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Wells AC, Mojica C, Lotfipour S. Hypersensitivity of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit (CHRNA2 L9'S/L9'S) in female adolescent mice produces deficits in nicotine-induced facilitation of hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2024; 213:107959. [PMID: 38964600 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2024.107959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Adolescence is characterized by a critical period of maturation and growth, during which regions of the brain are vulnerable to long-lasting cognitive disturbances. Adolescent exposure to nicotine can lead to deleterious neurological and psychological outcomes. Moreover, the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) has been shown to play a functionally distinct role in the development of the adolescent brain. CHRNA2 encodes for the α2 subunit of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors associated with CA1 oriens lacunosum moleculare GABAergic interneurons and is associated with learning and memory. Previously, we found that adolescent male hypersensitive CHRNA2L9'S/L9' mice had impairments in learning and memory during a pre-exposure-dependent contextual fear conditioning task that could be rescued by low-dose nicotine exposure. In this study, we assessed learning and memory in female adolescent hypersensitive CHRNA2L9'S/L9' mice exposed to saline or a subthreshold dose of nicotine using a hippocampus-dependent task of pre-exposure-dependent contextual fear conditioning. We found that nicotine-treated wild-type female mice had significantly greater improvements in learning and memory than both saline-treated wild-type mice and nicotine-treated CHRNA2L9'S/L9' female mice. Thus, hyperexcitability of CHRNA2 in female adolescent mice ablated the nicotine-mediated potentiation of learning and memory seen in wild-types. Our results indicate that nicotine exposure during adolescence mediates sexually dimorphic patterns of learning and memory, with wild-type female adolescents being more susceptible to the effects of sub-threshold nicotine exposure. To understand the mechanism underlying sexually dimorphic behavior between hyperexcitable CHRNA2 mice, it is critical that further research be conducted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia C Wells
- School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
| | - Celina Mojica
- Graduate Division, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Shahrdad Lotfipour
- School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Emergency Medicine, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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2
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Ugursu B, Sah A, Sartori S, Popp O, Mertins P, Dunay IR, Kettenmann H, Singewald N, Wolf SA. Microglial sex differences in innate high anxiety and modulatory effects of minocycline. Brain Behav Immun 2024; 119:465-481. [PMID: 38552926 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.03.035] [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: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Microglia modulate synaptic refinement in the central nervous system (CNS). We have previously shown that a mouse model with innate high anxiety-related behavior (HAB) displays higher CD68+ microglia density in the key regions of anxiety circuits compared to mice with normal anxiety-related behavior (NAB) in males, and that minocycline treatment attenuated the enhanced anxiety of HAB male. Given that a higher prevalence of anxiety is widely reported in females compared to males, little is known concerning sex differences at the cellular level. Herein, we address this by analyzing microglia heterogeneity and function in the HAB and NAB brains of both sexes. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed ten distinct microglia clusters varied by their frequency and gene expression profile. We report striking sex differences, especially in the major microglia clusters of HABs, indicating a higher expression of genes associated with phagocytosis and synaptic engulfment in the female compared to the male. On a functional level, we show that female HAB microglia engulfed a greater amount of hippocampal vGLUT1+ excitatory synapses compared to the male. We moreover show that female HAB microglia engulfed more synaptosomes compared to the male HAB in vitro. Due to previously reported effects of minocycline on microglia, we finally administered oral minocycline to HABs of both sexes and showed a significant reduction in the engulfment of synapses by female HAB microglia. In parallel to our microglia-specific findings, we further showed an anxiolytic effect of minocycline on female HABs, which is complementary to our previous findings in the male HABs. Our study, therefore, identifies the altered function of synaptic engulfment by microglia as a potential avenue to target and resolve microglia heterogeneity in mice with innate high anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bilge Ugursu
- Psychoneuroimmunology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany; Experimental Ophthalmology, ChariteUniversitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
| | - Anupam Sah
- Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Simone Sartori
- Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Oliver Popp
- Proteomics Platform, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Philip Mertins
- Proteomics Platform, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ildiko R Dunay
- Institute of Inflammation and Neurodegeneration, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Helmut Kettenmann
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Immunomodulation for Neurological Diseases, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China; Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nicolas Singewald
- Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Pharmacy and CMBI, University of Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Susanne A Wolf
- Psychoneuroimmunology, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany; Experimental Ophthalmology, ChariteUniversitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
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Kissel LT, Pochareddy S, An JY, Sestan N, Sanders SJ, Wang X, Werling DM. Sex-Differential Gene Expression in Developing Human Cortex and Its Intersection With Autism Risk Pathways. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 4:100321. [PMID: 38957312 PMCID: PMC11217612 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2024.100321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Sex-differential biology may contribute to the consistently male-biased prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Gene expression differences between males and females in the brain can indicate possible molecular and cellular mechanisms involved, although transcriptomic sex differences during human prenatal cortical development have been incompletely characterized, primarily due to small sample sizes. Methods We performed a meta-analysis of sex-differential expression and co-expression network analysis in 2 independent bulk RNA sequencing datasets generated from cortex of 273 prenatal donors without known neuropsychiatric disorders. To assess the intersection between neurotypical sex differences and neuropsychiatric disorder biology, we tested for enrichment of ASD-associated risk genes and expression changes, neuropsychiatric disorder risk genes, and cell type markers within identified sex-differentially expressed genes (sex-DEGs) and sex-differential co-expression modules. Results We identified 101 significant sex-DEGs, including Y-chromosome genes, genes impacted by X-chromosome inactivation, and autosomal genes. Known ASD risk genes, implicated by either common or rare variants, did not preferentially overlap with sex-DEGs. We identified 1 male-specific co-expression module enriched for immune signaling that is unique to 1 input dataset. Conclusions Sex-differential gene expression is limited in prenatal human cortex tissue, although meta-analysis of large datasets allows for the identification of sex-DEGs, including autosomal genes that encode proteins involved in neural development. Lack of sex-DEG overlap with ASD risk genes in the prenatal cortex suggests that sex-differential modulation of ASD symptoms may occur in other brain regions, at other developmental stages, or in specific cell types, or may involve mechanisms that act downstream from mutation-carrying genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee T. Kissel
- Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Sirisha Pochareddy
- Department of Neuroscience and Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Joon-Yong An
- Department of Integrated Biomedical and Life Science, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Transdisciplinary Major in Learning Health Systems, Department of Healthcare Sciences, Graduate School, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- BK21FOUR R&E Center for Learning Health Systems, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Nenad Sestan
- Department of Neuroscience and Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Stephan J. Sanders
- Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Xuran Wang
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, New York, New York
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Donna M. Werling
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
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Leow KQ, Tonta MA, Lu J, Coleman HA, Parkington HC. Towards understanding sex differences in autism spectrum disorders. Brain Res 2024; 1833:148877. [PMID: 38513995 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social deficits, repetitive behaviours and lack of empathy. Its significant genetic heritability and potential comorbidities often lead to diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. This review addresses the biological basis of ASD, focusing on the sex differences in gene expression and hormonal influences. ASD is more commonly diagnosed in males at a ratio of 4:1, indicating a potential oversight in female-specific ASD research and a risk of underdiagnosis in females. We consider how ASD manifests differently across sexes by exploring differential gene expression in female and male brains and consider how variations in steroid hormones influence ASD characteristics. Synaptic function, including excitation/inhibition ratio imbalance, is influenced by gene mutations and this is explored as a key factor in the cognitive and behavioural manifestations of ASD. We also discuss the role of micro RNAs (miRNAs) and highlight a novel mutation in miRNA-873, which affects a suite of key synaptic genes, neurexin, neuroligin, SHANK and post-synaptic density proteins, implicated in the pathology of ASD. Our review suggests that genetic predisposition, sex differences in brain gene expression, and hormonal factors significantly contribute to the presentation, identification and severity of ASD, necessitating sex-specific considerations in diagnosis and treatments. These findings advocate for personalized interventions to improve the outcomes for individuals with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Q Leow
- Department of Physiology, Biomedical Discovery Institute, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mary A Tonta
- Department of Physiology, Biomedical Discovery Institute, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jing Lu
- Tianjin Institute of Infectious Disease, Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, China
| | - Harold A Coleman
- Department of Physiology, Biomedical Discovery Institute, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Helena C Parkington
- Department of Physiology, Biomedical Discovery Institute, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
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Fass SB, Mulvey B, Chase R, Yang W, Selmanovic D, Chaturvedi SM, Tycksen E, Weiss LA, Dougherty JD. Relationship between sex biases in gene expression and sex biases in autism and Alzheimer's disease. Biol Sex Differ 2024; 15:47. [PMID: 38844994 PMCID: PMC11157820 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-024-00622-2] [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: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sex differences in the brain may play an important role in sex-differential prevalence of neuropsychiatric conditions. METHODS In order to understand the transcriptional basis of sex differences, we analyzed multiple, large-scale, human postmortem brain RNA-Seq datasets using both within-region and pan-regional frameworks. RESULTS We find evidence of sex-biased transcription in many autosomal genes, some of which provide evidence for pathways and cell population differences between chromosomally male and female individuals. These analyses also highlight regional differences in the extent of sex-differential gene expression. We observe an increase in specific neuronal transcripts in male brains and an increase in immune and glial function-related transcripts in female brains. Integration with single-nucleus data suggests this corresponds to sex differences in cellular states rather than cell abundance. Integration with case-control gene expression studies suggests a female molecular predisposition towards Alzheimer's disease, a female-biased disease. Autism, a male-biased diagnosis, does not exhibit a male predisposition pattern in our analysis. CONCLUSION Overall, these analyses highlight mechanisms by which sex differences may interact with sex-biased conditions in the brain. Furthermore, we provide region-specific analyses of sex differences in brain gene expression to enable additional studies at the interface of gene expression and diagnostic differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart B Fass
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Bernard Mulvey
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, 855 North Wolfe St. Ste 300, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Rebecca Chase
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Wei Yang
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Din Selmanovic
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Sneha M Chaturvedi
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Eric Tycksen
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Lauren A Weiss
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Ave, HSE901, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Ave, HSE901, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Ave, HSE901, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Joseph D Dougherty
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- Department of Genetics, 4566 Scott Ave., Campus Box 8232, St. Louis, MO, 63110-1093, USA.
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Vilca SJ, Margetts AV, Höglund L, Fleites I, Bystrom LL, Pollock TA, Bourgain-Guglielmetti F, Wahlestedt C, Tuesta LM. Microglia contribute to methamphetamine reinforcement and reflect persistent transcriptional and morphological adaptations to the drug. Brain Behav Immun 2024; 120:339-351. [PMID: 38838836 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.05.038] [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] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) is a chronic, relapsing disease that is characterized by repeated drug use despite negative consequences and for which there are currently no FDA-approved cessation therapeutics. Repeated methamphetamine (METH) use induces long-term gene expression changes in brain regions associated with reward processing and drug-seeking behavior, and recent evidence suggests that methamphetamine-induced neuroinflammation may also shape behavioral and molecular responses to the drug. Microglia, the resident immune cells in the brain, are principal drivers of neuroinflammatory responses and contribute to the pathophysiology of substance use disorders. Here, we investigated transcriptional and morphological changes in dorsal striatal microglia in response to methamphetamine-taking and during methamphetamine abstinence, as well as their functional contribution to drug-taking behavior. We show that methamphetamine self-administration induces transcriptional changes associated with protein folding, mRNA processing, immune signaling, and neurotransmission in dorsal striatal microglia. Importantly, many of these transcriptional changes persist through abstinence, a finding supported by morphological analyses. Functionally, we report that microglial ablation increases methamphetamine-taking, possibly involving neuroimmune and neurotransmitter regulation. In contrast, microglial depletion during abstinence does not alter methamphetamine-seeking. Taken together, these results suggest that methamphetamine induces both short and long-term changes in dorsal striatal microglia that contribute to altered drug-taking behavior and may provide valuable insights into the pathophysiology of MUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samara J Vilca
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States
| | - Alexander V Margetts
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States
| | - Leon Höglund
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States
| | - Isabella Fleites
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States
| | - Lauren L Bystrom
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States
| | - Tate A Pollock
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States
| | - Florence Bourgain-Guglielmetti
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States
| | - Claes Wahlestedt
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States
| | - Luis M Tuesta
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, United States.
