1
|
Liu Y, Zhao X, Hu W, Ren Y, Wei Z, Ren X, Tang Z, Wang N, Chen H, Li Y, Shi Z, Qin S, Yang J. Neural habituation during acute stress signals a blunted endocrine response and poor resilience. Psychol Med 2023; 53:7735-7745. [PMID: 37309913 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723001666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A blunted hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to acute stress is associated with psychiatric symptoms. Although the prefrontal cortex and limbic areas are important regulators of the HPA axis, whether the neural habituation of these regions during stress signals both blunted HPA axis responses and psychiatric symptoms remains unclear. In this study, neural habituation during acute stress and its associations with the stress cortisol response, resilience, and depression were evaluated. METHODS Seventy-seven participants (17-22 years old, 37 women) were recruited for a ScanSTRESS brain imaging study, and the activation changes between the first and last stress blocks were used as the neural habituation index. Meanwhile, participants' salivary cortisol during test was collected. Individual-level resilience and depression were measured using questionnaires. Correlation and moderation analyses were conducted to investigate the association between neural habituation and endocrine data and mental symptoms. Validated analyses were conducted using a Montreal Image Stress Test dataset in another independent sample (48 participants; 17-22 years old, 24 women). RESULTS Neural habituation of the prefrontal cortex and limbic area was negatively correlated with cortisol responses in both datasets. In the ScanSTRESS paradigm, neural habituation was both positively correlated with depression and negatively correlated with resilience. Moreover, resilience moderated the relationship between neural habituation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and cortisol response. CONCLUSIONS This study suggested that neural habituation of the prefrontal cortex and limbic area could reflect motivation dysregulation during repeated failures and negative feedback, which might further lead to maladaptive mental states.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yadong Liu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Xiaolin Zhao
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Weiyu Hu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Yipeng Ren
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Zhenni Wei
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Xi Ren
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Zihan Tang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Nan Wang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Haopeng Chen
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Yizhuo Li
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Zhenhao Shi
- Center for Studies of Addiction, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Shaozheng Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Juan Yang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Fortier AV, Meisner OC, Nair AR, Chang SWC. Prefrontal Circuits guiding Social Preference: Implications in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 141:104803. [PMID: 35908593 PMCID: PMC10122914 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 07/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Although Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is increasing in diagnostic prevalence, treatment options are inadequate largely due to limited understanding of ASD's underlying neural mechanisms. Contributing to difficulties in treatment development is the vast heterogeneity of ASD, from physiological causes to clinical presentations. Recent studies suggest that distinct genetic and neurological alterations may converge onto similar underlying neural circuits. Therefore, an improved understanding of neural circuit-level dysfunction in ASD may be a more productive path to developing broader treatments that are effective across a greater spectrum of ASD. Given the social preference behavioral deficits commonly seen in ASD, dysfunction in circuits mediating social preference may contribute to the atypical development of social cognition. We discuss some of the animal models used to study ASD and examine the function and effects of dysregulation of the social preference circuits, notably the medial prefrontal cortex-amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex-nucleus accumbens circuits, in these animal models. Using the common circuits underlying similar behavioral disruptions of social preference behaviors as an example, we highlight the importance of identifying disruption in convergent circuits to improve the translational success of animal model research for ASD treatment development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abigail V Fortier
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Department of Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Olivia C Meisner
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Amrita R Nair
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Steve W C Chang
