is characterised by a complex rhythm, composed of the diurnal variation, formed by changes in pulse amplitude of an underlying ultradian rhythm of short duration hormonal pulses. To elucidate the potential neurobiological significance of glucocorticoid pulsatility in man, we have conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, three-way crossover clinical trial on 15 healthy volunteers, investigating the impact of different glucocorticoid rhythms on measures of mood and neural activity under resting conditions by recruiting functional neuroimaging, computerised behavioural tests and ecological momentary assessments. Endogenous glucocorticoid biosynthesis was pharmacologically suppressed, and plasma levels of corticosteroid restored by hydrocortisone replacement in three different regimes, either mimicking the normal ultradian and circadian profile of the hormone, or retaining the normal circadian but abolishing the ultradian rhythm of the hormone, or by our current best oral replacement regime which results in a suboptimal circadian and ultradian rhythm. Our results indicate that changes in the temporal mode of glucocorticoid replacement impact (i) the morning levels of self-perceived vigour, fatigue and concentration, (ii) the diurnal pattern of mood variation, (iii) the within-network functional connectivity of various large-scale resting state networks of the human brain, (iv) the functional connectivity of the default-mode, salience and executive control networks with glucocorticoid-sensitive nodes of the corticolimbic system, and (v) the functional relationship between mood variation and underlying neural networks. The findings indicate that the pattern of the ultradian glucocorticoid rhythm could affect cognitive psychophysiology under non-stressful conditions and opens new pathways for our understanding on the neuropsychological effects of cortisol pulsatility with relevance to the goal of optimising glucocorticoid replacement strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Kalafatakis
- Laboratories of Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, BS1 3NY Bristol, United Kingdom; Clinical Research and Imaging Centre, University of Bristol and University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, BS2 8DX Bristol, United Kingdom; Royal Bristol Infirmary, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, BS2 8HW Bristol, United Kingdom.
| | - Georgina M Russell
- Laboratories of Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, BS1 3NY Bristol, United Kingdom; Royal Bristol Infirmary, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, BS2 8HW Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart G Ferguson
- School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
| | - Meryem Grabski
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, WC1E 6BT London, United Kingdom; MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, BS8 1TU Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Catherine J Harmer
- Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, OX3 7JX Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Marcus R Munafò
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, BS8 1TU Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola Marchant
- Laboratories of Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, BS1 3NY Bristol, United Kingdom; Royal Bristol Infirmary, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, BS2 8HW Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Aileen Wilson
- Clinical Research and Imaging Centre, University of Bristol and University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, BS2 8DX Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan C Brooks
- Clinical Research and Imaging Centre, University of Bristol and University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, BS2 8DX Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Jamini Thakrar
- Laboratories of Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, BS1 3NY Bristol, United Kingdom; Clinical Research and Imaging Centre, University of Bristol and University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, BS2 8DX Bristol, United Kingdom; Royal Bristol Infirmary, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, BS2 8HW Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Patrick Murphy
- Laboratories of Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, BS1 3NY Bristol, United Kingdom; Royal Bristol Infirmary, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, BS2 8HW Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Ngoc J Thai
- Clinical Research and Imaging Centre, University of Bristol and University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, BS2 8DX Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Stafford L Lightman
- Laboratories of Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, BS1 3NY Bristol, United Kingdom; Royal Bristol Infirmary, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, BS2 8HW Bristol, United Kingdom
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25
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Dolfen N, King BR, Schwabe L, Gann MA, Veldman MP, von Leupoldt A, Swinnen SP, Albouy G. Stress Modulates the Balance between Hippocampal and Motor Networks during Motor Memory Processing. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:1365-1382. [PMID: 33106842 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The functional interaction between hippocampo- and striato-cortical regions during motor sequence learning is essential to trigger optimal memory consolidation. Based on previous evidence from other memory domains that stress alters the balance between these systems, we investigated whether exposure to stress prior to motor learning modulates motor memory processes. Seventy-two healthy young individuals were exposed to a stressful or nonstressful control intervention prior to training on a motor sequence learning task in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Consolidation was assessed with an MRI retest after a sleep episode. Behavioral results indicate that stress prior to learning did not influence motor performance. At the neural level, stress induced both a larger recruitment of sensorimotor regions and a greater disengagement of hippocampo-cortical networks during training. Brain-behavior regression analyses showed that while this stress-induced shift from (hippocampo-)fronto-parietal to motor networks was beneficial for initial performance, it was detrimental for consolidation. Our results provide the first experimental evidence that stress modulates the neural networks recruited during motor memory processing and therefore effectively unify concepts and mechanisms from diverse memory fields. Critically, our findings suggest that intersubject variability in brain responses to stress determines the impact of stress on motor learning and subsequent consolidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Dolfen
- Department of Movement Sciences, Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - B R King
- Department of Movement Sciences, Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - L Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - M A Gann
- Department of Movement Sciences, Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - M P Veldman
- Department of Movement Sciences, Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - A von Leupoldt
- Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Health Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - S P Swinnen
- Department of Movement Sciences, Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - G Albouy
- Department of Movement Sciences, Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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26