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Xia Y, Xia C, Jiang Y, Chen Y, Zhou J, Dai R, Han C, Mao Z, Liu C, Chen C. Transcriptomic sex differences in postmortem brain samples from patients with psychiatric disorders. Sci Transl Med 2024; 16:eadh9974. [PMID: 38781321 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adh9974] [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: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Many psychiatric disorders exhibit sex differences, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We analyzed transcriptomics data from 2160 postmortem adult prefrontal cortex brain samples from the PsychENCODE consortium in a sex-stratified study design. We compared transcriptomics data of postmortem brain samples from patients with schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with transcriptomics data of postmortem control brains from individuals without a known history of psychiatric disease. We found that brain samples from females with SCZ, BD, and ASD showed a higher burden of transcriptomic dysfunction than did brain samples from males with these disorders. This observation was supported by the larger number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and a greater magnitude of gene expression changes observed in female versus male brain specimens. In addition, female patient brain samples showed greater overall connectivity dysfunction, defined by a higher proportion of gene coexpression modules with connectivity changes and higher connectivity burden, indicating a greater degree of gene coexpression variability. We identified several gene coexpression modules enriched in sex-biased DEGs and identified genes from a genome-wide association study that were involved in immune and synaptic functions across different brain cell types. We found a number of genes as hubs within these modules, including those encoding SCN2A, FGF14, and C3. Our results suggest that in the context of psychiatric diseases, males and females exhibit different degrees of transcriptomic dysfunction and implicate immune and synaptic-related pathways in these sex differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Xia
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Cuihua Xia
- MOE Key Laboratory of Rare Pediatric Diseases and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, and Department of Psychiatry, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Yi Jiang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430064, China
| | - Yu Chen
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- MOE Key Laboratory of Rare Pediatric Diseases and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, and Department of Psychiatry, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Jiaqi Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Human Phenome Institute, and School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Rujia Dai
- Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Cong Han
- MOE Key Laboratory of Rare Pediatric Diseases and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, and Department of Psychiatry, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Zhongzheng Mao
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Chunyu Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Rare Pediatric Diseases and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, and Department of Psychiatry, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
- Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Chao Chen
- MOE Key Laboratory of Rare Pediatric Diseases and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, and Department of Psychiatry, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
- Furong Laboratory, Changsha, Hunan 410000, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Animal Models for Human Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410000, China
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Zheng J, Baimoukhametova D, Lebel C, Bains JS, Kurrasch DM. Hypothalamic vasopressin sex differentiation is observed by embryonic day 15 in mice and is disrupted by the xenoestrogen bisphenol A. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2313207121. [PMID: 38753512 PMCID: PMC11126957 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313207121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Arginine vasopressin (AVP) neurons of the hypothalamic paraventricular region (AVPPVN) mediate sex-biased social behaviors across most species, including mammals. In mice, neural sex differences are thought to be established during a critical window around birth ( embryonic (E) day 18 to postnatal (P) day 2) whereby circulating testosterone from the fetal testis is converted to estrogen in sex-dimorphic brain regions. Here, we found that AVPPVN neurons are sexually dimorphic by E15.5, prior to this critical window, and that gestational bisphenol A (BPA) exposure permanently masculinized female AVPPVN neuronal numbers, projections, and electrophysiological properties, causing them to display male-like phenotypes into adulthood. Moreover, we showed that nearly twice as many neurons that became AVP+ by P0 were born at E11 in males and BPA-exposed females compared to control females, suggesting that AVPPVN neuronal masculinization occurs between E11 and P0. We further narrowed this sensitive period to around the timing of neurogenesis by demonstrating that exogenous estrogen exposure from E14.5 to E15.5 masculinized female AVPPVN neuronal numbers, whereas a pan-estrogen receptor antagonist exposed from E13.5 to E15.5 blocked masculinization of males. Finally, we showed that restricting BPA exposure to E7.5-E15.5 caused adult females to display increased social dominance over control females, consistent with an acquisition of male-like behaviors. Our study reveals an E11.5 to E15.5 window of estrogen sensitivity impacting AVPPVN sex differentiation, which is impacted by prenatal BPA exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zheng
- Department of Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, CalgaryT2N 1N4, Canada
- Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, CalgaryT2N 1N4, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, CalgaryT2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Dinara Baimoukhametova
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, CalgaryT2N 1N4, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, CalgaryT2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Catherine Lebel
- Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, CalgaryT2N 1N4, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, CalgaryT2N 1N4, Canada
- Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, CalgaryT2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Jaideep S. Bains
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, CalgaryT2N 1N4, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, CalgaryT2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Deborah M. Kurrasch
- Department of Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, CalgaryT2N 1N4, Canada
- Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, CalgaryT2N 1N4, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, CalgaryT2N 1N4, Canada
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Premachandran H, Wilkin J, Arruda-Carvalho M. Minimizing Variability in Developmental Fear Studies in Mice: Toward Improved Replicability in the Field. Curr Protoc 2024; 4:e1040. [PMID: 38713136 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.1040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
In rodents, the first weeks of postnatal life feature remarkable changes in fear memory acquisition, retention, extinction, and discrimination. Early development is also marked by profound changes in brain circuits underlying fear memory processing, with heightened sensitivity to environmental influences and stress, providing a powerful model to study the intersection between brain structure, function, and the impacts of stress. Nevertheless, difficulties related to breeding and housing young rodents, preweaning manipulations, and potential increased variability within that population pose considerable challenges to developmental fear research. Here we discuss several factors that may promote variability in studies examining fear conditioning in young rodents and provide recommendations to increase replicability. We focus primarily on experimental conditions, design, and analysis of rodent fear data, with an emphasis on mouse studies. The convergence of anatomical, synaptic, physiological, and behavioral changes during early life may increase variability, but careful practice and transparency in reporting may improve rigor and consensus in the field. © 2024 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanista Premachandran
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Jennifer Wilkin
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Maithe Arruda-Carvalho
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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10
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Sudry T, Amit G, Zimmerman DR, Tsadok MA, Baruch R, Yardeni H, Akiva P, Ben Moshe D, Bachmat E, Sadaka Y. Sex-Specific Developmental Scales for Surveillance. Pediatrics 2024; 153:e2023062483. [PMID: 38545666 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2023-062483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Developmental surveillance, conducted routinely worldwide, is fundamental for early detection of children at risk for developmental delay. We aimed to explore sex-related difference in attainment rates of developmental milestones and to evaluate the clinical need for separate sex-specific scales. METHODS This is a cross-sectional, natiowide retrospective study, utilizing data from a national child surveillance program of ∼1000 maternal child health clinics. The main cohort, used for constructing sex-specific developmental scales, included all children born between January 2014 to September 2020, who visited maternal child health clinics from birth to 6 years of age (n = 839 574). Children with abnormal developmental potential were excluded (n = 195 616). A validation cohort included all visits between 2020 and 2021 (n = 309 181). The sex-differences in normative attainment age of 59 developmental milestones from 4 domains were evaluated. The milestones with a significant gap between males and females were identified, and the projected error rates when conducting unified versus sex-specific surveillance were calculated. RESULTS A new sex-specific developmental scale was constructed. In total, females preceded males in most milestones of all developmental domains, mainly at older ages. Conducting routine developmental surveillance using a unified scale, compared with sex-specific scales, resulted in potential missing of females at risk for developmental delay (19.3% of failed assessments) and over-diagnosis of males not requiring further evaluation (5.9% of failed assessments). CONCLUSIONS There are sex-related differences in the normative attainment rates of developmental milestones, indicating possible distortion of the currently used unified scales. These findings suggest that using sex-specific scales may improve the accuracy of early childhood developmental surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamar Sudry
- Neurodevelopmental Research Center, Mental Health Institute, Beer Sheva, Israel
- KI Research Institute, Kfar Malal, Israel
| | - Guy Amit
- KI Research Institute, Kfar Malal, Israel
| | - Deena R Zimmerman
- Public Health Services, Israel Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Meytal Avgil Tsadok
- TIMNA initiative - Big Data Platform, Israel Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ravit Baruch
- Public Health Services, Israel Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Hadar Yardeni
- Department of Child Development and Rehabilitation, Israel Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | - Dror Ben Moshe
- TIMNA initiative - Big Data Platform, Israel Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Eitan Bachmat
- Department of Computer Science, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
- Simons Foundation, New York, United States
| | - Yair Sadaka
- Neurodevelopmental Research Center, Mental Health Institute, Beer Sheva, Israel
- KI Research Institute, Kfar Malal, Israel
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
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11
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Madurai NK, Jantzie LL, Yen E. Sex differences in neonatal outcomes following prenatal opioid exposure. Front Pediatr 2024; 12:1357970. [PMID: 38577634 PMCID: PMC10991792 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2024.1357970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The impact of the opioid epidemic on pregnant people and children is a growing public health crisis. Understanding how opioids affect the developing brain during pregnancy and postnatally remains a critical area of investigation. Biological sex plays a crucial role in all physiologic processes, with the potential for a significant impact on neonatal outcomes, including those infants with opioid exposure. Here, we aim to explore current literature on the effect of sex on neonatal outcomes following prenatal opioid exposure. Sex differences in adults with opioid use disorder have been well studied, including increased mortality among males and higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities and likelihood of relapse in females. However, such differences are not yet well understood in neonates. Emerging clinical data suggest sex-specific effects in infants with prenatal opioid exposure on the expression of genes related to feeding regulation and reward signaling pathways. Increased susceptibility to white matter injury has also been noted in female infants following prenatal opioid exposure. Understanding the impact of sex as a biological variable on neonatal outcomes following prenatal opioid exposure is paramount to improving the health and well-being of infants, children, and adults impacted by the opioid epidemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nethra K. Madurai
- Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Lauren L. Jantzie
- Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurodevelopmental Medicine, Phelps Center for Cerebral Palsy and Neurodevelopmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Elizabeth Yen
- Mother Infant Research Institute (MIRI), Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Tufts Medicine Pediatrics-Boston Children's, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
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12
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Ardalan M, Mallard C. From hormones to behavior through microglial mitochondrial function. Brain Behav Immun 2024; 117:471-472. [PMID: 38341051 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Ardalan
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Clinical Medicine, Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Aarhus University, Aarhus Denmark.