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Impacts of a perinatal exposure to manganese coupled with maternal stress in rats: Tests of untrained behaviors. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2022; 91:107088. [PMID: 35278630 PMCID: PMC9133146 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2022.107088] [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: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Manganese (Mn), an element that naturally occurs in the environment, has been shown to produce neurotoxic effects on the developing young when levels exceed physiological requirements. To evaluate the effects of this chemical in combination with non-chemical factors pregnant Long-Evans rats were treated with 0, 2, or 4 mg/mL Mn in their drinking water from gestational day (GD) 7 to postnatal day (PND) 22. Half of the dams received a variable stress protocol from GD13 to PND9, that included restraint, small cage with reduced bedding, exposure to predator odor, intermittent intervals of white noise, lights on for 24 h, intermittent intervals of lights on during dark cycle and cages with grid floors and reduced bedding. One male and one female offspring from each litter were tested to assess untrained behavior. Ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) were recorded from PND13 pups while they were isolated from the litter. Locomotor activity (MA) was measured in figure-eight mazes at PND 17, 29, and 79 (different set of rats at each time point). Social approach (SA) was tested at PND48. Acoustic startle response (ASR) and pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) were measured starting at PND58. At PND53 a sweetness preference for a chocolate flavored milk solution was assessed. There were sex related differences on several parameters for the USVs. There was also a Mn by stress by sex interaction with the females from the 4 mg/mL stressed dams having more frequency modulated (FM) call elements than the 4 mg/mL non-stressed group. There was an effect of Mn on motor activity but only at PND29 with the 2 mg/mL group having higher counts than the 0 mg/mL group. The social approach test showed sex differences for both the habituation and test phase. There was an effect of Mn, with the 4 mg/mL males having a greater preference for the stimulus rat than did the 0 mg/mL males. There was also a stress by sex interaction. The ASR and PPI had only a sex effect. Thus, with only the FM call elements having a Mn by stress effect, and the PND29 MA and SA preference index having a Mn effect but at different doses requires further investigation.
Collapse
|
4
|
Davis JLB, O’Connor M, Erlbacher H, Schlichte SL, Stevens HE. The Impact of Maternal Antioxidants on Prenatal Stress Effects on Offspring Neurobiology and Behavior. THE YALE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2022; 95:87-104. [PMID: 35370489 PMCID: PMC8961714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal stress is a neuropsychiatric risk factor, and effects may be mediated by prenatal oxidative stress. Cell types in the brain sensitive to oxidative stress-cortical microglia and cortical and hippocampal interneurons-may be altered by oxidative stress generated during prenatal stress and may be neurobiological substrates for altered behavior. Our objective was to determine the critical nature of oxidative stress in prenatal stress effects by manipulating prenatal antioxidants. CD1 mouse dams underwent restraint embryonic day 12 to 18 three times daily or no stress and received intraperitoneal injections before each stress period of vehicle, N-acetylcysteine (200 mg/kg daily), or astaxanthin (30 mg/kg before first daily stress, 10 mg/kg before second/third stresses). Adult male and female offspring behavior, microglia, and interneurons were assessed. Results supported the hypothesis that prenatal stress-induced oxidative stress affects microglia; microglia ramification increased after prenatal stress, and both antioxidants prevented these effects. In addition, N-acetylcysteine or astaxanthin was effective in preventing distinct male and female interneuron changes; decreased female medial frontal cortical parvalbumin interneurons was prevented by either antioxidant; increased male medial frontal cortical parvalbumin interneurons was prevented by N-acetylcysteine and decreased male hippocampal GAD67GFP+ cells prevented by astaxanthin. Prenatal stress-induced increased anxiety-like behavior and decreased sociability were not prevented by prenatal antioxidants. Sensorimotor gating deficits in males was partially prevented by prenatal astaxanthin. This study demonstrates the importance of oxidative stress for persistent impacts on offspring cortical microglia and interneurons, but did not link these changes with anxiety-like, social, and sensorimotor gating behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jada L-B Davis
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa
City, IA, USA
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience,
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Mara O’Connor
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa
City, IA, USA
| | - Hannah Erlbacher
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa
City, IA, USA
| | | | - Hanna E. Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa
City, IA, USA
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience,
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Abstract
