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McCall A, Forouhandehpour R, Celebi S, Richard-Malenfant C, Hamati R, Guimond S, Tuominen L, Weinshenker D, Jaworska N, McQuaid RJ, Shlik J, Robillard R, Kaminsky Z, Cassidy CM. Evidence for Locus Coeruleus-Norepinephrine System Abnormality in Military Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Revealed by Neuromelanin-Sensitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Biol Psychiatry 2024; 96:268-277. [PMID: 38296219 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.01.013] [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: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The complex neurobiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) calls for the characterization of specific disruptions in brain functions that require targeted treatment. One such alteration could be an overactive locus coeruleus (LC)-norepinephrine system, which may be linked to hyperarousal symptoms, a characteristic and burdensome aspect of the disorder. METHODS Study participants were Canadian Armed Forces veterans with PTSD related to deployment to combat zones (n = 34) and age- and sex-matched healthy control participants (n = 32). Clinical measures included the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5, and neuroimaging measures included a neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging scan to measure the LC signal. Robust linear regression analyses related the LC signal to clinical measures. RESULTS Compared with control participants, the LC signal was significantly elevated in the PTSD group (t62 = 2.64, p = .010), and this group difference was most pronounced in the caudal LC (t56 = 2.70, Cohen's d = 0.72). The caudal LC signal was also positively correlated with the severity of Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 hyperarousal symptoms in the PTSD group (t26 = 2.16, p = .040). CONCLUSIONS These findings are consistent with a growing body of evidence indicative of elevated LC-norepinephrine system function in PTSD. Furthermore, they indicate the promise of neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging as a noninvasive method to probe the LC-norepinephrine system that has the potential to support subtyping and treatment of PTSD or other neuropsychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adelina McCall
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Seyda Celebi
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Rami Hamati
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Synthia Guimond
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Département de psychoéducation et de psychologie, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
| | - Lauri Tuominen
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - David Weinshenker
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Natalia Jaworska
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robyn J McQuaid
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jakov Shlik
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rebecca Robillard
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Zachary Kaminsky
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Clifford M Cassidy
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York.
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Li S, Machida K, Burrows EL, Johnson KA. Quicker Exogenous Orienting and Slower Endogenous Orienting in Autistic People. J Autism Dev Disord 2024:10.1007/s10803-024-06311-8. [PMID: 38446266 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-024-06311-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Research is equivocal on whether attention orienting is atypical in autism. This study investigated two types of attention orienting in autistic people and accounted for the potential confounders of alerting level, co-occurring symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety, age, and sex. Twenty-seven autistic participants (14 males; 9-43 years) and 22 age- and sex-matched non-autistic participants (13 males; 9-42 years) completed the exogenous and endogenous Posner tasks. Response time and pupillometric data were recorded. Autistic participants were faster at orienting attention to valid cues in the exogenous task and slower at disengaging from invalid cues in the endogenous task compared to non-autistic participants. With increasing age, autistic participants showed faster exogenous and endogenous orienting, whereas non-autistic participants showed faster exogenous orienting but stable speed of endogenous orienting. Higher ADHD symptoms were associated with slower exogenous orienting in both groups, whereas higher anxiety symptoms were associated with faster exogenous orienting only in autistic participants. No group differences were noted for alerting levels, sex, or pupillary responses. This study provides new evidence of superior exogenous orienting and inefficient endogenous orienting in autistic people and suggests that age and co-occurring symptoms are important to consider when assessing attention orienting in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuting Li
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.