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He Y, Xu B, Chen Y, Liu L, Xu L, Chen Y, Long D. Early-life adversity selectively interrupts the dendritic differentiation of dorsolateral striatal neurons in male mice. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:397-414. [PMID: 33386419 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02183-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The effects of early-life adversity (ELA) on dendritic differentiation of striatal neurons were investigated in the dorsal striatum including the dorsomedial striatum and dorsolateral striatum (DMS and DLS, respectively). An animal model of ELA was created by changing the growth environment of newborn mouse pups by giving limited bedding and nesting materials from postnatal day 2 to day 9 (P2-P9). One week after the stress paradigm (P16), the dendritic branches and spines of striatal spiny neurons as well as the synapses represented by postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) in DMS and DLS were stereologically analyzed. Adverse experience in early life selectively affected the spiny neurons in DLS, leading to abundant proximal dendritic branches and an increased number of filopodia-like protrusions, but a reduced number of dendritic spines. The selective effects of stress on neurons in DLS were further identified by reduced expression of PSD-95, including a reduced optical density of PSD-95 immunoreactivity and fewer individual PSD-95 immunoreactive synapses in this region. Notably, stress in early life affected either D1 or D2 dopamine receptor-expressing DLS neurons. These findings suggest that adverse early-life experience delayed the maturation of dendritic spines on neurons in the dorsolateral striatum. Altered dendritic differentiation provoked by stress in early life may contribute critically to the formation of proper neuronal circuits in the dorsal striatum and, therefore, affect striatum-dependent habitual behavior and emotional function later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun He
- Department of Human Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Yangtze University, Hubei, 434023, China
| | - Benke Xu
- Department of Human Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Yangtze University, Hubei, 434023, China.,Jingzhou Central Hospital, The Second Clinical Medical College, Yangtze University, Hubei, 434020, China
| | - Yan Chen
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong, 510260, China
| | - Lian Liu
- Department of Medical Function, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Yangtze University, Hubei, 434023, China
| | - Liping Xu
- Key Lab of Neuroscience, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China
| | - Yuncai Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
| | - Dahong Long
- Key Lab of Neuroscience, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China.
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27
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Harrewijn A, Vidal-Ribas P, Clore-Gronenborn K, Jackson SM, Pisano S, Pine DS, Stringaris A. Associations between brain activity and endogenous and exogenous cortisol - A systematic review. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 120:104775. [PMID: 32592873 PMCID: PMC7502528 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
To arrive at a coherent understanding of the relation between glucocorticoids and the human brain, we systematically reviewed the literature for studies examining the associations between endogenous or exogenous cortisol and human brain function. Higher levels of endogenous cortisol during psychological stress were related to increased activity in the middle temporal gyrus and perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), decreased activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and altered function (i.e., mixed findings, increased or decreased) in the amygdala, hippocampus and inferior frontal gyrus. Moreover, endogenous cortisol response to psychological stress was related to increased activity in the inferior temporal gyrus and altered function in the amygdala during emotional tasks that followed psychological stress. Exogenous cortisol administration was related to increased activity in the postcentral gyrus, superior frontal gyrus and ACC, and altered function in the amygdala and hippocampus during conditioning, emotional and reward-processing tasks after cortisol administration. These findings were in line with those from animal studies on amygdala activity during and after stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Harrewijn
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Pablo Vidal-Ribas
- Social and Behavioral Sciences Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 6710 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Katharina Clore-Gronenborn
- Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, 9501 Euclid Ave. EC10, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA; Genetic Epidemiology Research Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Sarah M Jackson
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Simone Pisano
- Department of Neuroscience, AORN Santobono-Pausilipon, Via Mario Fiore 6, Naples, Italy; Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Federico II University, Via Pansini 5, Naples, Italy
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Argyris Stringaris
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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28
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Khalili-Mahani N, Assadi A, Li K, Mirgholami M, Rivard ME, Benali H, Sawchuk K, De Schutter B. Reflective and Reflexive Stress Responses of Older Adults to Three Gaming Experiences In Relation to Their Cognitive Abilities: Mixed Methods Crossover Study. JMIR Ment Health 2020; 7:e12388. [PMID: 32213474 PMCID: PMC7146255 DOI: 10.2196/12388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The gamification of digital health provisions for older adults (eg, for rehabilitation) is a growing trend; however, many older adults are not familiar with digital games. This lack of experience could cause stress and thus impede participants' motivations to adopt these technologies. OBJECTIVE This crossover longitudinal multifactorial study aimed to examine the interactions between game difficulty, appraisal, cognitive ability, and physiological and cognitive responses that indicate game stress using the Affective Game Planning for Health Applications framework. METHODS A total of 18 volunteers (mean age 71 years, SD 4.5; 12 women) completed a three-session study to evaluate different genres of games in increasing order of difficulty (S1-BrainGame, S2-CarRace, and S3-Exergame). Each session included an identical sequence of activities (t1-Baseline, t2-Picture encode, t3-Play, t4-Stroop test, t5-Play, and t6-Picture recall), a repeated sampling of salivary cortisol, and time-tagged ambulatory data from a wrist-worn device. Generalized estimating equations were used to investigate the effect of session×activity or session×activity×cognitive ability on physiology and cognitive performance. Scores derived from the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test were used to define cognitive ability (MoCA-high: MoCA>27, n=11/18). Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to test session or session×group effects on the scores of the postgame appraisal questionnaire. RESULTS Session×activity effects were significant on all ambulatory measures (χ210>20; P<.001) other than cortisol (P=.37). Compared with S1 and S2, S3 was associated with approximately 10 bpm higher heart rate (P<.001) and approximately 5 muS higher electrodermal activity (P<.001), which were both independent of the movement caused by the exergame. Compared with S1, we measured a moderate but statistically significant drop in the rate of hits in immediate recall and rate of delayed recall in S3. The low-MoCA group did not differ from the high-MoCA group in general characteristics (age, general self-efficacy, and perceived stress) but was more likely to agree with statements such as digital games are too hard to learn. In addition, the low-MoCA group was more likely to dislike the gaming experience and find it useless, uninteresting, and visually more intense (χ21>4; P<.04). Group differences in ambulatory signals did not reach statistical significance; however, the rate of cortisol decline with respect to the baseline was significantly larger in the low-MoCA group. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that the experience of playing digital games was not stressful for our participants. Comparatively, the neurophysiological effects of exergame were more pronounced in the low-MoCA group, suggesting greater potential of this genre of games for cognitive and physical stimulation by gamified interventions; however, the need for enjoyment of this type of challenging game must be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Najmeh Khalili-Mahani
- PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,McGill Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Atousa Assadi
- PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Kate Li
- PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | | | - Habib Benali
- PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Kim Sawchuk
- Department of Communications, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Bob De Schutter
- Armstrong Institute for Interactive Media Studies, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States
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Blanchette CA, Kurdi V, Fouquet C, Schachar R, Boivin M, Hastings P, Robaey P, West GL, Bohbot VD. Opposing effects of cortisol on learning and memory in children using spatial versus response-dependent navigation strategies. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 169:107172. [PMID: 31978550 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies showed that healthy young adults who spontaneously use caudate nucleus-dependent strategies on a virtual navigation task, have significantly lower basal levels of cortisol compared with adults who use hippocampus-dependent spatial navigation strategies. In the current paper, we assessed the relation between basal cortisol levels and learning using a virtual navigation task in children. We show that basal cortisol level has a differential effect on learning and memory between children using spatial and response navigation strategies. Specifically, cortisol was found to be beneficial for learning performance in children using spatial strategies, such that higher levels of cortisol were associated with more efficient learning in a virtual maze. In contrast, cortisol had a deleterious effect on learning the virtual maze in children using response strategies, such that higher cortisol levels were associated with increased spatial working memory errors. Based on these results, individual differences in navigation strategy could help explain contradictory results in the literature showing that cortisol can have either a positive or negative association with learning and memory performance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vanessa Kurdi
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Verdun, QC, Canada
| | - Celine Fouquet
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Verdun, QC, Canada
| | | | - Michel Boivin
- Dept. of Psychology, Laval University, Quebec, QC, Canada
| | - Paul Hastings
- Centre for Mind and Brain, University of California Davis, CA, United States
| | - Philippe Robaey
- Dept. of Psychiatry, Ste-Justine Res. Ctr., Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Greg L West
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Veronique D Bohbot
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Verdun, QC, Canada.
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Gasser J, Pereira de Vasconcelos A, Cosquer B, Boutillier AL, Cassel JC. Shifting between response and place strategies in maze navigation: Effects of training, cue availability and functional inactivation of striatum or hippocampus in rats. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 167:107131. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2019.107131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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da Cruz J, Rodrigues J, Thoresen JC, Chicherov V, Figueiredo P, Herzog MH, Sandi C. Dominant men are faster in decision-making situations and exhibit a distinct neural signal for promptness. Cereb Cortex 2019; 28:3740-3751. [PMID: 30124784 PMCID: PMC6132284 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Social dominance, the main organizing principle of social hierarchies, facilitates priority access to resources by dominant individuals. Throughout taxa, individuals are more likely to become dominant if they act first in social situations and acting fast may provide evolutionary advantage; yet whether fast decision-making is a behavioral predisposition of dominant persons outside of social contexts is not known. Following characterization of participants for social dominance motivation, we found that, indeed, men high in social dominance respond faster–without loss of accuracy–than those low in dominance across a variety of decision-making tasks. Both groups did not differ in a simple reaction task. Then, we selected a decision-making task and applied high-density electroencephalography (EEG) to assess temporal dynamics of brain activation through event related potentials. We found that promptness to respond in the choice task in dominant individuals is related to a strikingly amplified brain signal at approximately 240 ms post-stimulus presentation. Source imaging analyses identified higher activity in the left insula and in the cingulate, right inferior temporal and right angular gyri in high than in low dominance participants. Our findings suggest that promptness to respond in choice situations, regardless of social context, is a biomarker for social disposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janir da Cruz
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Institute for Systems and Robotics - Lisboa, Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - João Rodrigues
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - John C Thoresen
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Vitaly Chicherov
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Patrícia Figueiredo
- Institute for Systems and Robotics - Lisboa, Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Michael H Herzog
- Laboratory of Psychophysics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Carmen Sandi
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
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Langer K, Moser D, Otto T, Wolf OT, Kumsta R. Cortisol modulates the engagement of multiple memory systems: Exploration of a common NR3C2 polymorphism. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 107:133-140. [PMID: 31128569 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to acute stress has been shown to result in a shift from declarative toward non-declarative learning, presumably mediated by brain mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs). In this study, we aimed to replicate and extend these findings by investigating the role of stress-associated cortisol secretion on learning behavior. Furthermore, we explored the influence of a well-characterized common single nucleotide polymorphism of the MR gene (rs2070951; minor allele frequency: 49.3%) previously shown to influence MR expression and HPA axis activity. Healthy males (n = 74) were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test or a control condition prior to performing a probabilistic classification task (Weather Prediction Task). The use of a non-declarative learning strategy continuously increased over the course of the learning task after stress exposure, but leveled in the control condition. The shift toward a non-declarative strategy in the stress group was associated with better learning performance. Higher pre-stress cortisol levels favored the adoption of a non-declarative learning strategy. rs2070951 C/C-carriers in contrast to G-allele carriers exhibited a larger secretion of cortisol under stress. Furthermore, control participants homozygous for the C-allele adopted a non-declarative learning strategy less often than stressed participants, whereas the choice of strategy was independent of stress in G-allele carriers. The failure to switch strategies resulted in poorer performance, suggesting a beneficial effect of stress in dependence of MR variation. Consistent with previous findings, the results provide further support for cortisol as a driving force in coordinating the competition between multiple memory systems under stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Langer
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany
| | - Dirk Moser
- Department of Genetic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany
| | - Tobias Otto
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany
| | - Oliver T Wolf
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany
| | - Robert Kumsta
- Department of Genetic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany.
