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Gore IR, Gould E. Developmental and adult stress: effects of steroids and neurosteroids. Stress 2024; 27:2317856. [PMID: 38563163 PMCID: PMC11046567 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2024.2317856] [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: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
In humans, exposure to early life adversity has profound implications for susceptibility to developing neuropsychiatric disorders later in life. Studies in rodents have shown that stress experienced during early postnatal life can have lasting effects on brain development. Glucocorticoids and sex steroids are produced in endocrine glands and the brain from cholesterol; these molecules bind to nuclear and membrane-associated steroid receptors. Unlike other steroids that can also be made in the brain, neurosteroids bind specifically to neurotransmitter receptors, not steroid receptors. The relationships among steroids, neurosteroids, and stress are multifaceted and not yet fully understood. However, studies demonstrating altered levels of progestogens, androgens, estrogens, glucocorticoids, and their neuroactive metabolites in both developmental and adult stress paradigms strongly suggest that these molecules may be important players in stress effects on brain circuits and behavior. In this review, we discuss the influence of developmental and adult stress on various components of the brain, including neurons, glia, and perineuronal nets, with a focus on sex steroids and neurosteroids. Gaining an enhanced understanding of how early adversity impacts the intricate systems of brain steroid and neurosteroid regulation could prove instrumental in identifying novel therapeutic targets for stress-related conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isha R Gore
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Elizabeth Gould
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
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Danoff JS, Ramos EN, Hinton TD, Perkeybile AM, Graves AJ, Quinn GC, Lightbody-Cimer AR, Gordevičius J, Milčiūtė M, Brooke RT, Carter CS, Bales KL, Erisir A, Connelly JJ. Father's care uniquely influences male neurodevelopment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2308798120. [PMID: 37487074 PMCID: PMC10400995 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2308798120] [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: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammalian infants depend on parental care for survival, with numerous consequences for their behavioral development. We investigated the epigenetic and neurodevelopmental mechanisms mediating the impact of early biparental care on development of alloparenting behavior, or caring for offspring that are not one's own. We find that receiving high parental care early in life leads to slower epigenetic aging of both sexes and widespread male-specific differential expression of genes related to synaptic transmission and autism in the nucleus accumbens. Examination of parental care composition indicates that high-care fathers promote a male-specific increase in excitatory synapses and increases in pup retrieval behavior as juveniles. Interestingly, females raised by high-care fathers have the opposite behavioral response and display fewer pup retrievals. These results support the concept that neurodevelopmental trajectories are programmed by different features of early-life parental care and reveal that male neurodevelopmental processes are uniquely sensitive to care by fathers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua S. Danoff
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
| | - Erin N. Ramos
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
| | - Taylor D. Hinton
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
| | - Allison M. Perkeybile
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
| | - Andrew J. Graves
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
| | - Graham C. Quinn
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
| | | | | | - Milda Milčiūtė
- Epigenetic Clock Development Foundation, Torrance, CA90502
| | | | - C. Sue Carter
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
| | - Karen L. Bales
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA95616
| | - Alev Erisir
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
| | - Jessica J. Connelly
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
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Sex differences in addiction-relevant behavioral outcomes in rodents following early life stress. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 6. [PMID: 37101684 PMCID: PMC10124992 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2023.100067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
In humans, exposure to early life stress (ELS) is an established risk factor for the development of substance use disorders (SUDs) during later life. Similarly, rodents exposed to ELS involving disrupted mother-infant interactions, such as maternal separation (MS) or adverse caregiving due to scarcity-adversity induced by limited bedding and nesting (LBN) conditions, also exhibit long-term alterations in alcohol and drug consumption. In both humans and rodents, there is a range of addiction-related behaviors that are associated with drug use and even predictive of subsequent SUDs. In rodents, these include increased anxiety-like behavior, impulsivity, and novelty-seeking, altered alcohol and drug intake patterns, as well as disrupted reward-related processes involving consummatory and social behaviors. Importantly, the expression of these behaviors often varies throughout the lifespan. Moreover, preclinical studies suggest that sex differences play a role in how exposure to ELS impacts reward and addiction-related phenotypes as well as underlying brain reward circuitry. Here, addiction-relevant behavioral outcomes and mesolimbic dopamine (DA) dysfunction resulting from ELS in the form of MS and LBN are discussed with a focus on age- and sex-dependent effects. Overall, these findings suggest that ELS may increase susceptibility for later life drug use and SUDs by interfering with the normal maturation of reward-related brain and behavioral function.