| | - Carina Mallard
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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13
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Tanelian A, Nankova B, Miari M, Sabban EL. Microbial composition, functionality, and stress resilience or susceptibility: unraveling sex-specific patterns. Biol Sex Differ 2024; 15:20. [PMID: 38409102 PMCID: PMC10898170 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-024-00590-7] [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: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Following exposure to traumatic stress, women are twice as likely as men to develop mood disorders. Yet, individual responses to such stress vary, with some people developing stress-induced psychopathologies while others exhibit resilience. The factors influencing sex-related disparities in affective disorders as well as variations in resilience remain unclear; however, emerging evidence suggests differences in the gut microbiota play a role. In this study, using the single prolonged stress (SPS) model of post-traumatic stress disorder, we investigated pre- and post-existing differences in microbial composition, functionality, and metabolites that affect stress susceptibility or resilience in each sex. METHODS Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to control or SPS groups. Two weeks following SPS, the animals were exposed to a battery of behavioral tests and decapitated a day later. Based on their anxiety index, they were further categorized as SPS-resilient (SPS-R) or SPS-susceptible (SPS-S). On the day of dissection, cecum, and selected brain tissues were isolated. Stool samples were collected before and after SPS, whereas urine samples were taken before and 30 min into the SPS. RESULTS Before SPS exposure, the sympathoadrenal axis exhibited alterations within male subgroups only. Expression of tight junction protein claudin-5 was lower in brain of SPS-S males, but higher in SPS-R females following SPS. Across the study, alpha diversity remained consistently lower in males compared to females. Beta diversity revealed distinct separations between male and female susceptible groups before SPS, with this separation becoming evident in the resilient groups following SPS. At the genus level, Lactobacillus, Lachnospiraceae_Incertae_Sedis, and Barnesiella exhibited sex-specific alterations, displaying opposing abundances in each sex. Additionally, sex-specific changes were observed in microbial predictive functionality and targeted functional modules both before and after SPS. Alterations in the microbial short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), were also observed, with major and minor SCFAs being lower in SPS-susceptible males whereas branched-chain SCFAs being higher in SPS-susceptible females. CONCLUSION This study highlights distinct pre- and post-trauma differences in microbial composition, functionality, and metabolites, associated with stress resilience in male and female rats. The findings underscore the importance of developing sex-specific therapeutic strategies to effectively address stress-related disorders. Highlights SPS model induces divergent anxiety and social behavioral responses to traumatic stress in both male and female rodents. SPS-resilient females displayed less anxiety-like behavior and initiated more interactions towards a juvenile rat than SPS-resilient males. Sex-specific pre-existing and SPS-induced differences in the gut microbial composition and predictive functionality were observed in susceptible and resilient rats. SPS-resilient males displayed elevated cecal acetate levels, whereas SPS-susceptible females exhibited heightened branched-chain SCFAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arax Tanelian
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Bistra Nankova
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Departments of Pediatrics, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Mariam Miari
- Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmo, Lund University Diabetes Center, Malmo, Sweden
| | - Esther L Sabban
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA.
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14
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Vilca SJ, Margetts AV, Fleites I, Wahlestedt C, Tuesta LM. Microglia contribute to methamphetamine reinforcement and reflect persistent transcriptional and morphological adaptations to the drug. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.19.563168. [PMID: 37961443 PMCID: PMC10634674 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.19.563168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) is a chronic, relapsing disease that is characterized by repeated drug use despite negative consequences and for which there are currently no FDA-approved cessation therapeutics. Repeated methamphetamine (METH) use induces long-term gene expression changes in brain regions associated with reward processing and drug-seeking behavior, and recent evidence suggests that methamphetamine-induced neuroinflammation may also shape behavioral and molecular responses to the drug. Microglia, the resident immune cells in the brain, are principal drivers of neuroinflammatory responses and contribute to the pathophysiology of substance use disorders. Here, we investigated transcriptional and morphological changes in dorsal striatal microglia in response to methamphetamine-taking and during methamphetamine abstinence, as well as their functional contribution to drug-taking behavior. We show that methamphetamine self-administration induces transcriptional changes associated with protein folding, mRNA processing, immune signaling, and neurotransmission in dorsal striatal microglia. Importantly, many of these transcriptional changes persist through abstinence, a finding supported by morphological analyses. Functionally, we report that microglial ablation increases methamphetamine-taking, possibly involving neuroimmune and neurotransmitter regulation, and that post-methamphetamine microglial repopulation attenuates drug-seeking following a 21-day period of abstinence. In contrast, microglial depletion during abstinence did not alter methamphetamine-seeking. Taken together, these results suggest that methamphetamine induces both short and long-term changes in dorsal striatal microglia that contribute to altered drug-taking behavior and may provide valuable insights into the pathophysiology of MUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samara J. Vilca
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136
| | - Alexander V. Margetts
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136
| | - Isabella Fleites
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136
| | - Claes Wahlestedt
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136
| | - Luis M. Tuesta
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136
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15
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Fenske SJ, Liu J, Chen H, Diniz MA, Stephens RL, Cornea E, Gilmore JH, Gao W. Sex differences in brain-behavior relationships in the first two years of life. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.31.578147. [PMID: 38352542 PMCID: PMC10862872 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.31.578147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Background Evidence for sex differences in cognition in childhood is established, but less is known about the underlying neural mechanisms for these differences. Recent findings suggest the existence of brain-behavior relationship heterogeneities during infancy; however, it remains unclear whether sex underlies these heterogeneities during this critical period when sex-related behavioral differences arise. Methods A sample of 316 infants was included with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans at neonate (3 weeks), 1, and 2 years of age. We used multiple linear regression to test interactions between sex and resting-state functional connectivity on behavioral scores of working memory, inhibitory self-control, intelligence, and anxiety collected at 4 years of age. Results We found six age-specific, intra-hemispheric connections showing significant and robust sex differences in functional connectivity-behavior relationships. All connections are either with the prefrontal cortex or the temporal pole, which has direct anatomical pathways to the prefrontal cortex. Sex differences in functional connectivity only emerge when associated with behavior, and not in functional connectivity alone. Furthermore, at neonate and 2 years of age, these age-specific connections displayed greater connectivity in males and lower connectivity in females in association with better behavioral scores. Conclusions Taken together, we critically capture robust and conserved brain mechanisms that are distinct to sex and are defined by their relationship to behavioral outcomes. Our results establish brain-behavior mechanisms as an important feature in the search for sex differences during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja J Fenske
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
| | - Janelle Liu
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
| | - Haitao Chen
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90025
| | - Marcio A Diniz
- The Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Research Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
| | - Rebecca L Stephens
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599
| | - Emil Cornea
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599
| | - John H Gilmore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599
| | - Wei Gao
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90025
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16
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Bordt EA, Moya HA, Jo YC, Ravichandran CT, Bankowski IM, Ceasrine AM, McDougle CJ, Carlezon WA, Bilbo SD. Gonadal hormones impart male-biased behavioral vulnerabilities to immune activation via microglial mitochondrial function. Brain Behav Immun 2024; 115:680-695. [PMID: 37972878 PMCID: PMC10996880 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a strong male bias in the prevalence of many neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder. However, the mechanisms underlying this sex bias remain elusive. Infection during the perinatal period is associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorder development. Here, we used a mouse model of early-life immune activation that reliably induces deficits in social behaviors only in males. We demonstrate that male-biased alterations in social behavior are dependent upon microglial immune signaling and are coupled to alterations in mitochondrial morphology, gene expression, and function specifically within microglia, the innate immune cells of the brain. Additionally, we show that this behavioral and microglial mitochondrial vulnerability to early-life immune activation is programmed by the male-typical perinatal gonadal hormone surge. These findings demonstrate that social behavior in males over the lifespan are regulated by microglia-specific mechanisms that are shaped by events that occur in early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan A Bordt
- Department of Pediatrics, Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Haley A Moya
- Department of Pediatrics, Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Young Chan Jo
- Department of Pediatrics, Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Caitlin T Ravichandran
- Department of Pediatrics, Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA; McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA
| | - Izabella M Bankowski
- Department of Pediatrics, Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Alexis M Ceasrine
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Christopher J McDougle
- Department of Pediatrics, Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | | | - Staci D Bilbo
- Department of Pediatrics, Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
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17
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Morishita M, Kobayashi K, Mitsuzuka M, Takagi R, Ono K, Momma R, Tsuneoka Y, Horio S, Tsukahara S. Two-Step Actions of Testicular Androgens in the Organization of a Male-Specific Neural Pathway from the Medial Preoptic Area to the Ventral Tegmental Area for Modulating Sexually Motivated Behavior. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7322-7336. [PMID: 37722849 PMCID: PMC10621776 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0361-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The medial preoptic area (MPOA) is a sexually dimorphic region of the brain that regulates social behaviors. The sexually dimorphic nucleus (SDN) of the MPOA has been studied to understand sexual dimorphism, although the anatomy and physiology of the SDN is not fully understood. Here, we characterized SDN neurons that contribute to sexual dimorphism and investigated the mechanisms underlying the emergence of such neurons and their roles in social behaviors. A target-specific neuroanatomical study using transgenic mice expressing Cre recombinase under the control of Calb1, a gene expressed abundantly in the SDN, revealed that SDN neurons are divided into two subpopulations, GABA neurons projecting to the ventral tegmental area (VTA), where they link to the dopamine system (CalbVTA neurons), and GABA neurons that extend axons in the MPOA or project to neighboring regions (CalbnonVTA neurons). CalbVTA neurons were abundant in males, but were scarce or absent in females. There was no difference in the number of CalbnonVTA neurons between sexes. Additionally, we found that emergence of CalbVTA neurons requires two testicular androgen actions that occur first in the postnatal period and second in the peripubertal period. Chemogenetic analyses of CalbVTA neurons indicated a role in modulating sexual motivation in males. Knockdown of Calb1 in the MPOA reduced the intromission required for males to complete copulation. These findings provide strong evidence that a male-specific neural pathway from the MPOA to the VTA is organized by the two-step actions of testicular androgens for the modulation of sexually motivated behavior.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The MPOA is a sexually dimorphic region of the brain that regulates social behaviors, although its sexual dimorphism is not fully understood. Here, we describe a population of MPOA neurons that contribute to the sexual dimorphism. These neurons only exist in masculinized brains, and they project their axons to the ventral tegmental area, where they link to the dopamine system. Emergence of such neurons requires two testicular androgen actions that occur first in the postnatal period and second in the peripubertal period. These MPOA neurons endow masculinized brains with a neural pathway from the MPOA to the ventral tegmental area and modulate sexually motivated behavior in males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiro Morishita
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama 338-8570, Japan
| | - Kaito Kobayashi
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama 338-8570, Japan
| | - Moeri Mitsuzuka
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama 338-8570, Japan
| | - Ryo Takagi
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama 338-8570, Japan
| | - Kota Ono
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama 338-8570, Japan
| | - Rami Momma
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama 338-8570, Japan
| | - Yousuke Tsuneoka
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo 43-8540, Japan
| | - Shuhei Horio
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
| | - Shinji Tsukahara
- Division of Life Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama 338-8570, Japan
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18
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Zhou J, Xia Y, Li M, Chen Y, Dai J, Liu C, Chen C. A higher dysregulation burden of brain DNA methylation in female patients implicated in the sex bias of Schizophrenia. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:4842-4852. [PMID: 37696874 PMCID: PMC10925554 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02243-4] [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: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences are pervasive in schizophrenia (SCZ), but the extent and magnitude of DNA methylation (DNAm) changes underlying these differences remain uncharacterized. In this study, sex-stratified differential DNAm analysis was performed in postmortem brain samples from 117 SCZ and 137 controls, partitioned into discovery and replication datasets. Three differentially methylated positions (DMPs) were identified (adj.p < 0.05) in females and 29 DMPs in males without overlap between them. Over 81% of these sex-stratified DMPs were directionally consistent between sexes but with different effect sizes. Females experienced larger magnitude of DNAm changes and more DMPs (based on data of equal sample size) than males, contributing to a higher dysregulation burden of DNAm in females SCZ. Additionally, despite similar proportions of female-related DMPs (fDMPs, 8%) being under genetic control compared with males (10%), significant enrichment of DMP-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in signals of genome-wide association studies was identified only in fDMPs. One DMP in each sex connected the SNPs and gene expression of CALHM1 in females and CCDC149 in males. PPI subnetworks revealed that both female- and male-related differential DNAm interacted with synapse-related dysregulation. Immune-related pathways were unique for females and neuron-related pathways were associated with males. This study reveals remarkable quantitative differences in DNAm-related sexual dimorphism in SCZ and that females have a higher dysregulation burden of SCZ-associated DNAm than males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Zhou
- Center for Medical Genetics & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, and the Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Human Phenome Institute, and School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Yan Xia
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02114, USA.
