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Klein PC, Ettinger U, Schirner M, Ritter P, Rujescu D, Falkai P, Koutsouleris N, Kambeitz-Ilankovic L, Kambeitz J. Brain Network Simulations Indicate Effects of Neuregulin-1 Genotype on Excitation-Inhibition Balance in Cortical Dynamics. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:2013-2025. [PMID: 33279967 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) represents an important factor for multiple processes including neurodevelopment, brain functioning or cognitive functions. Evidence from animal research suggests an effect of NRG1 on the excitation-inhibition (E/I) balance in cortical circuits. However, direct evidence for the importance of NRG1 in E/I balance in humans is still lacking. In this work, we demonstrate the application of computational, biophysical network models to advance our understanding of the interaction between cortical activity observed in neuroimaging and the underlying neurobiology. We employed a biophysical neuronal model to simulate large-scale brain dynamics and to investigate the role of polymorphisms in the NRG1 gene (rs35753505, rs3924999) in n = 96 healthy adults. Our results show that G/G-carriers (rs3924999) exhibit a significant difference in global coupling (P = 0.048) and multiple parameters determining E/I-balance such as excitatory synaptic coupling (P = 0.047), local excitatory recurrence (P = 0.032) and inhibitory synaptic coupling (P = 0.028). This indicates that NRG1 may be related to excitatory recurrence or excitatory synaptic coupling potentially resulting in altered E/I-balance. Moreover, we suggest that computational modeling is a suitable tool to investigate specific biological mechanisms in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Costa Klein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, 50937, Germany
| | - Ulrich Ettinger
- Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, 53111, Germany
| | - Michael Schirner
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Dept. of Neurology, 10117, Germany.,Bernstein Focus State Dependencies of Learning & Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Petra Ritter
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Dept. of Neurology, 10117, Germany.,Bernstein Focus State Dependencies of Learning & Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Dan Rujescu
- University Clinic for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic, Martin-Luther-University, Halle-Wittenberg, 06112, Germany
| | - Peter Falkai
- Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig Maximilians Universität München, 80336, Germany
| | | | - Lana Kambeitz-Ilankovic
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, 50937, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig Maximilians Universität München, 80336, Germany
| | - Joseph Kambeitz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, 50937, Germany
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Overexpression of neuregulin 1 in GABAergic interneurons results in reversible cortical disinhibition. Nat Commun 2021; 12:278. [PMID: 33436636 PMCID: PMC7804852 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20552-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cortical disinhibition is a common feature of several neuropsychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia, autism and intellectual disabilities. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. To mimic increased expression of Nrg1, a schizophrenia susceptibility gene in GABAergic interneurons from patients with schizophrenia, we generated gtoNrg1 mice with overexpression of Nrg1 in GABAergic interneurons. gtoNrg1 mice showed cortical disinhibition at the cellular, synaptic, neural network and behavioral levels. We revealed that the intracellular domain of NRG1 interacts with the cytoplasmic loop 1 of Nav1.1, a sodium channel critical for the excitability of GABAergic interneurons, and inhibits Nav currents. Intriguingly, activation of GABAergic interneurons or restoring NRG1 expression in adulthood could rescue the hyperactivity and impaired social novelty in gtoNrg1 mice. These results identify mechanisms underlying cortical disinhibition related to schizophrenia and raise the possibility that restoration of NRG1 signaling and GABAergic function is beneficial in certain neuropsychiatric disorders. The molecular and cellular mechanisms of cortical disinhibition as a common feature of many psychiatric diseases are not fully understood. The authors identify an interaction between NRG1 and Nav1.1 sodium channel as a mechanism of how NRG1 modulates the excitability of GABAergic interneurons.
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Paterson C, Cumming B, Law AJ. Temporal Dynamics of the Neuregulin-ErbB Network in the Murine Prefrontal Cortex across the Lifespan. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:3325-3339. [PMID: 31897479 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuregulin-ErbB signaling is essential for numerous functions in the developing, adult, and aging brain, particularly in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Mouse models with disrupted Nrg and/or ErbB genes are relevant to psychiatric, developmental, and age-related disorders, displaying a range of abnormalities stemming from cortical circuitry impairment. Many of these models display nonoverlapping phenotypes dependent upon the gene target and timing of perturbation, suggesting that cortical expression of the Nrg-ErbB network undergoes temporal regulation across the lifespan. Here, we report a comprehensive temporal expression mapping study of the Nrg-ErbB signaling network in the mouse PFC across postnatal development through aging. We find that Nrg and ErbB genes display distinct expression profiles; moreover, splice isoforms of these genes are differentially expressed across the murine lifespan. We additionally find a developmental switch in ErbB4 splice isoform expression potentially mediated through coregulation of the lncRNA Miat expression. Our results are the first to comprehensively and quantitatively map the expression patterns of the Nrg-ErbB network in the mouse PFC across the postnatal lifespan and may help disentangle the pathway's involvement in normal cortical sequences of events across the lifespan, as well as shedding light on the pathophysiological mechanisms of abnormal Nrg-ErbB signaling in neurological disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare Paterson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado, School of Medicine Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Brooke Cumming
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado, School of Medicine Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Amanda J Law
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado, School of Medicine Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, School of Medicine Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of Colorado, School of Medicine Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
