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Paredes D, Morilak DA. Therapeutic effects of extinction require hippocampal input and BDNF signaling in IL. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024:10.1038/s41386-024-01948-6. [PMID: 39085427 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-01948-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Denisse Paredes
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
| | - David A Morilak
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
- South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, USA
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Paredes D, Morilak DA. Ventral Hippocampal Input to Infralimbic Cortex Is Necessary for the Therapeutic-Like Effects of Extinction in Stressed Rats. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2023; 26:529-536. [PMID: 37480574 PMCID: PMC10464924 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyad043] [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: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder is characterized by deficits in cognitive flexibility related to dysfunction of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Exposure therapy can effectively reverse these deficits. Fear extinction in rodents bears similarity to exposure therapy. Extinction reverses chronic stress-induced deficits in cognitive flexibility on the attentional set-shifting test (AST), an mPFC-mediated process. This therapeutic effect requires activity of pyramidal neurons and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling in infralimbic cortex (IL). However, the circuit mechanisms governing BDNF-mediated plasticity initiated by extinction in IL are unknown. The ventral hippocampus (vHipp) plays a role in regulating IL activity during extinction, and plasticity in vHipp is necessary for extinction memory consolidation. Therefore, we investigated the role of vHipp input to IL in the effects of extinction in reversing stress-induced cognitive deficits. METHODS vHipp input to IL was silenced using a Gi-Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADD) via local infusion of clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) into IL before extinction. A day later, rats were tested on AST. In a separate experiment, we tested whether vHipp input to the IL induces BDNF signaling to exert therapeutic effects. We activated the vHipp using a Gq-DREADD, and injected an anti-BDNF neutralizing antibody into IL. Rats were tested on the AST 24 hours later. RESULTS Silencing the vHipp input to IL prevented the beneficial effects of extinction in reversing stress-induced cognitive deficits. Activating vHipp input to IL in the absence of extinction was sufficient to reverse stress-induced deficits in set-shifting. The beneficial effects were blocked by local infusion of a neutralizing anti-BDNF antibody into IL. CONCLUSIONS vHipp-driven BDNF signaling in IL is critical for extinction to counteract the deleterious cognitive effects of chronic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denisse Paredes
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - David A Morilak
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
- South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX
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Meamar M, Rashidy-Pour A, Rahmani M, Vafaei AA, Raise-Abdullahi P. Glucocorticoid- β-adrenoceptors interactions in the infralimbic cortex in acquisition and consolidation of auditory fear memory extinction in rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2023; 225:173560. [PMID: 37094708 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2023.173560] [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: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the interactive effect of glucocorticoid and β-adrenoceptors in the infralimbic (IL) cortex on the acquisition and consolidation of fear extinction in rats' auditory fear conditioning (AFC) task. On day 1, rats underwent habituation for 9 min (12 tonnes, 10 s, 4 kHz, 80 dB, without footshock). On day 2 (conditioning), rats received 3 mild electrical footshocks (US; 2 s, 0.5 mA) paired with the auditory-conditioned stimulus (CS; tone: 30 s, 4 kHz, 80 dB). On days 3-5 (Ext 1-3), rats received 15 tonnes with no footshock in the test box. Intra-IL injection of corticosterone (CORT, 20 ng/0.5 μl per side) before Ext 1 and after Ext 1-2, respectively, facilitated the acquisition and consolidation of fear memory extinction. Intra-IL injection of the β2-adrenoceptor agonist clenbuterol (CLEN, 50 ng/0.5 μl per side) inhibited, but the β-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol (PROP, 500 ng/0.5 μl per side) enhanced the facilitatory effects of CORT on fear memory extinction. CORT injection before the acquisition of fear extinction increased p-ERK levels in the IL. Co-injection of CORT with CLEN increased, but PROP decreased p-ERK activities. CORT injection after the consolidation of fear extinction increased p-CREB in the IL. Co-injection of CORT with CLEN increased, but PROP reduced p-CREB activities. Our findings show that corticosterone facilitates the acquisition and consolidation of fear memory extinction. GRs and β-adrenoceptors in the IL jointly regulate fear memory extinction via ERK and CREB signaling pathways. This pre-clinical animal study may highlight the effect of GRs and β-adrenoceptors of the IL cortex in regulating fear memory processes in fear-related disorders such as PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morvarid Meamar
- Research Center of Physiology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Ali Rashidy-Pour
- Research Center of Physiology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran; Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Mehrnoush Rahmani
- Research Center of Physiology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Abbas Ali Vafaei
- Research Center of Physiology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran; Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.