- Analytic and Translational Genetics unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
| | - Miao Li
- Center for Medical Genetics & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, and the Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
| | - Yu Chen
- Center for Medical Genetics & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, and the Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Jiacheng Dai
- Center for Medical Genetics & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, and the Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Human Phenome Institute, and School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Chunyu Liu
- Center for Medical Genetics & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, and the Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China.
- Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA.
| | - Chao Chen
- Center for Medical Genetics & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, and the Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China.
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Animal Models for Human Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China.
- National Clinical Research Center on Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China.
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19
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Szakats S, McAtamney A, Cross H, Wilson MJ. Sex-biased gene and microRNA expression in the developing mouse brain is associated with neurodevelopmental functions and neurological phenotypes. Biol Sex Differ 2023; 14:57. [PMID: 37679839 PMCID: PMC10486049 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-023-00538-3] [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: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sex differences pose a challenge and an opportunity in biomedical research. Understanding how sex chromosomes and hormones affect disease-causing mechanisms will shed light on the mechanisms underlying predominantly idiopathic sex-biased neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD, schizophrenia, and autism. Gene expression is a crucial conduit for the influence of sex on developmental processes; therefore, this study focused on sex differences in gene expression and the regulation of gene expression. The increasing interest in microRNAs (miRNAs), small, non-coding RNAs, for their contribution to normal and pathological neurodevelopment prompted us to test how miRNA expression differs between the sexes in the developing brain. METHODS High-throughput sequencing approaches were used to identify transcripts, including miRNAs, that showed significantly different expression between male and female brains on day 15.5 of development (E15.5). RESULTS Robust sex differences were identified for some genes and miRNAs, confirming the influence of biological sex on RNA. Many miRNAs that exhibit the greatest differences between males and females have established roles in neurodevelopment, implying that sex-biased expression may drive sex differences in developmental processes. In addition to highlighting sex differences for individual miRNAs, gene ontology analysis suggested several broad categories in which sex-biased RNAs might act to establish sex differences in the embryonic mouse brain. Finally, mining publicly available SNP data indicated that some sex-biased miRNAs reside near the genomic regions associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. CONCLUSIONS Together, these findings reinforce the importance of cataloguing sex differences in molecular biology research and highlight genes, miRNAs, and pathways of interest that may be important for sexual differentiation in the mouse and possibly the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Szakats
- Developmental Genomics Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Alice McAtamney
- Developmental Genomics Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Hugh Cross
- Developmental Genomics Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Megan J Wilson
- Developmental Genomics Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.
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20
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Prior NH, Haakenson CM, Clough S, Ball GF, Sandkam BA. Varied impacts of social relationships on neuroendocrine state. Horm Behav 2023; 155:105403. [PMID: 37678093 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105403] [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: 02/18/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Social relationships, affiliative social attachments, are important for many species. The best studied types of relationships are monogamous pair bonds. However, it remains unclear how generalizable models of pair bonding are across types of social attachments. Zebra finches are a fascinating system to explore the neurobiology of social relationships because they form various adult bonds with both same- and opposite-sex partners. To test whether different bonds are supported by a single brain network, we quantified individuals' neuroendocrine state after either 24 h or 2 weeks of co-housing with a novel same- or opposite-sex partner. We defined neuroendocrine state by the expression of 22 genes related to 4 major signaling pathways (dopamine, steroid, nonapeptide, and opioid) in six brain regions associated with affiliation or communication [nucleus accumbens (NAc), nucleus taeniae of the amygdala (TnA), medial preoptic area (POM), and periaqueductal gray (PAG), ventral tegmental area, and auditory cortex]. Overall, we found dissociable effects of social contexts (same- or opposite-sex partnerships) and duration of co-housing. Social bonding impacted the neuroendocrine state of four regions in males (NAc, TnA, POM, and PAG) and three regions in females (NAc, TnA, and POM). Monogamous pair bonding specifically appeared to impact male NAc. However, the patterns of gene expression in zebra finches were different than has previously been reported in mammals. Together, our results support the view that there are numerous mechanisms regulating social relationships and highlight the need to further our understanding of how social interactions shape social bonds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora H Prior
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America.
| | - Chelsea M Haakenson
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States of America
| | - Savannah Clough
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States of America
| | - Gregory F Ball
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States of America
| | - Benjamin A Sandkam
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
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21
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Fass SB, Mulvey B, Yang W, Selmanovic D, Chaturvedi S, Tycksen E, Weiss LA, Dougherty JD. Relationship between sex biases in gene expression and sex biases in autism and Alzheimer's disease. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.08.29.23294773. [PMID: 37693465 PMCID: PMC10491382 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.29.23294773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences in the brain may play an important role in sex-differential prevalence of neuropsychiatric conditions. In order to understand the transcriptional basis of sex differences, we analyzed multiple, large-scale, human postmortem brain RNA-seq datasets using both within-region and pan-regional frameworks. We find evidence of sex-biased transcription in many autosomal genes, some of which provide evidence for pathways and cell population differences between chromosomally male and female individuals. These analyses also highlight regional differences in the extent of sex-differential gene expression. We observe an increase in specific neuronal transcripts in male brains and an increase in immune and glial function-related transcripts in female brains. Integration with single-cell data suggests this corresponds to sex differences in cellular states rather than cell abundance. Integration with case-control gene expression studies suggests a female molecular predisposition towards Alzheimer's disease, a female-biased disease. Autism, a male-biased diagnosis, does not exhibit a male predisposition pattern in our analysis. Finally, we provide region specific analyses of sex differences in brain gene expression to enable additional studies at the interface of gene expression and diagnostic differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart B Fass
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis MO, 63110, USA
| | - Bernard Mulvey
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis MO, 63110, USA
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, 855 North Wolfe St. Ste 300, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Wei Yang
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis MO, 63110, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Din Selmanovic
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis MO, 63110, USA
| | - Sneha Chaturvedi
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis MO, 63110, USA
| | - Eric Tycksen
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis MO, 63110, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Lauren A Weiss
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Ave, HSE901, San Francisco, CA 94143
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Ave, HSE901, San Francisco, CA 94143
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Ave, HSE901, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | - Joseph D Dougherty
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis MO, 63110, USA
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis MO, 63110, USA
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22
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Dai X, Pradhan A, Liu J, Liu R, Zhai G, Zhou L, Dai J, Shao F, Yuan Z, Wang Z, Yin Z. Zebrafish gonad mutant models reveal neuroendocrine mechanisms of brain sexual dimorphism and male mating behaviors of different brain regions. Biol Sex Differ 2023; 14:53. [PMID: 37605245 PMCID: PMC10440941 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-023-00534-7] [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: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sexually dimorphic mating behaviors differ between sexes and involve gonadal hormones and possibly sexually dimorphic gene expression in the brain. However, the associations among the brain, gonad, and sexual behavior in teleosts are still unclear. Here, we utilized germ cells-free tdrd12 knockout (KO) zebrafish, and steroid synthesis enzyme cyp17a1-deficient zebrafish to investigate the differences and interplays in the brain-gonad-behavior axis, and the molecular control of brain dimorphism and male mating behaviors. METHODS Tdrd12+/-; cyp17a1+/- double heterozygous parents were crossed to obtain tdrd12-/-; cyp17a1+/+ (tdrd12 KO), tdrd12+/+; cyp17a1-/- (cyp17a1 KO), and tdrd12-/-; cyp17a1-/- (double KO) homozygous progenies. Comparative analysis of mating behaviors were evaluated using Viewpoint zebrafish tracking software and sexual traits were thoroughly characterized based on anatomical and histological experiments in these KOs and wild types. The steroid hormone levels (testosterone, 11-ketotestosterone and 17β-estradiol) in the brains, gonads, and serum were measured using ELISA kits. To achieve a higher resolution view of the differences in region-specific expression patterns of the brain, the brains of these KOs, and control male and female fish were dissected into three regions: the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain for transcriptomic analysis. RESULTS Qualitative analysis of mating behaviors demonstrated that tdrd12-/- fish behaved in the same manner as wild-type males to trigger oviposition behavior, while cyp17a1-/- and double knockout (KO) fish did not exhibit these behaviors. Based on the observation of sex characteristics, mating behaviors and hormone levels in these mutants, we found that the maintenance of secondary sex characteristics and male mating behavior did not depend on the presence of germ cells; rather, they depended mainly on the 11-ketotestosterone and testosterone levels secreted into the brain-gonad regulatory axis. RNA-seq analysis of different brain regions revealed that the brain transcript profile of tdrd12-/- fish was similar to that of wild-type males, especially in the forebrain and midbrain. However, the brain transcript profiles of cyp17a1-/- and double KO fish were distinct from those of wild-type males and were partially biased towards the expression pattern of the female brain. Our results revealed important candidate genes and signaling pathways, such as synaptic signaling/neurotransmission, MAPK signaling, and steroid hormone pathways, that shape brain dimorphism and modulate male mating behavior in zebrafish. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide comprehensive analyses and new insights regarding the endogenous interactions in the brain-gonad-behavior axis. Moreover, this study revealed the crucial candidate genes and neural signaling pathways of different brain regions that are involved in modulating brain dimorphism and male mating behavior in zebrafish, which would significantly light up the understanding the neuroendocrine and molecular mechanisms modulating brain dimorphism and male mating behavior in zebrafish and other teleost fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyan Dai
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Ajay Pradhan
- Biology, The Life Science Center, School of Science and Technology, Örebrorebro University, 70182, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Jiao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Ruolan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Gang Zhai
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Linyan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Jiyan Dai
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Feng Shao
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Zhiyong Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Zhijian Wang
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
| | - Zhan Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.
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23
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Dawson MS, Gordon-Fleet K, Yan L, Tardos V, He H, Mui K, Nawani S, Asgarian Z, Catani M, Fernandes C, Drescher U. Sexual dimorphism in the social behaviour of Cntnap2-null mice correlates with disrupted synaptic connectivity and increased microglial activity in the anterior cingulate cortex. Commun Biol 2023; 6:846. [PMID: 37582968 PMCID: PMC10427688 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05215-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
A biological understanding of the apparent sex bias in autism is lacking. Here we have identified Cntnap2 KO mice as a model system to help better understand this dimorphism. Using this model, we observed social deficits in juvenile male KO mice only. These male-specific social deficits correlated with reduced spine densities of Layer 2/3 and Layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex, a forebrain region prominently associated with the control of social behaviour. Furthermore, in male KO mice, microglia showed an increased activated morphology and phagocytosis of synaptic structures compared to WT mice, whereas no differences were seen in female KO and WT mice. Our data suggest that sexually dimorphic microglial activity may be involved in the aetiology of ASD, disrupting the development of neural circuits that control social behaviour by overpruning synapses at a developmentally critical period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt S Dawson
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Kevin Gordon-Fleet
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Lingxin Yan
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Vera Tardos
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Huanying He
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Kwong Mui
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Smriti Nawani
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, IoPPN, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Zeinab Asgarian
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
- Molecular Therapeutics Lab, University College London, Research Department of Targeted Intervention, London, W1W 7TY, UK
| | - Marco Catani
- NatBrainLab, Departments of Neuroimaging Sciences and Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, IoPPN, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Cathy Fernandes
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, IoPPN, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, IoPPN, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Uwe Drescher
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK.
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, IoPPN, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK.
