Pituitary-adrenal activity in acute and chronically stressed male and female mice lacking the 5-HT-3A receptor

Serotonin receptors in depression and anxiety: Insights from animal studies

Serotonin regulates many physiological processes including sleep, appetite, and mood. Thus, serotonergic system is an important target in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, such as major depression and anxiety. This natural neurotransmitter interacts with 7 families of its receptors (5-HT1-7), which cause a variety of pharmacological effects. Using genetically modified animals and selective or preferential agonists and antagonist, numerous studies demonstrated the involvement of almost all serotonin receptor subtypes in antidepressant- or anxiolytic-like effects. In this review, based on animal studies, we discuss the possible involvement of serotonin receptor subtypes in depression and anxiety.

Response of Htr3a knockout mice to antidepressant treatment and chronic stress

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has recently been suggested that 5-HT₃ receptor blockade enhances the efficacy of selective 5-HT (serotonin) reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants and may reverse stress-induced deficits in rodents.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

To further explore this hypothesis, we used mice lacking the 5-HT₃ receptor (Htr3a KO) and their wild-type (WT) controls to assess their response in behavioural paradigms relevant to anxiety and depression. Mice were studied under basal, antidepressant treatments and chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) conditions.

KEY RESULTS

In basal conditions, Htr3a KO mice displayed anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like behaviours in the elevated plus maze, the social interaction and the forced swim tests (FST), but behaved as WT mice in response to acute citalopram in the FST. However, the effects of fluoxetine were blunted in Htr3a KO mice in these same tests. In an in vitro electrophysiological paradigm, a low-dose citalopram treatment triggered 5-HT_1A receptor desensitization only in the dorsal raphe nucleus of Htr3a KO, although a high dose desensitized 5-HT_1A autoreceptor function equally in Htr3a KO and WT mice, suggesting that citalopram may become effective at lower doses when 5-HT₃ receptors are inactivated. In addition, Htr3a deletion blocked CSDS-induced modification in the cortical expression of two genes involved in oxidative stress, CaMKIIa and SOD1.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Taken together, these data show that Htr3a deletion promotes SSRI efficacy and prevents the occurrence of stress-induced deleterious effects, suggesting that the 5-HT₃ receptor may represent an interesting target for the treatment of stress-related disorders.

5HT3 receptors: Target for new antidepressant drugs

5HT3 receptors (5HT3Rs) have long been identified as a potential target for antidepressants. Several studies have reported that antagonism of 5HT3Rs produces antidepressant-like effects. However, the exact role of 5HT3Rs and the mode of antidepressant action of 5HT3R antagonists still remain a mystery. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of 5HT3Rs: (a) regional and subcellular distribution of 5HT3Rs in discrete brain regions, (b) preclinical and clinical evidence supporting the antidepressant effect of 5HT3R antagonists, and (c) neurochemical, biological and neurocellular signaling pathways associated with the antidepressant action of 5HT3R antagonists. 5HT3Rs located on the serotonergic and other neurotransmitter interneuronal projections control their release and affect mood and emotional behavior; however, new evidence suggests that apart from modulating the neurotransmitter functions, 5HT3R antagonists have protective effects in the pathogenic events including hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis hyperactivity, brain oxidative stress and impaired neuronal plasticity, pointing to hereby unknown and novel mechanisms of their antidepressant action. Nonetheless, further investigations are warranted to establish the exact role of 5HT3Rs in depression and antidepressant action of 5HT3R antagonists.

Sex differences in the HPA axis

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a major component of the systems that respond to stress, by coordinating the neuroendocrine and autonomic responses. Tightly controlled regulation of HPA responses is critical for maintaining mental and physical health, as hyper- and hypo-activity have been linked to disease states. A long history of research has revealed sex differences in numerous components of the HPA stress system and its responses, which may partially form the basis for sex disparities in disease development. Despite this, many studies use male subjects exclusively, while fewer reports involve females or provide direct sex comparisons. The purpose of this article is to present sex comparisons in the functional and molecular aspects of the HPA axis, through various phases of activity, including basal, acute stress, and chronic stress conditions. The HPA axis in females initiates more rapidly and produces a greater output of stress hormones. This review focuses on the interactions between the gonadal hormone system and the HPA axis as the key mediators of these sex differences, whereby androgens increase and estrogens decrease HPA activity in adulthood. In addition to the effects of gonadal hormones on the adult response, morphological impacts of hormone exposure during development are also involved in mediating sex differences. Additional systems impinging on the HPA axis that contribute to sex differences include the monoamine neurotransmitters norepinephrine and serotonin. Diverse signals originating from the brain and periphery are integrated to determine the level of HPA axis activity, and these signals are, in many cases, sex-specific.