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Addiction as Learned Behavior Patterns. J Clin Med 2019; 8:jcm8081086. [PMID: 31344831 PMCID: PMC6723628 DOI: 10.3390/jcm8081086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) have to cope with drug-related cues and contexts which can affect instrumental drug seeking, as shown with Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) tasks among humans and animals. Our review addresses two potential mechanisms that may contribute to habitual or even compulsive drug seeking and taking. One mechanism is represented by Pavlovian and PIT effects on drug intake. The other is a shift from goal-directed to habitual drug intake, which can be accessed via model-based versus model-free decision-making in respective learning tasks. We discuss the impact of these learning mechanisms on drug consumption. First, we describe how Pavlovian and instrumental learning mechanisms interact in drug addiction. Secondly, we address the effects of acute and chronic stress exposure on behavioral and neural PIT effects in alcohol use disorder (AUD). Thirdly, we discuss how these learning mechanisms and their respective neurobiological correlates can contribute to losing versus regaining control over drug intake. Utilizing mobile technology (mobile applications on smartphones including games that measure learning mechanisms, activity bracelets), computational models, and real-world data may help to better identify patients with a high relapse risk and to offer targeted behavioral and pharmacotherapeutic interventions for vulnerable patients.
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Zoladz PR, Duffy TJ, Mosley BE, Fiely MK, Nagle HE, Scharf AR, Brown CM, Earley MB, Rorabaugh BR, Dailey AM. Interactive influence of sex, stressor timing, and the BclI glucocorticoid receptor polymorphism on stress-induced alterations of long-term memory. Brain Cogn 2019; 133:72-83. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2018.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Revised: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Wingenfeld K, Otte C. Mineralocorticoid receptor function and cognition in health and disease. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 105:25-35. [PMID: 30243757 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Revised: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The steroid hormone cortisol is released in response to stress and exerts its effects in the brain via two different receptors: the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). This review - dedicated to Dirk Hellhammer - focusses on the role of MR on cognitive and emotional function in healthy individuals and in stress-associated disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD) or borderline personality disorder (BPD). Animal data and studies from healthy individuals converge such that MR play an important role in the appraisal of new situations and the following response selection. Decision-making and empathy are important determinants of this response selection and both are affected by MR function. Furthermore, MR are crucially involved in visuospatial navigation and memory in young and elderly healthy individuals whereas the exact physiological role of MR in verbal learning and verbal memory needs to be further characterized. In contrast to studies in healthy participants, age played a moderating role on the effects of MR stimulation on cognition in depressed patients. In young depressed patients, MR stimulation exerted beneficial effects on verbal memory and executive function, whereas in elderly depressed patients MR stimulation led to impaired verbal learning and visuospatial memory. Similar to healthy controls, BPD patients showed enhanced emotional empathy but not cognitive empathy after MR stimulation. Accordingly, this make MR an interesting target for potential pharmacological augmentation of psychotherapy in BPD. Given the important role MR play in cognitive and emotional function in health and disease, further studies should examine whether MR modulation can alleviate cognitive and emotional problems in patients with stress-associated disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Wingenfeld
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Christian Otte
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
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Khalili-Mahani N, De Schutter B. Affective Game Planning for Health Applications: Quantitative Extension of Gerontoludic Design Based on the Appraisal Theory of Stress and Coping. JMIR Serious Games 2019; 7:e13303. [PMID: 31172966 PMCID: PMC6592517 DOI: 10.2196/13303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Revised: 04/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
User retention is the first challenge in introducing any information and communication technologies (ICT) for health applications, particularly for seniors who are increasingly targeted as beneficiaries of such technologies. Interaction with digital technologies may be too stressful to older adults to guarantee their adoption in their routine selfcare. The second challenge, which also relates to adoption, is to supply empirical evidence that support the expectations of their beneficial outcomes. To address the first challenge, persuasive technologies such as serious games (SGs) are increasingly promoted as ludic approaches to deliver assistive care to older adults. However, there are no standards yet to assess the efficacy of different genres of games across populations, or compare and contrast variations in health outcomes arising from user interface design and user experience. For the past 3 decades, research has focused either on qualitative assessment of the appeal of digital games for seniors (by game designers) or on the quantitative evaluation of their clinical efficacy (by clinical researchers). The consensus is that interindividual differences play a key role in whether games can be useful or not for different individuals. Our challenge is to design SGs that retain their users long enough to sustain beneficial transfer effects. We propose to add a neuropsychological experimental framework (based on the appraisal theory of stress and coping) to a Gerontoludic design framework (that emphasizes designing positive and meaningful gaming experience over benefit-centric ones) in order to capture data to guide SG game development. Affective Game Planning for Health Applications (AGPHA) adds a model-driven mixed-methods experimental stage to a user-centered mechanics-dynamics-aesthetics game-design cycle. This intersectoral framework is inspired by latest trends in the fields of neuroimaging and neuroinformatics that grapple with similar challenges related to the psychobiological context of an individual's behaviors. AGPHA aims to bring users, designers, clinicians, and researchers together to generate a common data repository that consists of 4 components to define, design, evaluate, and document SGs. By unifying efforts under a standard approach, we will accelerate innovations in persuasive and efficacious ICTs for the aging population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Najmeh Khalili-Mahani
- PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,McGill Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Design and Computation Arts, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Bob De Schutter