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24
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Shafee R, Moraczewski D, Liu S, Mallard T, Thomas A, Raznahan A. A sex-stratified analysis of the genetic architecture of human brain anatomy. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.08.09.23293881. [PMID: 37609186 PMCID: PMC10441503 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.09.23293881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Large biobanks have dramatically advanced our understanding of genetic influences on human brain anatomy. However, most studies have combined rather than compared males and females - despite theoretical grounds for potential sex differences. By systematically screening for sex differences in the common genetic architecture of > 1000 neuroanatomical phenotypes in the UK Biobank, we establish a general concordance between males and females in heritability estimates, genetic correlations and variant-level effects. Notable exceptions include: higher mean h 2 in females for regional volume and surface area phenotypes; between-sex genetic correlations that are significantly below 1 in the insula and parietal cortex; and, a male-specific effect common variant mapping to RBFOX1 - a gene linked to multiple male-biased neuropsychiatric disorders. This work suggests that common variant influences on human brain anatomy are largely consistent between males and females, with a few exceptions that will guide future research as biobanks continue to grow in size.
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25
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Sun B, Wallace ER, Ni Y, Loftus CT, Szpiro A, Day D, Barrett ES, Nguyen RHN, Kannan K, Robinson M, Bush NR, Sathyanarayana S, Mason A, Swan SH, Trasande L, Karr CJ, LeWinn KZ. Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and cognition in early childhood. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 178:108009. [PMID: 37331181 PMCID: PMC10519343 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiological evidence for gestational polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure and adverse child cognitive outcomes is mixed; little is known about critical windows of exposure. OBJECTIVE We investigated associations between prenatal PAH exposure and child cognition in a large, multi-site study. METHODS We included mother-child dyads from two pooled prospective pregnancy cohorts (CANDLE and TIDES, N = 1,223) in the ECHO-PATHWAYS Consortium. Seven urinary mono-hydroxylated PAH metabolites were measured in mid-pregnancy in both cohorts as well as early and late pregnancy in TIDES. Child intelligence quotient (IQ) was assessed between ages 4-6. Associations between individual PAH metabolites and IQ were estimated with multivariable linear regression. Interaction terms were used to examine effect modification by child sex and maternal obesity. We explored associations of PAH metabolite mixtures with IQ using weighted quantile sum regression. In TIDES, we averaged PAH metabolites over three periods of pregnancy and by pregnancy period to investigate associations between PAH metabolites and IQ. RESULTS In the combined sample, PAH metabolites were not associated with IQ after full adjustment, nor did we observe associations with PAH mixtures. Tests of effect modification were null except for the association between 2-hydroxynaphthalene and IQ, which was negative in males (βmales = -0.67 [95%CI:-1.47,0.13]) and positive in females (βfemales = 0.31 [95%CI:-0.52,1.13])(pinteraction = 0.04). In analyses across pregnancy (TIDES-only), inverse associations with IQ were observed for 2-hydroxyphenanthrene averaged across pregnancy (β = -1.28 [95%CI:-2.53,-0.03]) and in early pregnancy (β = -1.14 [95%CI:-2.00,-0.28]). SIGNIFICANCE In this multi-cohort analysis, we observed limited evidence of adverse associations of early pregnancy PAHs with child IQ. Analyses in the pooled cohorts were null. However, results also indicated that utilizing more than one exposure measures across pregnancy could improve the ability to detect associations by identifying sensitive windows and improving the reliability of exposure measurement. More research with multiple timepoints of PAH assessment is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bob Sun
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Erin R Wallace
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Yu Ni
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Christine T Loftus
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Adam Szpiro
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Drew Day
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Emily S Barrett
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, School of Public Health, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Ruby H N Nguyen
- Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Kurunthachalam Kannan
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Morgan Robinson
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Nicole R Bush
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Alex Mason
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Shanna H Swan
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Leonardo Trasande
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Catherine J Karr
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kaja Z LeWinn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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26
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McCarthy MM. Neural Control of Sexually Dimorphic Social Behavior: Connecting Development to Adulthood. Annu Rev Neurosci 2023; 46:321-339. [PMID: 37001242 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-121522-110856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Rapid advances in the neural control of social behavior highlight the role of interconnected nodes engaged in differential information processing to generate behavior. Many innate social behaviors are essential to reproductive fitness and therefore fundamentally different in males and females. Programming these differences occurs early in development in mammals, following gonadal differentiation and copious androgen production by the fetal testis during a critical period. Early-life programming of social behavior and its adult manifestation are separate but yoked processes, yet how they are linked is unknown. This review seeks to highlight that gap by identifying four core mechanisms (epigenetics, cell death, circuit formation, and adult hormonal modulation) that could connect developmental changes to the adult behaviors of mating and aggression. We further propose that a unique social behavior, adolescent play, bridges the preweaning to the postpubertal brain by engaging the same neural networks underpinning adult reproductive and aggressive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret M McCarthy
- Department of Pharmacology and Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA;
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27
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Yotova AY, Li LL, O’Leary A, Tegeder I, Reif A, Courtney MJ, Slattery DA, Freudenberg F. Embryonic and adult synaptic proteome perturbations after maternal immune activation: Identification of persistent changes relevant for early intervention. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3100753. [PMID: 37461513 PMCID: PMC10350178 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3100753/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Maternal infections during pregnancy pose an increased risk for neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders (NPDs) in the offspring. Here, we examined age- and sex-dependent dynamic changes of the hippocampal synaptic proteome after maternal immune activation (MIA) in embryonic and adult mice. Adult male and female MIA offspring exhibited social deficits and sex-specific depression-like behaviours, among others, validating the model. Furthermore, we observed dose-, age-, and sex-dependent synaptic proteome differences. Analysis of the embryonic synaptic proteome implicates sphingolipid and ketoacid metabolism pathway disruptions during neurodevelopment for NPD-pertinent sequelae. In the embryonic hippocampus, prenatal immune activation also led to changes in neuronal guidance, glycosphingolipid metabolism important for signalling and myelination, and post-translational modification of proteins that regulate intercellular interaction and developmental timing. In adulthood, the observed changes in synaptoneurosomes revealed a dynamic shift toward transmembrane trafficking, intracellular signalling cascades, and hormone-mediated metabolism. Importantly, 68 of the proteins with differential abundance in the embryonic brains of MIA offspring were also altered in adulthood, 75% of which retained their directionality. These proteins are involved in synaptic organisation, neurotransmitter receptor regulation, and the vesicle cycle. A cluster of persistently upregulated proteins, including AKT3, PAK1/3, PPP3CA, formed a functional network enriched in the embryonic brain that is involved in cellular responses to environmental stimuli. To infer a link between the overlapping protein alterations and cognitive and psychiatric traits, we probed human phenome-wise association study data for cognitive and psychiatric phenotypes and all, but PORCN were significantly associated with the investigated domains. Our data provide insights into the dynamic effects of an early prenatal immune activation on developing and mature hippocampi and highlights targets for early intervention in individuals exposed to such immune challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Y. Yotova
- Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Frankfurt, Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Li-Li Li
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland; Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20014, Turku, Finland
| | - Aet O’Leary
- Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology, Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Irmgard Tegeder
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Andreas Reif
- Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Michael J Courtney
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20520 Turku, Finland; Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, 20014, Turku, Finland
| | - David A. Slattery
- Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Florian Freudenberg
- Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Frankfurt, Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Frankfurt, Germany
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Haghshenas N, Baharanchi FH, Melekoglu E, Sohouli MH, Shidfar F. Comparison of predictive effect of the dietary inflammatory index and empirically derived food-based dietary inflammatory index on the menopause-specific quality of life and its complications. BMC Womens Health 2023; 23:349. [PMID: 37391733 PMCID: PMC10314561 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-023-02485-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Menopause, defined as the cessation of menstruation for at least 12 months, is one of the important stages of a woman's life cycle. Some hormonal variations occur during the transition to menopause, which affects women's quality of life. Recently, the role of dietary factors in alleviating symptoms has been investigated. AIM OF THIS STUDY We tried to investigate the relationship between dietary inflammatory index (DII), food-based dietary inflammatory index (FDII) and quality of life, and menopausal symptoms, comparing their predictive power and suggesting the best cut-off point. METHODOLOGY One hundred forty-nine postmenopausal women were included in the cross-sectional study. After collecting data by interview, the desired variables were calculated. Logistic regression and ROC curves were used to investigate the relationship and predictive power of DII and FDII with menopausal symptoms. FINDINGS We observed that both DII and FDII were significantly associated with the severity of sexual symptoms. The first tertile of DII (OR = 0.252, P-value = 0.002) and FDII (OR = 0.316, P-value = 0.014) had a significantly lower odds ratio for severe to moderate symptoms compared to the third tertile. Both inflammatory indices had significant predictive power in predicting the probability of having severe to moderate poor quality of life (FDII (p-value = 0.004) > DII (p-value = 0.006)) and sexual symptoms (DII (p-value = 0.002) > FDII (p-value = 0.003)). Also, regarding the physical subtype, only FDII (p-value = 0.002) results were significant. CONCLUSION Both dietary inflammatory indices appear to be suitable for predicting quality of life, but FDII had slightly more predictive power. It seems that the quality of life and severity of menopausal symptoms may be improved, particularly with regard to sexual symptoms, by following an anti-inflammatory diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niloufar Haghshenas
- Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Ebru Melekoglu
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Nutrition and Dietetics Department, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey
| | - Mohammad Hassan Sohouli
- Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology , Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farzad Shidfar
- Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Schwabenland M, Mossad O, Sievert A, Peres AG, Ringel E, Baasch S, Kolter J, Cascone G, Dokalis N, Vlachos A, Ruzsics Z, Henneke P, Prinz M, Blank T. Neonatal immune challenge poses a sex-specific risk for epigenetic microglial reprogramming and behavioral impairment. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2721. [PMID: 37169749 PMCID: PMC10175500 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38373-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
While the precise processes underlying a sex bias in the development of central nervous system (CNS) disorders are unknown, there is growing evidence that an early life immune activation can contribute to the disease pathogenesis. When we mimicked an early systemic viral infection or applied murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) systemically in neonatal female and male mice, only male adolescent mice presented behavioral deficits, including reduced social behavior and cognition. This was paralleled by an increased amount of infiltrating T cells in the brain parenchyma, enhanced interferon-γ (IFNγ) signaling, and epigenetic reprogramming of microglial cells. These microglial cells showed increased phagocytic activity, which resulted in abnormal loss of excitatory synapses within the hippocampal brain region. None of these alterations were seen in female adolescent mice. Our findings underscore the early postnatal period's susceptibility to cause sex-dependent long-term CNS deficiencies following infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marius Schwabenland
- Institute of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Omar Mossad
- Institute of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Annika Sievert
- Institute of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Adam G Peres
- Institute of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Elena Ringel
- Institute of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Baasch
- Institute for Immunodeficiency, Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI), Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Julia Kolter
- Institute for Immunodeficiency, Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI), Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Giulia Cascone
- Institute of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Nikolaos Dokalis
- Institute of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Vlachos
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Center for Basics in Neuromodulation (NeuroModulBasics), Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Zsolt Ruzsics
- Institute for Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Philipp Henneke
- Institute for Immunodeficiency, Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI), Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Center for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- CIBSS Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Marco Prinz
- Institute of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Center for Basics in Neuromodulation (NeuroModulBasics), Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS-Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Blank
- Institute of Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
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Ju LS, Morey TE, Seubert CN, Martynyuk AE. Intergenerational Perioperative Neurocognitive Disorder. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12040567. [PMID: 37106766 PMCID: PMC10135810 DOI: 10.3390/biology12040567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Accelerated neurocognitive decline after general anesthesia/surgery, also known as perioperative neurocognitive disorder (PND), is a widely recognized public health problem that may affect millions of patients each year. Advanced age, with its increasing prevalence of heightened stress, inflammation, and neurodegenerative alterations, is a consistent contributing factor to the development of PND. Although a strong homeostatic reserve in young adults makes them more resilient to PND, animal data suggest that young adults with pathophysiological conditions characterized by excessive stress and inflammation may be vulnerable to PND, and this altered phenotype may be passed to future offspring (intergenerational PND). The purpose of this narrative review of data in the literature and the authors' own experimental findings in rodents is to draw attention to the possibility of intergenerational PND, a new phenomenon which, if confirmed in humans, may unravel a big new population that may be affected by parental PND. In particular, we discuss the roles of stress, inflammation, and epigenetic alterations in the development of PND. We also discuss experimental findings that demonstrate the effects of surgery, traumatic brain injury, and the general anesthetic sevoflurane that interact to induce persistent dysregulation of the stress response system, inflammation markers, and behavior in young adult male rats and in their future offspring who have neither trauma nor anesthetic exposure (i.e., an animal model of intergenerational PND).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Sha Ju
- Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, P.O. Box 100254, JHMHC, 1600 SW Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Timothy E Morey
- Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, P.O. Box 100254, JHMHC, 1600 SW Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Christoph N Seubert
- Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, P.O. Box 100254, JHMHC, 1600 SW Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Anatoly E Martynyuk
- Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, P.O. Box 100254, JHMHC, 1600 SW Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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31
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Fenske SJ, Liu J, Chen H, Diniz MA, Stephens RL, Cornea E, Gilmore JH, Gao W. Sex differences in resting state functional connectivity across the first two years of life. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 60:101235. [PMID: 36966646 PMCID: PMC10066534 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Sex differences in behavior have been reported from infancy through adulthood, but little is known about sex effects on functional circuitry in early infancy. Moreover, the relationship between early sex effects on the functional architecture of the brain and later behavioral performance remains to be elucidated. In this study, we used resting-state fMRI and a novel heatmap analysis to examine sex differences in functional connectivity with cross-sectional and longitudinal mixed models in a large cohort of infants (n = 319 neonates, 1-, and 2-year-olds). An adult dataset (n = 92) was also included for comparison. We investigated the relationship between sex differences in functional circuitry and later measures of language (collected in 1- and 2-year-olds) as well as indices of anxiety, executive function, and intelligence (collected in 4-year-olds). Brain areas showing the most significant sex differences were age-specific across infancy, with two temporal regions demonstrating consistent differences. Measures of functional connectivity showing sex differences in infancy were significantly associated with subsequent behavioral scores of language, executive function, and intelligence. Our findings provide insights into the effects of sex on dynamic neurodevelopmental trajectories during infancy and lay an important foundation for understanding the mechanisms underlying sex differences in health and disease.