Prenatal stress mediated through the mother can lead to long-term adaptations in stress-related phenotypes in offspring. This study tested the long-lasting effect of prenatal exposure to predator odor, an ethologically relevant and psychogenic stressor, in the second half of pregnancy. As adults, the offspring of predator odor-exposed mothers showed increased anxiety-like behaviors in commonly used laboratory tasks assessing novelty-induced anxiety, increased defensive behavior in males and increased ACTH stress reactivity in females in response to predator odor. Female offspring from predator odor-exposed dams showed increased transcript abundance of glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1) on the day of birth and FK506 binding protein 5 (FKBP5) in adulthood in the amygdala. The increase in FKBP5 expression was associated with decreased DNA methylation in Fkbp5 intron V. These results indicate a sex-specific response to maternal programming by prenatal predator odor exposure and a potential epigenetic mechanism linking these responses with modifications of the stress axis in females. These results are in accordance with the mismatch hypothesis stating that an animal's response to cues within its life history reflects environmental conditions anticipated during important developmental periods and should be adaptive when these conditions are concurring.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sophie St-Cyr
- Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Environmental Epigenetics and Development, Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sameera Abuaish
- Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Environmental Epigenetics and Development, Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Shathveekan Sivanathan
- Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Environmental Epigenetics and Development, Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Patrick O McGowan
- Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Environmental Epigenetics and Development, Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Lussier SJ, Stevens HE. Delays in GABAergic interneuron development and behavioral inhibition after prenatal stress. Dev Neurobiol 2016; 76:1078-91. [PMID: 26724783 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2015] [Revised: 12/08/2015] [Accepted: 12/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal stress is associated with altered behavioral, cognitive, and psychiatric outcomes in offspring. Due to the importance of GABAergic systems in normal development and in psychiatric disorders, prenatal stress effects on these neurons have been investigated in animal models. Prenatal stress delays GABAergic progenitor migration, but the significance of these early developmental disruptions for the continued development of GABAergic cells in the juvenile brain is unclear. Here, we examined effects of prenatal stress on populations of GABAergic neurons in juvenile and adult medial frontal cortex (mFC) and hippocampus through stereological counting, gene expression, and relevant anxiety-like and social behaviors. Postnatally, the total GABAergic cell number that peaks in adolescence showed altered trajectories in mFC and hippocampus. Parvalbumin neuron proportion in juvenile brain was altered by prenatal stress, but parvalbumin gene expression showed no differences. In adult brain, parvalbumin neuron proportions were altered by prenatal stress with opposite gene expression changes. Adult prenatally stressed offspring showed a lack of social preference on a three-chambered task, increased anxiety-like behavior on the elevated plus maze, and reduced center time in an open field. Despite a lack of significant group differences in adult total GABAergic cell populations, performance of these tasks was correlated with GABAergic populations in mFC and hippocampus. In conclusion, prenatal stress resulted in a delay in GABAergic cell number and maturation of the parvalbumin subtype. Influences of prenatal stress on GABAergic populations during developmentally dynamic periods and during adulthood may be relevant to the anxiety-like behaviors that occur after prenatal stress. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 1078-1091, 2016.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie J Lussier
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA
| | - Hanna E Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA.,Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Fabio M, Vivas L, Pautassi R. Prenatal ethanol exposure alters ethanol-induced Fos immunoreactivity and dopaminergic activity in the mesocorticolimbic pathway of the adolescent brain. Neuroscience 2015; 301:221-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2015] [Revised: 05/14/2015] [Accepted: 06/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
|
8
|
Simola N. Rat Ultrasonic Vocalizations and Behavioral Neuropharmacology: From the Screening of Drugs to the Study of Disease. Curr Neuropharmacol 2015; 13:164-79. [PMID: 26411760 PMCID: PMC4598429 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x13999150318113800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2014] [Revised: 10/12/2014] [Accepted: 10/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Several lines of evidence indicate that rats emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in response to a wide range of stimuli that are capable of producing either euphoric (positive) or dysphoric (negative) emotional states. On these bases, recordings of USVs are extensively used in preclinical studies of affect, motivation, and social behavior. Rat USVs are sensitive to the effects of certain classes of psychoactive drugs, suggesting that emission of rat USVs can have relevance