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Zhou Y, Li Y, Meng Y, Wang J, Wu F, Ning Y, Li Y, Cassidy RM, Li Z, Zhang XY. Neuregulin 3 rs10748842 polymorphism contributes to the effect of body mass index on cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:62. [PMID: 32066712 PMCID: PMC7026092 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-0746-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Revised: 12/07/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
There is evidence that obesity or higher body mass index is correlated with cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Recent studies have demonstrated that genetic risk factors, such as the NRG3, are correlated with both elevated BMI and reduced cognitive function. In present study, we aimed to determine whether possession of the NRG3 rs10748842 influences the correlation between elevated BMI and reduced cognitive ability in schizophrenia. To our knowledge, this has never been examined before. A total of 625 inpatients with schizophrenia and 400 controls were recruited. The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) was performed to assess cognitive function. We used multiple analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), analyses of covariance (ANCOVA), Pearson correlations, partial correlations, and multivariate regression analysis to test the influence of NRG3 rs10748842 on the aforementioned variables. All RBANS five sub-scores and total score were lower in patients than those in controls (all p < 0.001). Patients carrying NRG3 rs10748842 TC + CC heterozygous genotype had lower attention score compared to TT homozygous genotype (adjusted F = 4.77, p = 0.029). BMI was positively associated with language score in patients (β = 0.387, t = 2.59, p = 0.01). Interestingly, we further found positive association between BMI and language score in TT carriers (partial correlations: r = 0.13, adjusted p = 0.004; multivariate regression: β = 0.42, t = 2.66, p = 0.008), but not in CT + CC carrier (p > 0.05). Our study demonstrated that NRG3 rs10748842 was associated with cognitive impairments, especially attention performance in schizophrenia. Moreover, NRG3 rs10748842 altered the effect of BMI on cognitive impairments as measured by the RBANS language score in chronic patients with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongjie Zhou
- Research Center for Psychological and Health Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
- Affiliated Wuhan Mental Health Center, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuhuan Li
- Qingdao Mental Health Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Yujie Meng
- Qingdao Mental Health Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Jiesi Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fengchun Wu
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital), Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuping Ning
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital), Guangzhou, China
| | - Yi Li
- Research Center for Psychological and Health Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
- Affiliated Wuhan Mental Health Center, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ryan M Cassidy
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zezhi Li
- Department of Neurology, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Xiang Yang Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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Regulation of Synaptic Development by Astrocyte Signaling Factors and Their Emerging Roles in Substance Abuse. Cells 2020; 9:cells9020297. [PMID: 31991879 PMCID: PMC7072591 DOI: 10.3390/cells9020297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes have critical functions throughout the central nervous system (CNS) and have emerged as regulators of synaptic development and function. With their highly complex morphologies, they are able to interact with thousands of synapses via peripheral astrocytic processes (PAPs), ensheathing neuronal axons and dendrites to form the tripartite synapse. In this way, astrocytes engage in crosstalk with neurons to mediate a variety of CNS processes including the regulation of extracellular matrix protein signaling, formation and maintenance of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), axon growth and guidance, homeostasis of the synaptic microenvironment, synaptogenesis, and the promotion of synaptic diversity. In this review, we discuss several key astrocyte signaling factors (thrombospondins, netrins, apolipoproteins, neuregulins, bone morphogenetic proteins, and neuroligins) in the maintenance and regulation of synapse formation. We also explore how these astrocyte signaling factors are impacted by and contribute to substance abuse, particularly alcohol and cocaine use.
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Vullhorst D, Buonanno A. NMDA Receptors Regulate Neuregulin 2 Binding to ER-PM Junctions and Ectodomain Release by ADAM10 [corrected]. Mol Neurobiol 2019; 56:8345-8363. [PMID: 31240601 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-019-01659-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Unprocessed pro-neuregulin 2 (pro-NRG2) accumulates on neuronal cell bodies at junctions between the endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane (ER-PM junctions). NMDA receptors (NMDARs) trigger NRG2 ectodomain shedding from these sites followed by activation of ErbB4 receptor tyrosine kinases, and ErbB4 signaling cell-autonomously downregulates intrinsic excitability of GABAergic interneurons by reducing voltage-gated sodium channel currents. NMDARs also promote dispersal of Kv2.1 clusters from ER-PM junctions and cause a hyperpolarizing shift in its voltage-dependent channel activation, suggesting that NRG2/ErbB4 and Kv2.1 work together to regulate intrinsic interneuron excitability in an activity-dependent manner. Here we explored the cellular processes underlying NMDAR-dependent NRG2 shedding in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. We report that NMDARs control shedding by two separate but converging mechanisms. First, NMDA treatment disrupts binding of pro-NRG2 to ER-PM junctions by post-translationally modifying conserved Ser/Thr residues in its intracellular domain. Second, using a mutant NRG2 protein that cannot be modified at these residues and that fails to accumulate at ER-PM junctions, we demonstrate that NMDARs also directly promote NRG2 shedding by ADAM-type metalloproteinases. Using pharmacological and shRNA-mediated knockdown, and metalloproteinase overexpression, we unexpectedly find that ADAM10, but not ADAM17/TACE, is the major NRG2 sheddase acting downstream of NMDAR activation. Together, these findings reveal how NMDARs exert tight control over the NRG2/ErbB4 signaling pathway, and suggest that NRG2 and Kv2.1 are co-regulated components of a shared pathway that responds to elevated extracellular glutamate levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Detlef Vullhorst
- Section on Molecular Neurobiology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 35 Lincoln Drive, Room 2C-1000, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Andres Buonanno
- Section on Molecular Neurobiology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 35 Lincoln Drive, Room 2C-1000, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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