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32
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Jung DH, Lee HJ, Choi YW, Shin HK, Choi BT. Sex-specific responses to juvenile stress on the dopaminergic system in an animal model of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 160:114352. [PMID: 36738506 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.114352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The etiology of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) strongly suggests a genetic component as the main cause; however, environmental factors such as early adverse experiences in childhood may play an interactive role with the genetic susceptibility. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), a genetic ADHD model, and control Wistar Kyoto rats (WKYs) were subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress during the juvenile period. The behavioral characteristics were monitored, and dopamine-related factors in the core regions of dopaminergic pathways were measured. Higher ADHD symptom-related behaviors were observed in response to juvenile stress in male SHRs than control WKYs. For the SHRs subjected to juvenile stress, hyperactivity in males, recognition in females, and depressant potential in both sexes were markedly observed. In the expression of 17 dopamine-related genes and proteins, greater changes were detected in male SHRs subjected to juvenile stress, especially in dopamine metabolic factors. Dopamine clearance factors involved in dopamine degradation and transport, especially catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and dopamine transporter (DAT), showed sex-specific differences induced by juvenile stress in dopamine metabolite assays. Moreover, stressed male SHRs treated with methylphenidate showed better improvement in behavior than the females, resulting in different levels of COMT and DAT amelioration. These results suggest that juvenile stress potentially increased the incidence of ADHD in a genetic rat model, which showed sex-specific differences based on the expression of COMT and DAT. Therefore, our results could help develop gender-specific diagnostics and healthcare options for juvenile stress in patients with ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da Hee Jung
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Republic of Korea; Graduate Training Program of Korean Medical Therapeutics for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Republic of Korea
| | - Hong Ju Lee
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Republic of Korea; Graduate Training Program of Korean Medical Therapeutics for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Whan Choi
- Department of Horticultural Bioscience, College of Natural Resource and Life Science, Pusan National University, Miryang 50463, Republic of Korea
| | - Hwa Kyoung Shin
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Republic of Korea; Graduate Training Program of Korean Medical Therapeutics for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Republic of Korea.
| | - Byung Tae Choi
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Republic of Korea; Graduate Training Program of Korean Medical Therapeutics for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Republic of Korea.
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33
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Cook KM, De Asis-Cruz J, Lopez C, Quistorff J, Kapse K, Andersen N, Vezina G, Limperopoulos C. Robust sex differences in functional brain connectivity are present in utero. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:2441-2454. [PMID: 35641152 PMCID: PMC10016060 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex-based differences in brain structure and function are observable throughout development and are thought to contribute to differences in behavior, cognition, and the presentation of neurodevelopmental disorders. Using multiple support vector machine (SVM) models as a data-driven approach to assess sex differences, we sought to identify regions exhibiting sex-dependent differences in functional connectivity and determine whether they were robust and sufficiently reliable to classify sex even prior to birth. To accomplish this, we used a sample of 110 human fetal resting state fMRI scans from 95 fetuses, performed between 19 and 40 gestational weeks. Functional brain connectivity patterns classified fetal sex with 73% accuracy. Across SVM models, we identified features (functional connections) that reliably differentiated fetal sex. Highly consistent predictors included connections in the somatomotor and frontal areas alongside the hippocampus, cerebellum, and basal ganglia. Moreover, high consistency features also implicated a greater magnitude of cross-region connections in females, while male weighted features were predominately within anatomically bounded regions. Our findings indicate that these differences, which have been observed later in childhood, are present and reliably detectable even before birth. These results show that sex differences arise before birth in a manner that is consistent and reliable enough to be highly identifiable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M Cook
- Developing Brain Institute, Children’s National, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC 20010, USA
| | - Josepheen De Asis-Cruz
- Developing Brain Institute, Children’s National, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC 20010, USA
| | - Catherine Lopez
- Developing Brain Institute, Children’s National, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC 20010, USA
| | - Jessica Quistorff
- Developing Brain Institute, Children’s National, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC 20010, USA
| | - Kushal Kapse
- Developing Brain Institute, Children’s National, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC 20010, USA
| | - Nicole Andersen
- Developing Brain Institute, Children’s National, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC 20010, USA
| | - Gilbert Vezina
- Division of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology, Children’s National, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC 20010, USA
| | - Catherine Limperopoulos
- Developing Brain Institute, Children’s National, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington DC 20010, USA
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34
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Breton É, Juster RP, Booij L. Gender and sex in eating disorders: A narrative review of the current state of knowledge, research gaps, and recommendations. Brain Behav 2023; 13:e2871. [PMID: 36840375 PMCID: PMC10097055 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Eating disorders (EDs) have long been considered conditions exclusively affecting women, and studies in the ED field regularly exclude men. Research efforts are needed to better understand the role of gender and sex in EDs. This review describes the role of gender and sex in the development of EDs from a biopsychosocial perspective. METHODS The primary hypothesis of this narrative review is that gender and sex interact to influence ED risk. The literature review was conducted using the PubMed database. RESULTS This review first presents the general characteristics and prevalence of EDs according to gender and sex. Next, neurodevelopmental processes, neurobiology, gender roles, body image, and the minority stress model are addressed. Lastly, research perspectives to better include gender and sex in the field of EDs are discussed (e.g., representation of gender and sex diversities, development of appropriate assessment tools, and increasing awareness). CONCLUSION Although substantial knowledge gaps remain, there is a growing recognition of the importance of integrating gender and sex in ED research that holds promise for further development in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Édith Breton
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, Montreal, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Robert-Paul Juster
- Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada.,Research Centre of the Montreal Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada
| | - Linda Booij
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, Montreal, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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35
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García-Llorca A, Kararigas G. Sex-Related Effects of Gut Microbiota in Metabolic Syndrome-Related Diabetic Retinopathy. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11020447. [PMID: 36838411 PMCID: PMC9967826 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex disease of metabolic abnormalities, including obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidaemia, and it is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of vision loss among working-aged adults around the world and is the most frequent complication in type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients. The gut microbiota are a complex ecosystem made up of more than 100 trillion of microbial cells and their composition and diversity have been identified as potential risk factors for the development of several metabolic disorders, including MetS, T2D, DR and CVD. Biomarkers are used to monitor or analyse biological processes, therapeutic responses, as well as for the early detection of pathogenic disorders. Here, we discuss molecular mechanisms underlying MetS, the effects of biological sex in MetS-related DR and gut microbiota, as well as the latest advances in biomarker research in the field. We conclude that sex may play an important role in gut microbiota influencing MetS-related DR.
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36
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Chen C, Zhou J, Xia Y, Li M, Chen Y, Dai J, Liu C. A Higher Dysregulation Burden of Brain DNA Methylation in Female Patients Implicated in the Sex Bias of Schizophrenia. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2496133. [PMID: 36778507 PMCID: PMC9915764 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2496133/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences are pervasive in schizophrenia (SCZ), but the extent and magnitude of DNA methylation (DNAm) changes underlying these differences remain uncharacterized. In this study, sex-stratified differential DNAm analysis was performed in postmortem brain samples from 117 SCZ and 137 controls, partitioned into discovery and replication datasets. Three differentially methylated positions (DMPs) were identified (adj. p < 0.05) in females and 29 DMPs in males without overlap between them. Over 81% of these sex-stratified DMPs were directionally consistent between sexes but with different effect sizes. Down-sampling analysis revealed more DMPs in females than in males when the sample sizes matched. Females had higher DNAm levels in healthy individuals and larger magnitude of DNAm changes in patients than males. Despite similar proportions of female-related DMPs (fDMPs, 8%) being under genetic control compared with males (10%), significant enrichment of DMP-related SNPs in signals of genome-wide association studies was identified only in fDMPs. One DMP in each sex connected the SNPs and gene expression of CALHM1 in females and CCDC149 in males. PPI subnetworks revealed that both female- and male-related differential DNAm interacted with synapse-related dysregulation. Immune-related pathways were unique for females and neuron-related pathways were associated with males. This study reveals remarkable quantitative differences in DNAm-related sexual dimorphism in SCZ and that females have a higher dysregulation burden of SCZ-associated DNAm than males.