not only to neurobiology, but also to neuropharmacology and psychopharmacology. This review summarizes three types of rat USVs, namely 40-kHz USVs emitted by pups, 22-kHz USVs and 50-kHz USVs emitted by young and adult animals, and relevance of these vocalizations to neuropharmacological studies. Attention will be focused on the issues of how rat USVs can be used to evaluate the pharmacological properties of different classes of drugs, and how rat USVs can be combined with other behavioral models used in neuropharmacology. The strengths and limitations of experimental paradigms based on the evaluation of rat USVs will also be discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Simola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale, 72, 09124, Cagliari, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Binkley KA, Webber ES, Powers DD, Cromwell HC. Emotion and relative reward processing: an investigation on instrumental successive negative contrast and ultrasonic vocalizations in the rat. Behav Processes 2014; 107:167-74. [PMID: 25150068 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2014] [Revised: 06/20/2014] [Accepted: 07/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Incentive contrast effects include changes in behavioral responses after a reward upshift (positive contrast) or downshift (negative contrast). Proposed influences on these behavioral changes are emotional state reactions after experiencing or anticipating a change in reward outcome. Rat ultrasonic vocalizations have been shown to be indicators of emotional state during behavior and anticipatory periods. The objective of the present study was to monitor rodent ultrasounds during incentive contrast using a classical runway procedure called instrumental successive negative contrast. The procedure is one that has been used often to examine incentive relativity because of its reliability in measuring negative contrast effects. Rats were trained to run in the alleyway to receive a high (12 pellets) or low magnitude (1 pellet) outcome. The high magnitude was then shifted to the low and running speeds in the alleyway for the reward and USV emission were compared. Replicating previous work, a negative contrast effect was observed with postshift running speeds significantly slower in the shifted group compared to the unshifted group. USVs did not follow the same pattern with an apparent lack of significant differences between the groups following the reward downshift. We also tested another group of animals using a visual predictive cue in the same runway test. When visual cues predicted high or low magnitude outcome, no incentive contrast was found for the running speeds following an outcome downshift, but a weak contrast effect was observed for the USV emission. These results demonstrate a separation between USVs and behavioral indicators of incentive contrast suggesting that concomitant shifts in negative affect may not be necessary for anticipatory relative reward processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- K A Binkley
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, United States
| | - E S Webber
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, United States
| | - D D Powers
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, United States
| | - H C Cromwell
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Anxiety-like behaviour and associated neurochemical and endocrinological alterations in male pups exposed to prenatal stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2012; 37:1646-58. [PMID: 22444623 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2011] [Revised: 02/21/2012] [Accepted: 02/21/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Epidemiological studies suggest that emotional liability in infancy could be a predictor of anxiety-related disorders in the adulthood. Rats exposed to prenatal restraint stress ("PRS rats") represent a valuable model for the study of the interplay between environmental triggers and neurodevelopment in the pathogenesis of anxious/depressive like behaviours. Repeated episodes of restraint stress were delivered to female Sprague-Dawley rats during pregnancy and male offspring were studied. Ultrasonic vocalization (USV) was assessed in pups under different behavioural paradigms. After weaning, anxiety was measured by conventional tests. Expression of GABA(A) receptor subunits and metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors was assessed by immunoblotting. Plasma leptin levels were measured using a LINCOplex bead assay kit. The offspring of stressed dams emitted more USVs in response to isolation from their mothers and showed a later suppression of USV production when exposed to an unfamiliar male odour, indicating a pronounced anxiety-like profile. Anxiety like behaviour in PRS pups persisted one day after weaning. PRS pups did not show the plasma peak in leptin levels that is otherwise seen at PND14. In addition, PRS pups showed a reduced expression of the γ2 subunit of GABA(A) receptors in the amygdala at PND14 and PND22, an increased expression of mGlu5 receptors in the amygdala at PND22, a reduced expression of mGlu5 receptors in the hippocampus at PND14 and PND22, and a reduced expression of mGlu2/3 receptors in the hippocampus at PND22. These data offer a clear-cut demonstration that the early programming triggered by PRS could be already translated into anxiety-like behaviour during early postnatal life.