| | - Keitaro Machida
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Emma L Burrows
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Katherine A Johnson
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
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Pelevin A, Kurzina N, Zavialov V, Volnova A. A Custom Solution for Acoustic Startle Response Setup with Spike2-Based Data Acquisition Interface. Methods Protoc 2023; 6:57. [PMID: 37368001 DOI: 10.3390/mps6030057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
This article presents a low-cost and flexible software solution for acoustic startle response (ASR) test that can be used with a Spike2-based interface. ASR is a reflexive response to an unexpected, loud acoustic stimulus, and prepulse inhibition (PPI) is a phenomenon in which the startle response is reduced when preceded by a weak prestimulus of the same modality. Measuring PPI is important because changes in PPI have been observed in patients with various psychiatric and neurological disorders. Commercial ASR testing systems are expensive, and their closed source code affects their transparency and result reproducibility. The proposed software is easy to install and use. The Spike2 script is customizable and supports a wide range of PPI protocols. As an example of PPI recording, the article presents data obtained in female rats, both wild-type (WT) and dopamine transporter knockout (DAT-KO), showing the same tendency as the data obtained in males, with ASR on a single pulse higher than ASR on prepulse+pulse, and PPI reduced in DAT-KO rats compared to WT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arseniy Pelevin
- Faculty of Biology, St Petersburg University, 199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Natalia Kurzina
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St Petersburg University, 199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Vladislav Zavialov
- Faculty of Biology, St Petersburg University, 199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St Petersburg University, 199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Anna Volnova
- Faculty of Biology, St Petersburg University, 199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St Petersburg University, 199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia
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Villani V, Finotti G, Di Lernia D, Tsakiris M, Azevedo RT. Event-related transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation modulates behaviour and pupillary responses during an auditory oddball task. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2022; 140:105719. [PMID: 35334389 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a neuromodulatory technique that is thought to activate the Locus Coeruleus-Noradrenaline (LC-NA) system. Standard taVNS protocols consist of the administration of intermittent or continuous stimulation over long periods. However, there is currently a limited understanding of the temporal dynamics of taVNS modulation of cognitive processes, as well as its mechanisms of action. We argue that novel stimulation approaches, informed by established theories of the LC-NA system, are needed to further our understanding of the neurocognitive underpinnings of taVNS. In this pre-registered study, we tested whether an "event-related" taVNS protocol can modulate the LC-NA system. In a within-subject design (single session) we delivered brief trains of taVNS (3 s) during an auditory oddball paradigm. The taVNS was time-locked to the target stimuli presentation and randomly interleaved with sham stimulation. Response times (RT) and stimuli-driven pupillary diameter (PD) were used as indices of LC-NA activity. Results revealed that active taVNS increased RT to targets, as compared to sham trials. Notably, in line with current theories of LC-NA functioning, taVNS modulation of target-related pupil dilation depended on pre-stimulation PD, an index of baseline LC-NA activity. In particular, active (vs. sham) taVNS was associated with smaller pupil dilation in trials where the baseline PD was small. These results demonstrate, for the first time, the effectiveness of brief event-related taVNS in the modulation of cognitive processes and highlight the importance of using pupil size as an index of tonic and phasic LC-NA activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerio Villani
- Lab of Action and Body, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham Hill, Egham TW20 0EX, United Kingdom
| | - Gianluca Finotti
- Lab of Action and Body, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham Hill, Egham TW20 0EX, United Kingdom
| | - Daniele Di Lernia
- Lab of Action and Body, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham Hill, Egham TW20 0EX, United Kingdom; Humane Technology Lab, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano 20100, Italy
| | - Manos Tsakiris
- Lab of Action and Body, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham Hill, Egham TW20 0EX, United Kingdom; Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Ruben T Azevedo
- Lab of Action and Body, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham Hill, Egham TW20 0EX, United Kingdom; School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NP, United Kingdom.
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Oyarzabal EA, Hsu LM, Das M, Chao THH, Zhou J, Song S, Zhang W, Smith KG, Sciolino NR, Evsyukova IY, Yuan H, Lee SH, Cui G, Jensen P, Shih YYI. Chemogenetic stimulation of tonic locus coeruleus activity strengthens the default mode network. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm9898. [PMID: 35486721 PMCID: PMC9054017 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm9898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The default mode network (DMN) of the brain is functionally associated with a wide range of behaviors. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and spectral fiber photometry to investigate the selective neuromodulatory effect of norepinephrine (NE)-releasing noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) on the mouse DMN. Chemogenetic-induced tonic LC activity decreased cerebral blood volume (CBV) and glucose uptake and increased synchronous low-frequency fMRI activity within the frontal cortices of the DMN. Fiber photometry results corroborated these findings, showing that LC-NE activation induced NE release, enhanced calcium-weighted neuronal spiking, and reduced CBV in the anterior cingulate cortex. These data suggest that LC-NE alters conventional coupling between neuronal activity and CBV in the frontal DMN. We also demonstrated that chemogenetic activation of LC-NE neurons strengthened functional connectivity within the frontal DMN, and this effect was causally mediated by reduced modulatory inputs from retrosplenial and hippocampal regions to the association cortices of the DMN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban A. Oyarzabal
- Center for Animal MRI, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Curriculum in Neurobiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Li-Ming Hsu
- Center for Animal MRI, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Manasmita Das
- Center for Animal MRI, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Tzu-Hao Harry Chao
- Center for Animal MRI, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jingheng Zhou
- In Vivo Neurobiology Group, Neurobiology Laboratory, NIEHS/NIH, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Sheng Song
- Center for Animal MRI, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Weiting Zhang
- Center for Animal MRI, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kathleen G. Smith
- Developmental Neurobiology Group, Neurobiology Laboratory, NIEHS/NIH, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Natale R. Sciolino
- Developmental Neurobiology Group, Neurobiology Laboratory, NIEHS/NIH, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Irina Y. Evsyukova
- Developmental Neurobiology Group, Neurobiology Laboratory, NIEHS/NIH, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Hong Yuan
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Sung-Ho Lee
- Center for Animal MRI, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Guohong Cui
- In Vivo Neurobiology Group, Neurobiology Laboratory, NIEHS/NIH, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Patricia Jensen
- Developmental Neurobiology Group, Neurobiology Laboratory, NIEHS/NIH, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Yen-Yu Ian Shih
- Center for Animal MRI, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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