- Armstrong Institute for Interactive Media Studies, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States
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Goldfarb EV, Seo D, Sinha R. Sex differences in neural stress responses and correlation with subjective stress and stress regulation. Neurobiol Stress 2019; 11:100177. [PMID: 31304198 PMCID: PMC6603439 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2019.100177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Emotional stress responses, encompassing both stress reactivity and regulation, have been shown to differ between men and women, but the neural networks supporting these processes remain unclear. The current study used functional neuroimaging (fMRI) to investigate sex differences in neural responses during stress and the sex-specific relationships between these responses and emotional stress responses for men and women. A significant sex by condition interaction revealed that men showed greater stress responses in prefrontal cortex (PFC) regions, whereas women had stronger responses in limbic/striatal regions. Although men and women did not significantly differ in emotional stress reactivity or subjective reports of stress regulation, these responses were associated with distinct neural networks. Higher dorsomedial PFC responses were associated with lower stress reactivity in men, but higher stress reactivity in women. In contrast, while higher ventromedial PFC stress responses were associated with worse stress regulation in men (but better regulation in women), dynamic increases in vmPFC responses during stress were associated with lower stress reactivity in men. Finally, stress-induced hippocampal responses were more adaptive for women: for men, high and dynamically increasing responses in left hippocampus were associated with high stress reactivity, and dynamic increases in the left (but not right) hippocampus were associated with worse stress regulation. Together, these results reveal that men and women engage distinct neural networks during stress, and sex-specific neural stress responses facilitate optimal emotional stress responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth V. Goldfarb
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Stress Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Dongju Seo
- Yale Stress Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Rajita Sinha
- Yale Stress Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Corresponding author. 2 Church Street South, Suite 209, New Haven, CT 06519, USA.
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Gabrys RL, Howell JW, Cebulski SF, Anisman H, Matheson K. Acute stressor effects on cognitive flexibility: mediating role of stressor appraisals and cortisol. Stress 2019; 22:182-189. [PMID: 30727804 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2018.1494152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute stressor experiences may influence cognition, possibly through actions of cognitive flexibility, which comprises the ability to modify cognitive and behavioral strategies in response to changing environmental demands. In the present investigation, we examined the effects of an acute psychosocial stressor (the Trier Social Stress Test) on a specific form of cognitive flexibility, namely that of set-shifting, which was assessed by the Berg's Card Sorting Task (BCST). Among undergraduate students, the stressor promoted better performance on the BSCT relative to that evident among nonstressed individuals, including a reduction of perseverative (an index of enhanced set-shifting) and non-perseverative errors. They also required fewer trials to learn the first sorting category, reflecting augmented acquisition of an attentional set, but did not differ in the ability to maintain a set. Moreover, increased cortisol levels specifically mediated the enhancing effects of the acute stressor on set-shifting, but not the ability to acquire and maintain an attentional set. However, this enhancing effect was minimized among individuals who appraised the stressor as being uncontrollable. These data indicate that an acute, social-evaluative stressor can facilitate certain forms of cognitive flexibility, such as set-shifting. The present investigation also highlights the value of focusing on psychological and physiological mediators in determining the impact of stressful experiences on cognitive functioning. Lay summary A brief social stressor (public speaking) can have an enhancing effect on mental flexibility, and this seems to be related to the stress hormone, cortisol. This cognitive enhancing effect, however, might be minimized if a stressful situation is perceived as beyond a person's control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert L Gabrys
- a Department of Neuroscience , Carleton University , Ottawa , Ontario , Canada
| | - Jesse W Howell
- a Department of Neuroscience , Carleton University , Ottawa , Ontario , Canada
| | - Sarah F Cebulski
- b Institute of Cognitive Science , Carleton University , Ottawa , Ontario , Canada
| | - Hymie Anisman
- a Department of Neuroscience , Carleton University , Ottawa , Ontario , Canada
- c The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kimberly Matheson
- a Department of Neuroscience , Carleton University , Ottawa , Ontario , Canada
- c The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Glucocorticoid response to stress induction prior to learning is negatively related to subsequent motor memory consolidation. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2019; 158:32-41. [PMID: 30639727 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2019.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Hippocampal activity during early motor sequence learning is critical to trigger subsequent sleep-related consolidation processes. Based on previous evidence that stress-induced cortisol release modulates hippocampal activity, the current study investigates whether exposure to stress prior to motor sequence learning influences the ensuing learning and overnight consolidation process. Seventy-four healthy young adults were exposed to a stressor (i.e., the socially evaluated cold pressor test, SECPT) or a control procedure before initial training on a bimanual motor sequence learning task. Participants were retested on the motor task 24 h (including a night of sleep) after training to assess memory consolidation. Our results indicate that the SECPT, as compared to the control condition, induced significant physiological stress responses as evidenced by increased heart rate and blood pressure as well as elevated salivary cortisol concentrations. Cortisol concentration in the stress group reached peak levels immediately before and stayed significantly elevated for the full duration of initial motor learning before returning to baseline during the consolidation period. Stress induction prior to learning did not, on average, influence initial performance nor subsequent motor memory consolidation as indicated by similar overnight gains in performance in both groups. However, higher levels of stress-induced cortisol prior to training were correlated to smaller overnight gains in performance speed. These results indicate that the glucocorticoid response to a stressful encounter experienced prior to hippocampal-mediated motor learning is negatively related to subsequent memory consolidation processes.