Sex differences in the long-lasting effects of a single exposure to immobilization stress in rats

In male rats, a single exposure to a severe stressor such as immobilization (IMO) results in marked activation of the HPA axis and reduction of body weight gain. In addition, the HPA response to the same (homotypic) stressor is reduced, whereas the response to a different (heterotypic) stressor is enhanced for days. Although sex differences in the responsiveness of the HPA axis have been described, there are few studies about the influence of sex on long-lasting effects of stress. Thus, we have compared the consequences of a single exposure to IMO in male and female rats. Females showed a similar ACTH response to the first IMO associated with higher corticosterone, but they were more resistant than males to stress-induced loss of body weight. Unstressed females showed higher resting levels of ACTH and corticosterone, but they did not show the increase in the resting levels of HPA hormones observed in males on the day after IMO. During exposure to a different stressor (open-field) two days after IMO, enhanced corticosterone response and hypoactivity was observed in males, but not in females. Finally, a second exposure to IMO 8 days after the first one resulted in a reduction of the HPA response and of the negative impact on body weight as compared to the first exposure, and this protective effect was greater in females. In sum, IMO-exposed females showed a greater reduction of the response to a second IMO and appear to be more resistant than males to some of the negative impacts of IMO.

Alcohol administration attenuates hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity in healthy men at low genetic risk for alcoholism, but not in high-risk subjects

Acute alcohol challenge studies in rodents and naturalistic observations in drinking alcoholics suggest that alcohol stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system. The literature on respective studies in healthy volunteers is more inconsistent, suggesting differential alcohol effects depending on dosage, recent drinking history, family history of alcoholism and alcohol-induced side effects. These papers and the putative pharmacologic mechanisms underlying alcohol effects on the HPA system are reviewed here and compared with a new study, in which we investigated how secretion of adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) and cortisol is affected by ingestion of 0.6 g/kg ethanol in 33 young healthy socially drinking males with a paternal history of alcoholism (PHP) versus 30 family history negative (FHN) males. Alcohol and placebo were administered in a 2-day, double-blind, placebo controlled crossover design with randomized administration sequence. After administration of placebo, ACTH and cortisol decreased steadily over 130 minutes. In FHN subjects, secretion of both hormones was even more attenuated after alcohol, resulting in significantly lower levels compared with placebo. In PHP subjects, no alcohol effect on hormone secretion could be detected. The ratio of cortisol to ACTH secretion, each expressed as area under the secretion curve, was significantly increased by alcohol in FHN and PHP participants. These results argue against HPA stimulation being a mechanism that promotes the transition from moderate to dependent drinking. The fact that alcohol-induced HPA suppression was not detected in PHP males is consistent with the general concept that subjects at high risk for alcoholism exhibit less-pronounced alcohol effects.

Effects of environmental manipulations in genetically targeted animal models of affective disorders

Mental illness is the leading cause of disability worldwide. We are only just beginning to reveal and comprehend the complex interaction that exists between the genetic makeup of an organism and the potential modifying effect of the environment in which it lives, and how this translates into mediating susceptibility to neurological and psychiatric conditions. The capacity to address this issue experimentally has been facilitated by the availability of rodent models which allow the precise manipulation of genetic and environmental factors. In this review, we discuss the valuable nature of animal models in furthering our understanding of the relationship between genetic and environmental factors in affective illnesses, such as anxiety and depressive disorders. We first highlight the behavioral impairments exhibited by genetically targeted animal models of affective disorders, and then provide a discussion of the underlying neurobiology, focusing on animal models that involve exposure to stress. This is followed by a review of recent studies that report of beneficial effects of environmental manipulations such as environmental enrichment and enhanced physical activity and discuss the likely mechanisms that mediate those benefits.