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Simmons SC, Grecco GG, Atwood BK, Nugent FS. Effects of prenatal opioid exposure on synaptic adaptations and behaviors across development. Neuropharmacology 2023; 222:109312. [PMID: 36334764 PMCID: PMC10314127 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
In this review, we focus on prenatal opioid exposure (POE) given the significant concern for the mental health outcomes of children with parents affected by opioid use disorder (OUD) in the view of the current opioid crisis. We highlight some of the less explored interactions between developmental age and sex on synaptic plasticity and associated behavioral outcomes in preclinical POE research. We begin with an overview of the rich literature on hippocampal related behaviors and plasticity across POE exposure paradigms. We then discuss recent work on reward circuit dysregulation following POE. Additional risk factors such as early life stress (ELS) could further influence synaptic and behavioral outcomes of POE. Therefore, we include an overview on the use of preclinical ELS models where ELS exposure during key critical developmental periods confers considerable vulnerability to addiction and stress psychopathology. Here, we hope to highlight the similarity between POE and ELS on development and maintenance of opioid-induced plasticity and altered opioid-related behaviors where similar enduring plasticity in reward circuits may occur. We conclude the review with some of the limitations that should be considered in future investigations. This article is part of the Special Issue on 'Opioid-induced addiction'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C Simmons
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Greg G Grecco
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Brady K Atwood
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Fereshteh S Nugent
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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Hilz EN, Lee HJ. Estradiol and progesterone in female reward-learning, addiction, and therapeutic interventions. Front Neuroendocrinol 2023; 68:101043. [PMID: 36356909 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2022.101043] [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] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Sex steroid hormones like estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) guide the sexual organization and activation of the developing brain and control female reproductive behavior throughout the lifecycle; importantly, these hormones modulate functional activity of not just the endocrine system, but most of the nervous system including the brain reward system. The effects of E2 and P4 can be seen in the processing of and memory for rewarding stimuli and in the development of compulsive reward-seeking behaviors like those seen in substance use disorders. Women are at increased risk of developing substance use disorders; however, the origins of this sex difference are not well understood and therapeutic interventions targeting ovarian hormones have produced conflicting results. This article reviews the contribution of the E2 and P4 in females to functional modulation of the brain reward system, their possible roles in origins of addiction vulnerability, and the development and treatment of compulsive reward-seeking behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily N Hilz
- The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Pharmacology, USA.
| | - Hongjoo J Lee
- The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology, USA; The University of Texas at Austin, Institute for Neuroscience, USA
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Keil-Stietz K, Lein PJ. Gene×environment interactions in autism spectrum disorders. Curr Top Dev Biol 2022; 152:221-284. [PMID: 36707213 PMCID: PMC10496028 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2022.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
There is credible evidence that environmental factors influence individual risk and/or severity of autism spectrum disorders (hereafter referred to as autism). While it is likely that environmental chemicals contribute to the etiology of autism via multiple mechanisms, identifying specific environmental factors that confer risk for autism and understanding how they contribute to the etiology of autism has been challenging, in part because the influence of environmental chemicals likely varies depending on the genetic substrate of the exposed individual. Current research efforts are focused on elucidating the mechanisms by which environmental chemicals interact with autism genetic susceptibilities to adversely impact neurodevelopment. The goal is to not only generate insights regarding the pathophysiology of autism, but also inform the development of screening platforms to identify specific environmental factors and gene×environment (G×E) interactions that modify autism risk. Data from such studies are needed to support development of intervention strategies for mitigating the burden of this neurodevelopmental condition on individuals, their families and society. In this review, we discuss environmental chemicals identified as putative autism risk factors and proposed mechanisms by which G×E interactions influence autism risk and/or severity using polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as an example.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly Keil-Stietz
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Veterinary Medicine, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Pamela J Lein
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, CA, United States.
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Male and female mice display consistent lifelong ability to address potential life-threatening cues using different post-threat coping strategies. BMC Biol 2022; 20:281. [PMID: 36522765 PMCID: PMC9753375 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01486-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sex differences ranging from physiological functions to pathological disorders are developmentally hard-wired in a broad range of animals, from invertebrates to humans. These differences ensure that animals can display appropriate behaviors under a variety of circumstances, such as aggression, hunting, sleep, mating, and parental care, which are often thought to be important in the acquisition of resources, including territory, food, and mates. Although there are reports of an absence of sexual dimorphism in the context of innate fear, the question of whether there is sexual dimorphism of innate defensive behavior is still an open question. Therefore, an in-depth investigation to determine whether there are sex differences in developmentally hard-wired innate defensive behaviors in life-threatening circumstances is warranted. RESULTS We found that innate defensive behavioral responses to potentially life-threatening stimuli between males and females were indistinguishable over their lifespan. However, by using 3 dimensional (3D)-motion learning framework analysis, we found that males and females showed different behavioral patterns after escaping to the refuge. Specifically, the defensive "freezing" occurred primarily in males, whereas females were more likely to return directly to exploration. Moreover, there were also no estrous phase differences in innate defensive behavioral responses after looming stimuli. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that visually-evoked innate fear behavior is highly conserved throughout the lifespan in both males and females, while specific post-threat coping strategies depend on sex. These findings indicate that innate fear behavior is essential to both sexes and as such, there are no evolutionary-driven sex differences in defensive ability.
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Prostaglandin E2 receptor Ptger4b regulates female-specific peptidergic neurons and female sexual receptivity in medaka. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1215. [PMID: 36357668 PMCID: PMC9649691 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04195-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In vertebrates, female receptivity to male courtship is highly dependent on ovarian secretion of estrogens and prostaglandins. We recently identified female-specific neurons in the medaka (Oryzias latipes) preoptic area that express Npba, a neuropeptide mediating female sexual receptivity, in response to ovarian estrogens. Here we show by transcriptomic analysis that these neurons express a multitude of neuropeptides, in addition to Npba, in an ovarian-dependent manner, and we thus termed them female-specific, sex steroid-responsive peptidergic (FeSP) neurons. Our results further revealed that FeSP neurons express a prostaglandin E2 receptor gene, ptger4b, in an ovarian estrogen-dependent manner. Behavioral and physiological examination of ptger4b-deficient female medaka found that they exhibit increased sexual receptivity while retaining normal ovarian function and that their FeSP neurons have reduced firing activity and impaired neuropeptide release. Collectively, this work provides evidence that prostaglandin E2/Ptger4b signaling mediates the estrogenic regulation of FeSP neuron activity and female sexual receptivity. Prostaglandin E2 signaling mediates the estrogenic regulation of peptidergic neuronal activity and female receptivity via the ptger4b gene pathway in Japanese rice fish.
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Zhang S, Fu Z, Xu Y, Zhao X, Sun M, Feng X. The masculinization steroid milieu caused by fluorene-9-bisphenol disrupts sex-typical courtship behavior in female zebrafish (Danio rerio). ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2022; 246:114174. [PMID: 36228360 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.114174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In vertebrates, the behavior of congenital sex differences between males and females is highly dependent on steroid signals and hormonal milieu. The presence of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in the environment generally plays a similar role to sex hormones, so its interference with aquatic organism population stability can not be ignored and is worth studying. Fluorene-9-bisphenol (BHPF) has been clarified as an endocrine disruptor on organisms by several studies but its mechanism in perturbation of courtship behavior of female zebrafish is not clear. Here, we proposed an automated multi-zebrafish tracking method quantifying the courtship process and reported that zebrafish females exposed to BHPF, are not receptive to males but rather court females, and lose normal ovarian function with an altered sex steroid milieu. Our results showed that BHPF damaged 17β-estradiol synthesis by down-regulation of sox3 and cyp19a1a, linking apoptosis with ovary development and female fecundity. The down-regulated expression of estrogen signaling through an estrogen receptor, esr2b, caused the induction of masculinization of female courtship behavior and sexual preference in zebrafish females after BHPF treatment. This process might be mediated by inhibiting the transcription of a neuropeptide B (npb) in the brain. Our study reveals that the estrogen signaling pathway may play an important role in classical courtship behavior and sexual preference of zebrafish. This study provided evidence that anti-estrogenic chemical exposure caused adverse effects on the regulation of the brain-gonad-estrogen axis of aquatic organisms, which should be of concern and highlighted the importance of controlling environmental contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuhui Zhang
- College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, The Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education. Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Zhenhua Fu
- The Institute of Robotics and Automatic Information Systems, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Yixin Xu
- College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, The Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education. Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Xin Zhao
- The Institute of Robotics and Automatic Information Systems, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Mingzhu Sun
- The Institute of Robotics and Automatic Information Systems, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Xizeng Feng
- College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, The Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials, Ministry of Education. Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
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Vidal-Itriago A, Radford RAW, Aramideh JA, Maurel C, Scherer NM, Don EK, Lee A, Chung RS, Graeber MB, Morsch M. Microglia morphophysiological diversity and its implications for the CNS. Front Immunol 2022; 13:997786. [PMID: 36341385 PMCID: PMC9627549 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.997786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Microglia are mononuclear phagocytes of mesodermal origin that migrate to the central nervous system (CNS) during the early stages of embryonic development. After colonizing the CNS, they proliferate and remain able to self-renew throughout life, maintaining the number of microglia around 5-12% of the cells in the CNS parenchyma. They are considered to play key roles in development, homeostasis and innate immunity of the CNS. Microglia are exceptionally diverse in their morphological characteristics, actively modifying the shape of their processes and soma in response to different stimuli. This broad morphological spectrum of microglia responses is considered to be closely correlated to their diverse range of functions in health and disease. However, the morphophysiological attributes of microglia, and the structural and functional features of microglia-neuron interactions, remain largely unknown. Here, we assess the current knowledge of the diverse microglial morphologies, with a focus on the correlation between microglial shape and function. We also outline some of the current challenges, opportunities, and future directions that will help us to tackle unanswered questions about microglia, and to continue unravelling the mysteries of microglia, in all its shapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Vidal-Itriago
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Rowan A. W. Radford
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jason A. Aramideh
- Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Cindy Maurel
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Natalie M. Scherer
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Emily K. Don
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Albert Lee
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Roger S. Chung
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Manuel B. Graeber
- Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Marco Morsch
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Perinatal Morphine Exposure Leads to Sex-Dependent Executive Function Deficits and Microglial Changes in Mice. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0238-22.2022. [PMID: 36216505 PMCID: PMC9581576 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0238-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Children exposed prenatally to opioids are at an increased risk for behavioral problems and executive function deficits. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) and amygdala (AMG) regulate executive function and social behavior and are sensitive to opioids prenatally. Opioids can bind to toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) to activate microglia, which may be developmentally important for synaptic pruning. Therefore, we tested the effects of perinatal morphine exposure on executive function and social behavior in male and female mouse offspring, along with microglial-related and synaptic-related outcomes. Dams were injected once daily subcutaneously with saline (n = 8) or morphine (MO; 10 mg/kg; n = 12) throughout pregestation, gestation, and lactation until offspring were weaned on postnatal day 21 (P21). Male MO offspring had impairments in attention and accuracy in the five-choice serial reaction time task, while female MO offspring were less affected. Targeted gene expression analysis at P21 in the PFC identified alterations in microglial-related and TLR4-related genes, while immunohistochemical analysis in adult brains indicated decreased microglial Iba1 and phagocytic CD68 proteins in the PFC and AMG in males, but females had an increase. Further, both male and female MO offspring had increased social preference. Overall, these data demonstrate male vulnerability to executive function deficits in response to perinatal opioid exposure and evidence for disruptions in neuron-microglial signaling.