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Thapliyal S, Arendt KL, Lau AG, Chen L. Retinoic acid-gated BDNF synthesis in neuronal dendrites drives presynaptic homeostatic plasticity. eLife 2022; 11:e79863. [PMID: 36515276 PMCID: PMC9797192 DOI: 10.7554/elife.79863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Homeostatic synaptic plasticity is a non-Hebbian synaptic mechanism that adjusts synaptic strength to maintain network stability while achieving optimal information processing. Among the molecular mediators shown to regulate this form of plasticity, synaptic signaling through retinoic acid (RA) and its receptor, RARα, has been shown to be critically involved in the homeostatic adjustment of synaptic transmission in both hippocampus and sensory cortices. In this study, we explore the molecular mechanism through which postsynaptic RA and RARα regulates presynaptic neurotransmitter release during prolonged synaptic inactivity at mouse glutamatertic synapses. We show that RARα binds to a subset of dendritically sorted brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) mRNA splice isoforms and represses their translation. The RA-mediated translational de-repression of postsynaptic BDNF results in the retrograde activation of presynaptic tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) receptors, facilitating presynaptic homeostatic compensation through enhanced presynaptic release. Together, our study illustrates an RA-mediated retrograde synaptic signaling pathway through which postsynaptic protein synthesis during synaptic inactivity drives compensatory changes at the presynaptic site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shruti Thapliyal
- Departments of Neurosurgery, Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Kristin L Arendt
- Departments of Neurosurgery, Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Anthony G Lau
- Departments of Neurosurgery, Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Lu Chen
- Departments of Neurosurgery, Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
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Knowles KA, Tolin DF. Mechanisms of Action in Exposure Therapy. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2022; 24:861-869. [PMID: 36399234 DOI: 10.1007/s11920-022-01391-8] [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] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Exposure therapy is an effective treatment for anxiety-related disorders, but many individuals do not achieve full symptom relief, and return of fear is a common occurrence. Understanding how exposure therapy works enables further development of strategies to improve its effectiveness. RECENT FINDINGS Recent studies have examined mechanisms of exposure-based interventions across multiple levels of analysis, from cognitive and behavioral changes that occur during treatment to the neurobiological mechanisms underlying fear extinction. Belief change and reductions in safety behaviors and avoidance mediate symptom improvements during exposure therapy, suggesting plausible cognitive and behavioral mechanisms. On the neural level, increased activation of prefrontal regions during extinction learning is a likely mechanism of exposure. Improved understanding of the biological mechanisms of exposure have led to exciting developments in clinical research, including pharmacological augmentation, though clinical translation of basic research has produced mixed results. Though still in development, such translational research is a promising future direction for exposure-based interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly A Knowles
- Anxiety Disorders Center, The Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital, 200 Retreat Avenue, Hartford, CT, 06106, USA
| | - David F Tolin
- Anxiety Disorders Center, The Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital, 200 Retreat Avenue, Hartford, CT, 06106, USA. .,Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.
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Paredes D, Knippenberg AR, Bulin SE, Keppler LJ, Morilak DA. Adjunct treatment with ketamine enhances the therapeutic effects of extinction learning after chronic unpredictable stress. Neurobiol Stress 2022; 19:100468. [PMID: 35865972 PMCID: PMC9293662 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating illness characterized by dysfunction in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Although both pharmacological and cognitive behavioral interventions have shown some promise at alleviating symptoms, high attrition and persistence of treatment-resistant symptoms pose significant challenges that remain unresolved. Specifically, prolonged exposure therapy, a gold standard intervention to treat PTSD, has high dropout rates resulting in many patients receiving less than a fully effective course of treatment. Administering pharmacological treatments together with behavioral psychotherapies like prolonged exposure may offer an important avenue for enhancing therapeutic efficacy sooner, thus reducing the duration of treatment and mitigating the impact of attrition. In this study, using extinction learning as a rat model of exposure therapy, we hypothesized that administering ketamine as an adjunct treatment together with extinction will enhance the efficacy of extinction in reversing stress-induced deficits in set shifting, a measure of cognitive flexibility. Results showed that combining a sub-effective dose of ketamine with a shortened, sub-effective extinction protocol fully reversed stress-induced cognitive set-shifting deficits in both male and female rats. These effects may be due to shared molecular mechanisms between extinction and ketamine, such as increased neuronal plasticity in common circuitry (e.g., hippocampus-mPFC), or increased BDNF signaling. This work suggests that fast-acting drugs, such as ketamine, can be effectively used in combination with behavioral interventions to reduce treatment duration and potentially mitigate the impact of attrition. Future work is needed to delineate other pharmacotherapies that may complement the effects of extinction via shared or independent mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denisse Paredes
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Anna R. Knippenberg
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Sarah E. Bulin
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Lydia J. Keppler
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - David A. Morilak
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
- South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
- Corresponding author. Department of Pharmacology, Mail Code 7764 University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229-3900, USA
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