Replication of functional serotonin receptor type 3A and B variants in bipolar affective disorder: a European multicenter study

Serotonin type 3 receptors (5-HT(3)) are involved in learning, cognition and emotion, and have been implicated in various psychiatric phenotypes. However, their contribution to the pathomechanism of these disorders remains elusive. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the HTR3A and HTR3B genes (rs1062613, rs1176744 and rs3831455) have been associated with bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) in pilot studies, and all of them are of functional relevance. We performed a European multicenter study to confirm previous results and provide further evidence for the relevance of these SNPs to the etiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. This involved analysis of the distribution of the three SNPs among 1804 BPAD cases and 2407 healthy controls. A meta-analysis revealed a pooled odds ratio of 0.881 (P = 0.009, 95% confidence intervals = 0.802-0.968) for the non-synonymous functional SNP HTR3B p.Y129S (rs1176744), thereby confirming previous findings. In line with this, the three genome-wide association study samples BOMA (Bonn-Mannheim)-BPAD, WTCCC (Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium)-BPAD and GAIN (Genetic Association Information Network)-BPAD, including >3500 patients and 5200 controls in total, showed an overrepresentation of the p.Y129 in patients. Remarkably, the meta-analysis revealed a P-value of 0.048 (OR = 0.934, fixed effect model). We also performed expression analyses to gain further insights into the distribution of HTR3A and HTR3B mRNA in the human brain. HTR3A and HTR3B were detected in all investigated brain tissues with the exception of the cerebellum, and large differences in the A:B subunit ratio were observed. Interestingly, expression of the B subunit was most prominent in the brain stem, amygdalae and frontal cortex, regions of relevance to psychiatric disorders. In conclusion, the present study provides further evidence for the presence of impaired 5-HT(3) receptor function in BPAD.

Identification of a potential molecular link between the glucocorticoid and serotonergic signaling systems

Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)) signaling systems play a pivotal role in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, but the molecular nature of interactions between these two systems remain largely unidentified. We used computational and experimental approaches to evaluate if DNA-protein interactions would provide a molecular link for the interaction between 5-HT and GR systems. Bioinformatic analysis identified nine binding sites in various serotonin receptors (HTR1D, HTR1F, HTR2A, HTR3A, and HTR6) for transcription factors in the GR family. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) using HeLa nuclear extract and purified full-length GR verified most of the predicted DNA-protein interactions. Six binding sites verified by EMSA results were evolutionarily conserved in multiple species. Multiple lines of evidence from computational and experimental analyses in this study support the potential of a molecular link between 5-HT and GR signaling systems. This finding provides new approaches to studies directed at mechanisms for glucocorticoid negative feedback regulation of the HPA axis involving 5-HT and interventional studies directed to neuropsychiatric diseases.

Chronic stress produces enduring decreases in novel stress-evoked c-fos mRNA expression in discrete brain regions of the rat

Chronic stress produces numerous adaptations within the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis that persist well after cessation of chronic stress. We previously demonstrated profound attenuation of HPA axis responses to novel environment 4-7 days following chronic stress. The present study tests the hypothesis that this HPA axis hyporesponsivity is associated with reductions in stress-evoked c-fos mRNA expression, a marker of neuronal activation, in discrete brain regions. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 1 week of chronic variable stress (CVS), with unhandled rats serving as controls. Independent groups of control and CVS rats were exposed to novel environment at 16 h, 4 days, 7 days, or 30 days after CVS. Marked reductions of c-fos mRNA expression in the CVS group persisted for at least 30 days within the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, and for at least 1 week in rostroventrolateral septum and lateral hypothalamus. Lower levels of c-fos mRNA expression were observed at 16 h recovery in the ventrolateral medial preoptic area, basolateral amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, and prelimbic cortex. The results demonstrate long-term alterations in neuronal activation within neurocircuits critical for regulation of physiological and psychological responses to stressors.

GABA(A) receptor blockade in dorsomedial and ventromedial nuclei of the hypothalamus evokes panic-like elaborated defensive behaviour followed by innate fear-induced antinociception

Dysfunction in the hypothalamic GABAergic system has been implicated in panic syndrome in humans. Furthermore, several studies have implicated the hypothalamus in the elaboration of pain modulation. Panic-prone states are able to be experimentally induced in laboratory animals to study this phenomenon. The aim of the present work was to investigate the involvement of medial hypothalamic nuclei in the organization of panic-like behaviour and the innate fear-induced oscillations of nociceptive thresholds. The blockade of GABA(A) receptors in the neuronal substrates of the ventromedial or dorsomedial hypothalamus was followed by elaborated defensive panic-like reactions. Moreover, innate fear-induced antinociception was consistently elicited after the escape behaviour. The escape responses organized by the dorsomedial and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei were characteristically more elaborated, and a remarkable exploratory behaviour was recorded during GABA(A) receptor blockade in the medial hypothalamus. The motor characteristic of the elaborated defensive escape behaviour and the patterns of defensive alertness and defensive immobility induced by microinjection of the bicuculline either into the dorsomedial or into the ventromedial hypothalamus were very similar. This was followed by the same pattern of innate fear-induced antinociceptive response that lasted approximately 40 min after the elaborated defensive escape reaction in both cases. These findings suggest that dysfunction of the GABA-mediated neuronal system in the medial hypothalamus causes panic-like responses in laboratory animals, and that the elaborated escape behaviour organized in both dorsomedial and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei are followed by significant innate-fear-induced antinociception. Our findings indicate that the GABA(A) receptor of dorsomedial and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei are critically involved in the modulation of panic-like behaviour.