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40
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Brain Mineralocorticoid Receptors and Resilience to Stress. VITAMINS AND HORMONES 2019; 109:341-359. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.vh.2018.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/26/2023]
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41
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Goldfarb EV, Sinha R. Drug-Induced Glucocorticoids and Memory for Substance Use. Trends Neurosci 2018; 41:853-868. [PMID: 30170822 PMCID: PMC6204074 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2018.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The biological stress response of the body forms one of the foundations of adaptive behavior, including promoting (and impairing) different forms of memory. This response transcends stressful experiences and underlies reactions to challenges and even reinforcers such as addictive substances. Nevertheless, drug-induced stress responses are rarely incorporated into models of addiction. We propose here that drug-induced stress responses (particularly glucocorticoids) play a crucial role in addictive behavior by modulating the formation of memories for substance-use experiences. We review the contributions of amygdala-, striatum-, and hippocampus-based memory systems to addiction, and reveal common effects of addictive drugs and acute stress on these different memories. We suggest that the contributions of drug-induced stress responses to memory may provide insights into the mechanisms driving addictive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth V Goldfarb
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology; Yale Stress Center; Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Rajita Sinha
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience; Yale Stress Center; Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
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Paul M, Fellner MC, Waldhauser GT, Minda JP, Axmacher N, Suchan B, Wolf OT. Stress Elevates Frontal Midline Theta in Feedback-based Category Learning of Exceptions. J Cogn Neurosci 2018; 30:799-813. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Adapting behavior based on category knowledge is a fundamental cognitive function, which can be achieved via different learning strategies relying on different systems in the brain. Whereas the learning of typical category members has been linked to implicit, prototype abstraction learning, which relies predominantly on prefrontal areas, the learning of exceptions is associated with explicit, exemplar-based learning, which has been linked to the hippocampus. Stress is known to foster implicit learning strategies at the expense of explicit learning. Procedural, prefrontal learning and cognitive control processes are reflected in frontal midline theta (4–8 Hz) oscillations during feedback processing. In the current study, we examined the effect of acute stress on feedback-based category learning of typical category members and exceptions and the oscillatory correlates of feedback processing in the EEG. A computational modeling procedure was applied to estimate the use of abstraction and exemplar strategies during category learning. We tested healthy, male participants who underwent either the socially evaluated cold pressor test or a nonstressful control procedure before they learned to categorize typical members and exceptions based on feedback. The groups did not differ significantly in their categorization accuracy or use of categorization strategies. In the EEG, however, stressed participants revealed elevated theta power specifically during the learning of exceptions, whereas the theta power during the learning of typical members did not differ between the groups. Elevated frontal theta power may reflect an increased involvement of medial prefrontal areas in the learning of exceptions under stress.