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Carlessi AS, Botelho MEM, Manosso LM, Borba LA, Maciel LR, Andrade NM, Martinello NS, Padilha APZ, Generoso CM, Bencke CV, de Moura AB, Lodetti BF, Collodel A, Joaquim L, Bonfante S, Biehl E, Generoso JS, Arent CO, Barichello T, Petronilho F, Quevedo J, Réus GZ. Sex differences on the response to antidepressants and psychobiotics following early life stress in rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2022; 220:173468. [PMID: 36174752 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2022.173468] [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] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most prevalent mood disorder globally. Most antidepressants available for the treatment of MDD increase the concentration of monoamines in the synaptic cleft. However, such drugs have a high latency time to obtain benefits. Thus, new antidepressants with fast action and robust efficacy are very important. This study evaluated the effects of escitalopram, ketamine, and probiotic Bifidobacterium infantis in rats submitted to the maternal deprivation (MD). MD rats received saline, escitalopram, ketamine, or probiotic for 10, 30, or 50 days, depending on the postnatal day (PND):21, 41, and 61. Following behavior, this study examined the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and oxidative stress markers. MD induced depressive-like behavior in females with PND21 and males with PND61. All treatments reversed depressive-like behavior in females and escitalopram and ketamine in males. MD induced an increase in the permeability of the BBB, an imbalance between oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses. Treatments regulated the oxidative damage and the integrity of the BBB induced by MD. The treatment with escitalopram, ketamine, or probiotics may prevent behavioral and neurochemical changes associated with MDD, depending on the developmental period and gender.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anelise S Carlessi
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciuma, SC, Brazil
| | - Maria Eduarda M Botelho
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciuma, SC, Brazil
| | - Luana M Manosso
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciuma, SC, Brazil
| | - Laura A Borba
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciuma, SC, Brazil
| | - Larissa R Maciel
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciuma, SC, Brazil
| | - Natalia M Andrade
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciuma, SC, Brazil
| | - Nicoly S Martinello
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciuma, SC, Brazil
| | - Alex Paulo Z Padilha
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciuma, SC, Brazil
| | - Camille M Generoso
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciuma, SC, Brazil
| | - Clara Vitória Bencke
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciuma, SC, Brazil
| | - Airam B de Moura
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciuma, SC, Brazil
| | - Bruna F Lodetti
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathophysiology, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciúma, SC, Brazil
| | - Allan Collodel
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathophysiology, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciúma, SC, Brazil
| | - Larissa Joaquim
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathophysiology, Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNISUL), Tubarão, SC, Brazil
| | - Sandra Bonfante
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathophysiology, Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNISUL), Tubarão, SC, Brazil
| | - Erica Biehl
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathophysiology, Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNISUL), Tubarão, SC, Brazil
| | - Jaqueline S Generoso
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathophysiology, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciúma, SC, Brazil
| | - Camila O Arent
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciuma, SC, Brazil
| | - Tatiana Barichello
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathophysiology, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciúma, SC, Brazil; Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathophysiology, Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNISUL), Tubarão, SC, Brazil
| | - Fabricia Petronilho
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathophysiology, Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNISUL), Tubarão, SC, Brazil
| | - João Quevedo
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciuma, SC, Brazil; Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX, USA; Center of Excellence on Mood Disorders, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gislaine Z Réus
- Translational Psychiatry Laboratory, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciuma, SC, Brazil.
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Duclot F, Liu Y, Saland SK, Wang Z, Kabbaj M. Transcriptomic analysis of paternal behaviors in prairie voles. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:679. [PMID: 36183097 PMCID: PMC9526941 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08912-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The importance of fathers’ engagement in care and its critical role in the offspring’s cognitive and emotional development is now well established. Yet, little is known on the underlying neurobiology due to the lack of appropriate animal models. In the socially monogamous and bi-parental prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster), while 60–80% of virgin males show spontaneous paternal behaviors (Paternal), others display pup-directed aggression (Attackers). Here we took advantage of this phenotypic dichotomy and used RNA-sequencing in three important brain areas to characterize gene expression associated with paternal behaviors of Paternal males and compare it to experienced Fathers and Mothers. Results While Paternal males displayed the same range and extent of paternal behaviors as experienced Fathers, we observed structure-specific transcriptomic differences between parental behaviors phenotypes. Using differential expression, gene set expression, as well as co-expression network analyses, we found that phenotypic differences between Paternal males and Attackers were mainly reflected by the lateral septum (LS), and to a lower extent, the nucleus accumbens (NAc), transcriptomes. In the medial preoptic area (MPOA), the profiles of gene expression mainly reflected differences between females and males regardless of their parental behaviors phenotype. Functional enrichment analyses of those gene sets associated with Paternal males or Attackers in the LS and the NAc revealed the involvement of processes related to the mitochondria, RNA translation, protein degradation processes, as well as epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Conclusions By leveraging the natural phenotypic differences in parental behaviors in virgin male prairie voles alongside fathers and mothers, we identified a marked structure- and phenotype-specific pattern of gene expression associated with spontaneous paternal behaviors independently from fatherhood and pair-bonding. The LS transcriptome related to the mitochondria, RNA translation, and protein degradation processes was thus highlighted as a primary candidate associated with the spontaneous display of paternal behaviors. Altogether, our observations further characterize the behavioral and transcriptomic signature of parental behaviors in the socially monogamous prairie vole and lay the groundwork to further our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of paternal behavior. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08912-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Duclot
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA. .,Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
| | - Yan Liu
- Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.,Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Samantha K Saland
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.,Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Zuoxin Wang
- Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.,Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Mohamed Kabbaj
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA. .,Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
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Microglia involvement in sex-dependent behaviors and schizophrenia occurrence in offspring with maternal dexamethasone exposure. SCHIZOPHRENIA 2022; 8:71. [PMID: 36075925 PMCID: PMC9458670 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-022-00280-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Fetal microglia that are particularly sensitive cells to the changes in utero environment might be involved in the sex-biased onset and vulnerability to psychiatric disorders. To address this issue, we administered a 50 µg/kg dexamethasone (DEX) to dams subcutaneously from gestational days 16 to 18 and a series of behavioral assessments were performed in the offspring. Prenatal exposure to dexamethasone (PN-DEX) induced schizophrenia (SCZ)-relevant behaviors in male mice and depressive-like behavior in female mice. SCZ-relevant behavioral patterns occurred in 10-week-old (10 W) male mice but not in 4-week-old (4 W) male mice. Microglia in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the striatum (STR) of 10 W males prenatally treated with dexamethasone (10 W PN-DEX-M) showed hyper-ramified morphology and dramatically reduced spine density in mPFC. Immunofluorescence studies indicated that microglia in the mPFC of the 10 W PN-DEX-M group interacted with pre-synaptic Bassoon and post-synaptic density 95 (PSD95) puncta. PN-DEX-M also showed significantly changed dopamine system proteins. However, a testosterone surge during adolescence was not a trigger on SCZ-relevant behavior occurrence in 10 W PN-DEX-M. Furthermore, females prenatally treated with dexamethasone (PN-DEX-F) displayed depressive-like behavior, in addition to HPA-axis activation and inflammatory microglial phenotypes in their hippocampus (HPC). We propose that altered microglial function, such as increased synaptic pruning, may be involved in the occurrence of SCZ-relevant behavior in PN-DEX-M and sex-biased abnormal behavior in the PN-DEX model.
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Marazziti D, Diep PT, Carter S, Carbone MG. Oxytocin: An Old Hormone, A Novel Psychotropic Drug And Possible Use In Treating Psychiatric Disorders. Curr Med Chem 2022; 29:5615-5687. [PMID: 35894453 DOI: 10.2174/0929867329666220727120646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oxytocin is a nonapeptide synthesized in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus. Historically, this molecule has been involved as a key factor in the formation of infant attachment, maternal behavior and pair bonding and, more generally, in linking social signals with cognition, behaviors and reward. In the last decades, the whole oxytocin system has gained a growing interest as it was proposed to be implicated in etiopathogenesis of several neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. METHODS With the main goal of an in-depth understanding of the oxytocin role in the regulation of different functions and complex behaviors as well as its intriguing implications in different neuropsychiatric disorders, we performed a critical review of the current state of art. We carried out this work through PubMed database up to June 2021 with the search terms: 1) "oxytocin and neuropsychiatric disorders"; 2) "oxytocin and neurodevelopmental disorders"; 3) "oxytocin and anorexia"; 4) "oxytocin and eating disorders"; 5) "oxytocin and obsessive-compulsive disorder"; 6) "oxytocin and schizophrenia"; 7) "oxytocin and depression"; 8) "oxytocin and bipolar disorder"; 9) "oxytocin and psychosis"; 10) "oxytocin and anxiety"; 11) "oxytocin and personality disorder"; 12) "oxytocin and PTSD". RESULTS Biological, genetic, and epigenetic studies highlighted quality and quantity modifications in the expression of oxytocin peptide or in oxytocin receptor isoforms. These alterations would seem to be correlated with a higher risk of presenting several neuropsychiatric disorders belonging to different psychopathological spectra. Collaterally, the exogenous oxytocin administration has shown to ameliorate many neuropsychiatric clinical conditions. CONCLUSION Finally, we briefly analyzed the potential pharmacological use of oxytocin in patient with severe symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and immunoregulatory properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donatella Marazziti
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, Italy.,Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences, Rome, Italy
| | - Phuoc-Tan Diep
- Department of Histopathology, Royal Lancaster Infirmary, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Sue Carter
- Director Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Manuel G Carbone
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Division of Psychiatry, University of Insubria, 21100 Varese, Italy
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Casado-Navarro R, Serrano-Saiz E. DMRT Transcription Factors in the Control of Nervous System Sexual Differentiation. Front Neuroanat 2022; 16:937596. [PMID: 35958734 PMCID: PMC9361473 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2022.937596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual phenotypic differences in the nervous system are one of the most prevalent features across the animal kingdom. The molecular mechanisms responsible for sexual dimorphism throughout metazoan nervous systems are extremely diverse, ranging from intrinsic cell autonomous mechanisms to gonad-dependent endocrine control of sexual traits, or even extrinsic environmental cues. In recent years, the DMRT ancient family of transcription factors has emerged as being central in the development of sex-specific differentiation in all animals in which they have been studied. In this review, we provide an overview of the function of Dmrt genes in nervous system sexual regulation from an evolutionary perspective.
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50
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Sex differences in the human brain: a roadmap for more careful analysis and interpretation of a biological reality. Biol Sex Differ 2022; 13:43. [PMID: 35883159 PMCID: PMC9327177 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-022-00448-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence, magnitude, and significance of sex differences in the human brain are hotly debated topics in the scientific community and popular media. This debate is largely fueled by studies containing strong, opposing conclusions: either little to no evidence exists for sex differences in human neuroanatomy, or there are small-to-moderate differences in the size of certain brain regions that are highly reproducible across cohorts (even after controlling for sex differences in average brain size). Our Commentary uses the specific comparison between two recent large-scale studies that adopt these opposing views-namely the review by Eliot and colleagues (2021) and the direct analysis of ~ 40k brains by Williams and colleagues (2021)-in an effort to clarify this controversy and provide a framework for conducting this research. First, we review observations that motivate research on sex differences in human neuroanatomy, including potential causes (evolutionary, genetic, and environmental) and effects (epidemiological and clinical evidence for sex-biased brain disorders). We also summarize methodological and empirical support for using structural MRI to investigate such patterns. Next, we outline how researchers focused on sex differences can better specify their study design (e.g., how sex was defined, if and how brain size was adjusted for) and results (by e.g., distinguishing sexual dimorphisms from sex differences). We then compare the different approaches available for studying sex differences across a large number of individuals: direct analysis, meta-analysis, and review. We stress that reviews do not account for methodological differences across studies, and that this variation explains many of the apparent inconsistencies reported throughout recent reviews (including the work by Eliot and colleagues). For instance, we show that amygdala volume is consistently reported as male-biased in studies with sufficient sample sizes and appropriate methods for brain size correction. In fact, comparing the results from multiple large direct analyses highlights small, highly reproducible sex differences in the volume of many brain regions (controlling for brain size). Finally, we describe best practices for the presentation and interpretation of these findings. Care in interpretation is important for all domains of science, but especially so for research on sex differences in the human brain, given the existence of broad societal gender-biases and a history of biological data being used justify sexist ideas. As such, we urge researchers to discuss their results from simultaneously scientific and anti-sexist viewpoints.
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