Chronic stress and individual vulnerability

Over the last decades the burden of disease in Western countries has shifted from comparably easily treated infectious diseases to more complex diseases, such as the metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and psychiatric disorders. A common characteristic of these illnesses is the interplay of multiple genetic and nongenetic factors, which eventually results in the manifestation of disease symptoms. Large-scale epidemiological studies in humans have resulted in the identification of various environmental and genetic risk factors, which contribute to the onset, duration, and severity of disease. While tremendous progress has been made, it is still impossible to predict which combination of risk factors will result in the manifestation of a specific illness. This lack of knowledge is also frequently reflected in inadequate treatment strategies, which mainly focus on symptom reversal rather than targeting the cause of the diseases. One of the most prominent environmental risk factors described for numerous diseases is chronic exposure to stressful situations. In this paper we address clinical and preclinical evidence of chronic stress as a risk factor for disease and introduce a novel, high-throughput mouse model for chronic social stress. We can show that this model has a high degree of construct, face, and predictive validity in terms of physiological, behavioral, and gene expression changes. We further illustrate how novel animal models of chronic social stress can help to unravel the complex interaction of individual genetic vulnerability and environmental risk factors.

Pituitary-adrenal response to acute and repeated mild restraint, forced swim and change in environment stress in arginine vasopressin receptor 1b knockout mice

Arginine vasopressin and corticotrophin-releasing hormone synthesised and released from the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus are the prime mediators of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to stress. These neurohormones act synergistically to stimulate adrenocorticotophin (ACTH) secretion from the anterior pituitary, culminating in an increase in circulating glucocorticoids. Arginine vasopressin mediates this action at the arginine vasopressin 1b receptor (Avpr1b) located on pituitary corticotrophs. Arginine vasopressin is regarded as a minor ACTH secretagogue in rodents but evidence suggests that it has a role in mediating the neuroendocrine response to some acute and chronic stressors. To investigate the role of the Avpr1b in the HPA axis response to an acute and chronic (repeated) stress, we measured the plasma ACTH and corticosterone concentrations in three stress paradigms in both Avpr1b knockout and wild-type mice. Single acute exposure to restraint, forced swim and change in environment stressors elevated both plasma ACTH and corticosterone concentrations in wild-type animals. Conversely, the ACTH response to the acute stressors was significantly attenuated in Avpr1b knockout mice compared to their wild-type counterparts. Plasma corticosterone concentrations were reduced in Avpr1b knockout mice in response to change in environment but not to mild restraint or forced swim stress. Irrespective of genotype, there was no difference in the plasma ACTH or corticosterone concentrations in response to acute and repeated stressors. The data show that a functional Avpr1b is required for an intact pituitary ACTH response to the acute and chronic stressors used in this study. Furthermore, the normal corticosterone response to repeated exposure to change in environment stress also requires the Avpr1b to drive HPA axis responsiveness.

Genetic variation in cortico-amygdala serotonin function and risk for stress-related disease

The serotonin system is strongly implicated in the pathophysiology and therapeutic alleviation of stress-related disorders such as anxiety and depression. Serotonergic modulation of the acute response to stress and the adaptation to chronic stress is mediated by a myriad of molecules controlling serotonin neuron development (Pet-1), synthesis (tryptophan hydroxylase 1 and 2 isozymes), packaging (vesicular monoamine transporter 2), actions at presynaptic and postsynaptic receptors (5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, 5-HT2A, 5-HT2C, 5-HT3A, 5-HT4, 5-HT5A, 5-HT6, 5-HT7), reuptake (serotonin transporter), and degradation (monoamine oxidase A). A growing body of evidence from preclinical rodents models, and especially genetically modified mice and inbred mouse strains, has provided significant insight into how genetic variation in these molecules can affect the development and function of a key neural circuit between the dorsal raphe nucleus, medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala. By extension, such variation is hypothesized to have a major influence on individual differences in the stress response and risk for stress-related disease in humans. The current article provides an update on this rapidly evolving field of research.