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Joëls M, Karst H, Sarabdjitsingh RA. The stressed brain of humans and rodents. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2018; 223:e13066. [PMID: 29575542 PMCID: PMC5969253 DOI: 10.1111/apha.13066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2018] [Revised: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
After stress, the brain is exposed to waves of stress mediators, including corticosterone (in rodents) and cortisol (in humans). Corticosteroid hormones affect neuronal physiology in two time‐domains: rapid, non‐genomic actions primarily via mineralocorticoid receptors; and delayed genomic effects via glucocorticoid receptors. In parallel, cognitive processing is affected by stress hormones. Directly after stress, emotional behaviour involving the amygdala is strongly facilitated with cognitively a strong emphasis on the “now” and “self,” at the cost of higher cognitive processing. This enables the organism to quickly and adequately respond to the situation at hand. Several hours later, emotional circuits are dampened while functions related to the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus are promoted. This allows the individual to rationalize the stressful event and place it in the right context, which is beneficial in the long run. The brain's response to stress depends on an individual's genetic background in interaction with life events. Studies in rodents point to the possibility to prevent or reverse long‐term consequences of early life adversity on cognitive processing, by normalizing the balance between the two receptor types for corticosteroid hormones at a critical moment just before the onset of puberty.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Joëls
- Department of Translational NeuroscienceBrain Center Rudolf MagnusUniversity Medical Center UtrechtUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
- University Medical Center GroningenUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - H. Karst
- Department of Translational NeuroscienceBrain Center Rudolf MagnusUniversity Medical Center UtrechtUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - R. A. Sarabdjitsingh
- Department of Translational NeuroscienceBrain Center Rudolf MagnusUniversity Medical Center UtrechtUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
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Smeets T, van Ruitenbeek P, Hartogsveld B, Quaedflieg CWEM. Stress-induced reliance on habitual behavior is moderated by cortisol reactivity. Brain Cogn 2018; 133:60-71. [PMID: 29807661 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2018.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Instrumental learning, i.e., learning that specific behaviors lead to desired outcomes, occurs through goal-directed and habit memory systems. Exposure to acute stress has been shown to result in less goal-directed control, thus rendering behavior more habitual. The aim of the current studies was to replicate and extend findings on stress-induced prompting of habitual responding and specifically focused on the role of stress-induced cortisol reactivity. Study 1 used an established outcome devaluation paradigm to assess goal-directed and habitual control. Study 2 utilized a modified version of this paradigm that was intended to establish stronger habitual responding through more extensive reward training and applying a relevant behavioral devaluation procedure (i.e., eating to satiety). Both studies failed to replicate that stress overall, i.e., independent of cortisol reactivity, shifted behavior from goal-directed to habitual control. However, both studies found that relative to stress-exposed cortisol non-responders and no-stress controls, participants displaying stress-induced cortisol reactivity displayed prominent habitual responding. These findings highlight the importance of stress-induced cortisol reactivity in facilitating habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Smeets
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
| | - P van Ruitenbeek
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
| | - B Hartogsveld
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
| | - Conny W E M Quaedflieg
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
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Wirz L, Bogdanov M, Schwabe L. Habits under stress: mechanistic insights across different types of learning. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2017.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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de Kloet ER, Meijer OC, de Nicola AF, de Rijk RH, Joëls M. Importance of the brain corticosteroid receptor balance in metaplasticity, cognitive performance and neuro-inflammation. Front Neuroendocrinol 2018; 49:124-145. [PMID: 29428549 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2018.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Revised: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Bruce McEwen's discovery of receptors for corticosterone in the rat hippocampus introduced higher brain circuits in the neuroendocrinology of stress. Subsequently, these receptors were identified as mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) that are involved in appraisal processes, choice of coping style, encoding and retrieval. The MR-mediated actions on cognition are complemented by slower actions via glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) on contextualization, rationalization and memory storage of the experience. These sequential phases in cognitive performance depend on synaptic metaplasticity that is regulated by coordinate MR- and GR activation. The receptor activation includes recruitment of coregulators and transcription factors as determinants of context-dependent specificity in steroid action; they can be modulated by genetic variation and (early) experience. Interestingly, inflammatory responses to damage seem to be governed by a similarly balanced MR:GR-mediated action as the initiating, terminating and priming mechanisms involved in stress-adaptation. We conclude with five questions challenging the MR:GR balance hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- E R de Kloet
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - O C Meijer
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - A F de Nicola
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrine Biochemistry, Instituto de Biologia y Medicina Experimental, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - R H de Rijk
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands & Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands.
| | - M Joëls
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands.
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Vogel S, Schwabe L. Tell me what to do: Stress facilitates stimulus-response learning by instruction. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2018; 151:43-52. [PMID: 29614376 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Revised: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Learning by explicit instruction is a highly efficient way to instantaneously learn new behaviors and to overcome potentially harmful learning by trial-and-error. Despite the importance of instructed learning for education, influences on the efficacy of an instruction are currently unknown. Decades of research, however, showed that stress is a powerful modulator of learning and memory, including the acquisition of stimulus-response (S-R) associations. Moreover, brain areas critical for instructed learning are a major target of hormones and neurotransmitters released during stress. Thus, we investigated here whether acute stress affects instructed S-R learning and whether this effect differs for trial-and-error learning. To this end, healthy participants underwent a stressor (Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test) or a control manipulation before learning arbitrary S-R associations. For half of the stimuli, participants were explicitly instructed about the correct association, whereas the remaining associations had to be learned by trial-and-error. As expected, the instruction resulted in better performance and enhanced explicit rule knowledge compared to trial-and-error learning. Stress further boosted the beneficial effect of an explicit instruction on learning performance, while leaving trial-and-error learning unchanged. These beneficial effects of stress were directly correlated with the activity of the autonomic nervous system and the concentration of cortisol. Moreover, acute stress could override the detrimental effect of high trait anxiety levels on instructed S-R learning performance. Our findings indicate that acute stress may facilitate learning from instruction, which may represent a highly efficient way to learn how to act, without the necessity of own experience, that helps to save cognitive resources during a stressful encounter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Vogel