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Williams AV, Flowers J, Coates KS, Ingram A, Hehn AT, Dupuis M, Wimmer ME, Venniro M, Bangasser DA. Early resource scarcity alters motivation for natural rewards in a sex- and reinforcer-dependent manner. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:3929-3937. [PMID: 36301314 PMCID: PMC9817039 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06264-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Early life adversity impacts reward-related behaviors, including reward seeking for drugs of abuse. However, the effects of early stress on natural rewards, such as food and social rewards, which have strong implications for symptoms of psychiatric conditions such as major depressive disorder (MDD), are understudied. To fill this gap, we used the limited bedding and nesting (LBN) procedure to assess the impact of early resource scarcity on motivational drive for both food and social rewards in rats. METHODS Male and female Long Evans rats were reared in either an LBN environment, with limited nesting materials and no enrichment, from their postnatal day 2-9 or control environment with ample nesting materials and enrichment. As adults, they were tested for reward-seeking behavior on progressive ratio operant tasks: food reward (sucrose) or social reward (access to a same-sex/age conspecific). RESULTS We observed sex differences in the impact of LBN on motivation for natural rewards. In males, LBN increased motivation for both a sucrose and social reward. In females, LBN reduced motivation for sucrose but had no effect on social reward. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the effects of LBN on motivation for natural rewards are both sex- and reinforcer-dependent, with males and females showing differential motivation for food and social rewards following early scarcity. Our previous data revealed an LBN-driven reduction in motivation for morphine in males and no effect in females, highlighting the reinforcer-dependent impact of early resource scarcity on motivated behavior more widely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexia V Williams
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA
| | - James Flowers
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA
| | - Kennedy S Coates
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA
| | - Atiba Ingram
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA
| | - Alexandra T Hehn
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA
| | - Molly Dupuis
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA
| | - Mathieu E Wimmer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA
| | - Marco Venniro
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Debra A Bangasser
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA.
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, GA, 30303-5030, Atlanta, USA.
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Wilson KM, Arquilla AM, Rosales-Torres KM, Hussein M, Chan MG, Razak KA, Saltzman W. Neural responses to pup calls and pup odors in California mouse fathers and virgin males. Behav Brain Res 2022; 434:114024. [PMID: 35882277 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The onset of mammalian maternal care is associated with plasticity in neural processing of infant-related sensory stimuli; however, little is known about sensory plasticity associated with fatherhood. We quantified behavioral and neural responses of virgin males and new fathers to olfactory and auditory stimuli from young, unfamiliar pups in the biparental California mouse (Peromyscus californicus). Each male was exposed for 10minutes to one of four combinations of a chemosensory stimulus (pup-scented or unscented cotton [control]) and an auditory stimulus (pup vocalizations or white noise [control]). Behavior did not differ between fathers and virgins during exposure to sensory stimuli or during the following hour; however, males in both groups were more active both during and after exposure to pup-related stimuli compared to control stimuli. Fathers had lower expression of Fos in the main olfactory bulbs (MOB) but higher expression in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis medial division, ventral part (STMV) compared to virgins. Lastly, males had higher Fos expression in MPOA when exposed to pup odor compared to control stimuli, and when exposed to pup odor and pup calls compared to pup calls only or control stimuli. These findings suggest that the onset of fatherhood alters activity of MOB, MPOA and STMV and that pup odors and vocalizations have additive or synergistic effects on males' behavior and MPOA activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerianne M Wilson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA USA.
| | - April M Arquilla
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA USA
| | - Kelsey M Rosales-Torres
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA USA
| | - Manal Hussein
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA USA
| | - May G Chan
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA USA
| | - Khaleel A Razak
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA USA; Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Wendy Saltzman
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA USA
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