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
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Kaag AM, Reneman L, Homberg J, van den Brink W, van Wingen GA. Enhanced Amygdala-Striatal Functional Connectivity during the Processing of Cocaine Cues in Male Cocaine Users with a History of Childhood Trauma. Front Psychiatry 2018; 9:70. [PMID: 29593581 PMCID: PMC5857536 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Childhood trauma is associated with increased levels of anxiety later in life, an increased risk for the development of substance use disorders, and neurodevelopmental abnormalities in the amygdala and frontostriatal circuitry. The aim of this study was to investigate the (neurobiological) link among childhood trauma, state anxiety, and amygdala-frontostriatal activity in response to cocaine cues in regular cocaine users. METHODS In this study, we included 59 non-treatment seeking regular cocaine users and 58 non-drug using controls. Blood oxygenation level-dependent responses were measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging while subjects performed a cue reactivity paradigm with cocaine and neutral cues. Psychophysiological interaction analyses were applied to assess functional connectivity between the amygdala and other regions in the brain. Self-report questionnaires were used to measure childhood trauma, state anxiety, drug use, drug use severity, and craving. RESULTS Neural activation was increased during the presentation of cocaine cues, in a widespread network including the frontostriatal circuit and amygdala in cocaine users but not in controls. Functional coupling between the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex was reduced in response to cocaine cues, in both cocaine users and controls, which was further diminished with increasing state anxiety. Importantly, amygdala-striatal connectivity was positively associated with childhood trauma in regular cocaine users, while there was a negative association in controls. At the behavioral level, state anxiety was positively associated with cocaine use severity and craving related to negative reinforcement. CONCLUSION Childhood trauma is associated with enhanced amygdala-striatal connectivity during cocaine cue reactivity in regular cocaine users, which may contribute to increased habit behavior and poorer cognitive control. While we cannot draw conclusions on causality, this study provides novel information on how childhood trauma may contribute to the development and persistence of cocaine use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Marije Kaag
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Departement of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Liesbeth Reneman
- Departement of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Judith Homberg
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Wim van den Brink
- Departement of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Guido A. van Wingen
- Departement of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Kohn N, Fernández G. Emotion and sex of facial stimuli modulate conditional automaticity in behavioral and neuronal interference in healthy men. Neuropsychologia 2017; 145:106592. [PMID: 29221834 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Revised: 11/10/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Our surrounding provides a host of sensory input, which we cannot fully process without streamlining and automatic processing. Levels of automaticity differ for different cognitive and affective processes. Situational and contextual interactions between cognitive and affective processes in turn influence the level of automaticity. Automaticity can be measured by interference in Stroop tasks. We applied an emotional version of the Stroop task to investigate how stress as a contextual factor influences the affective valence-dependent level of automaticity. 120 young, healthy men were investigated for behavioral and brain interference following a stress induction or control procedure in a counter-balanced cross-over-design. Although Stroop interference was always observed, sex and emotion of the face strongly modulated interference, which was larger for fearful and male faces. These effects suggest higher automaticity when processing happy and also female faces. Supporting behavioral patterns, brain data show lower interference related brain activity in executive control related regions in response to happy and female faces. In the absence of behavioral stress effects, congruent compared to incongruent trials (reverse interference) showed little to no deactivation under stress in response to happy female and fearful male trials. These congruency effects are potentially based on altered context- stress-related facial processing that interact with sex-emotion stereotypes. Results indicate that sex and facial emotion modulate Stroop interference in brain and behavior. These effects can be explained by altered response difficulty as a consequence of the contextual and stereotype related modulation of automaticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Kohn
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Guillén Fernández
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Maran T, Sachse P, Martini M, Weber B, Pinggera J, Zuggal S, Furtner M. Lost in Time and Space: States of High Arousal Disrupt Implicit Acquisition of Spatial and Sequential Context Information. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:206. [PMID: 29170634 PMCID: PMC5684831 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Biased cognition during high arousal states is a relevant phenomenon in a variety of topics: from the development of post-traumatic stress disorders or stress-triggered addictive behaviors to forensic considerations regarding crimes of passion. Recent evidence indicates that arousal modulates the engagement of a hippocampus-based "cognitive" system in favor of a striatum-based "habit" system in learning and memory, promoting a switch from flexible, contextualized to more rigid, reflexive responses. Existing findings appear inconsistent, therefore it is unclear whether and which type of context processing is disrupted by enhanced arousal. In this behavioral study, we investigated such arousal-triggered cognitive-state shifts in human subjects. We validated an arousal induction procedure (three experimental conditions: violent scene, erotic scene, neutral control scene) using pupillometry (Preliminary Experiment, n = 13) and randomly administered this method to healthy young adults to examine whether high arousal states affect performance in two core domains of contextual processing, the acquisition of spatial (spatial discrimination paradigm; Experiment 1, n = 66) and sequence information (learned irrelevance paradigm; Experiment 2, n = 84). In both paradigms, spatial location and sequences were encoded incidentally and both displacements when retrieving spatial position as well as the predictability of the target by a cue in sequence learning changed stepwise. Results showed that both implicit spatial and sequence learning were disrupted during high arousal states, regardless of valence. Compared to the control group, participants in the arousal conditions showed impaired discrimination of spatial positions and abolished learning of associative sequences. Furthermore, Bayesian analyses revealed evidence against the null models. In line with recent models of stress effects on cognition, both experiments provide evidence for decreased engagement of flexible, cognitive systems supporting encoding of context information in active cognition during acute arousal, promoting reduced sensitivity for contextual details. We argue that arousal fosters cognitive adaptation towards less demanding, more present-oriented information processing, which prioritizes a current behavioral response set at the cost of contextual cues. This transient state of behavioral perseverance might reduce reliance on context information in unpredictable environments and thus represent an adaptive response in certain situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Maran
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.,Department of Educational Sciences and Research, Alps-Adria University of Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria
| | - Pierre Sachse
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Markus Martini
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Barbara Weber
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Jakob Pinggera
- Department of Computer Science, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Stefan Zuggal
- Department of Computer Science, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Marco Furtner
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.,Department of Entrepreneurship, University of Liechtenstein, Vaduz, Liechtenstein
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