Collapse
|
11
|
Pautassi RM, Nizhnikov ME, Spear NE, Molina JC. Prenatal ethanol exposure leads to greater ethanol-induced appetitive reinforcement. Alcohol 2012; 46:585-93. [PMID: 22698870 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2012.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2012] [Revised: 05/16/2012] [Accepted: 05/17/2012] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal ethanol significantly heightens later alcohol consumption, but the mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon are poorly understood. Little is known about the basis of 'this effect of prenatal ethanol on the sensitivity to ethanol's reinforcing effects. One possibility is that prenatal ethanol exposure makes subjects more sensitive to the appetitive effects of ethanol or less sensitive to ethanol's aversive consequences. The present study assessed ethanol-induced second-order conditioned place preference (CPP) and aversion and ethanol-induced conditioned taste aversion (CTA) in infant rats prenatally exposed to ethanol (2.0 g/kg) or vehicle (water) or left untreated. The involvement of the κ opioid receptor system in ethanol-induced CTA was also explored. When place conditioning occurred during the ascending limb of the blood-ethanol curve (Experiment 1), the pups exposed to ethanol in utero exhibited greater CPP than untreated controls, with a shift to the right of the dose-response curve. Conditioning during a later phase of intoxication (30-45 min post-administration; Experiment 2) resulted in place aversion in control pups exposed to vehicle during late gestation but not in pups that were exposed to ethanol in utero. Ethanol induced a reliable and similar CTA (Experiment 3) in the pups treated with vehicle or ethanol during gestation, and CTA was insensitive to κ antagonism. These results suggest that brief exposure to a moderate ethanol dose during late gestation promotes ethanol-mediated reinforcement and alters the expression of conditioned aversion by ethanol. This shift in the motivational reactivity to ethanol may be an underlying basis of the effect of prenatal ethanol on later ethanol acceptance.
Collapse
|
12
|
Yee N, Schwarting RKW, Fuchs E, Wöhr M. Juvenile stress potentiates aversive 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations and freezing during auditory fear conditioning in adult male rats. Stress 2012; 15:533-44. [PMID: 22150360 DOI: 10.3109/10253890.2011.646348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Traumatic experiences that occur during adolescence can render individuals vulnerable to mood and anxiety disorders. A model in juvenile rats (age: 27-29 days) was developed previously to study the long-term effects of adolescent stress exposure on behaviour and physiology. This paradigm, termed juvenile stress, involves subjecting juvenile rats to different stressors on consecutive days over a 3-day period. Here, we investigated the effects of the juvenile stress paradigm on freezing behaviour and aversive 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) during auditory fear conditioning in adult male rats (age: 68-90 days). We found that rats previously subjected to juvenile stress increased aversive 22-kHz USVs (total calls and time spent calling) compared with controls during fear-conditioning training. The acoustic USV parameters between control and juvenile stress rats were largely equivalent, including duration, peak frequency and amplitude. While rats did not differ in freezing behaviour during fear conditioning, juvenile stress rats exhibited greater cue-conditioned freezing upon testing 24 h later. Our results show that juvenile stress elicited different long-term changes in freezing and aversive USVs during fear conditioning. Furthermore, they highlight the importance of assessing USVs to detect experience-dependent differences between control and stress-exposed animals which are not detectable by measuring visible behaviour.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Yee
- Clinical Neurobiology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, Göttingen 37077, Germany.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Baharnoori M, Bhardwaj SK, Srivastava LK. Neonatal behavioral changes in rats with gestational exposure to lipopolysaccharide: a prenatal infection model for developmental neuropsychiatric disorders. Schizophr Bull 2012; 38:444-56. [PMID: 20805287 PMCID: PMC3329978 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbq098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to prenatal infections has been widely associated with the increased risk for neuropsychiatric disorders of developmental origin such as schizophrenia and autism. Although several behavioral and cognitive deficits have been detected during adulthood in rodent models of prenatal infections, early behavioral changes have not been well characterized. In a prenatal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) model, we have previously observed significant alterations in the neuronal cytoarchitecture during early postnatal life. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the potential effects of prenatal immune activation on early neurophenotypic presentations using a set of behavioral test battery. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were administered with 100 μg/kg LPS (intraperitoneally) at gestational days 15 and 16. During the first postnatal week, we found no significant effect on maternal behavior or mother-pup interaction by this treatment. Also, no major changes in physical developmental milestones of pups were noted from postnatal (P) days P6 to P16. Importantly, prenatal LPS-exposed pups had a significant decrease in the number and duration of ultrasonic vocalization calls at P3 and P5. Prenatal LPS treatment also led to impairments in nest-seeking behavior and odor-stroke associative learning in neonatal rats at P8 and P9. At the molecular level, we detected significant decrease in the expression of cortical 5HT1A and 5HT1B messenger RNA at P3. These data suggest that prenatal exposure to an immune activator can significantly impair the social/communicative behavior in the neonate offspring, which may be relevant to childhood and premorbid abnormalities reported in autism and schizophrenia subjects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lalit K. Srivastava
- To whom correspondence should be addressed; tel: +514-761-6131, fax: +514-762-3034, e-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Rat pup social motivation: a critical component of early psychological development. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2011; 35:1284-90. [PMID: 21251926 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2011.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2010] [Revised: 01/07/2011] [Accepted: 01/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Examining the role of the offspring in early social dynamics is especially difficult. Human developmental psychology has found infant behavior to be a vital part of the early environmental setting. In the rodent model, the different ways that a rodent neonate or pup can influence social dynamics are not well known. Typically, litters of neonates or pups offer complex social interactions dominated by behavior seemingly initiated and maintained by the primary caregiver (e.g., the dam). Despite this strong role for the caregiver, the young most likely influence the litter dynamics in many powerful ways including communication signals, discrimination abilities and early approach behavior. Nelson and Panksepp (1996) developed a preference task to examine early rodent pup social motivation. We have used the same task to examine how variations in maternal care or different environmental perturbations could alter the rat pup preferences for social-related stimuli. Rat pups receiving low levels of maternal licking and grooming were impaired in maternal odor cue learning and emitted lower levels of 22kHz ultrasounds compared to pups from the high licking and grooming cohort. Prenatal stress or early exposure to a toxicant (polychlorinated biphenyl) altered early social preferences in the rat pup in different ways indicating that diverse strategies are expressed and specific to the type of perturbation exposure. A greater focus on the offspring motivation following early 'stressors' will allow for more complete understanding of the dynamics in behavior during early social development.
Collapse
|
15
|
Jolous-Jamshidi B, Cromwell HC, McFarland AM, Meserve LA. Perinatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls alters social behaviors in rats. Toxicol Lett 2010; 199:136-43. [PMID: 20813172 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2010.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2010] [Revised: 08/23/2010] [Accepted: 08/24/2010] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Perinatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) leads to significant alterations of neural and hormonal systems. These alterations have been shown to impair motor and sensory development. Less is known about the influence of PCB exposure on developing emotional and motivational systems involved in social interactions and social learning. The present study examined the impact of perinatal PCB exposure (mixture of congeners 47 and 77) on social recognition in juvenile animals, conspecific-directed investigation in adults and on neural and hormonal systems involved in social functions. We used a standard habituation-dishabituation paradigm to evaluate juvenile recognition and a social port paradigm to monitor adult social investigation. Areal measures of the periventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus were obtained to provide correlations with related hormone and brain systems. PCB exposed rats were significantly impaired in social recognition as indicated by persistent conspecific-directed exploration by juvenile animals regardless of social experience. As adults, PCB exposure led to a dampening of the isolation-induced enhancement of social investigation. There was not a concomitant alteration of social investigation in pair-housed PCB exposed animals at this stage of development. Interestingly, PVN area was significantly decreased in juvenile animals exposed to PCB during the perinatal period. Shifts in hypothalamic regulation of hormones involved in social behavior and stress could be involved in the behavioral changes observed. Overall, the results suggest that PCB exposure impairs context or experience-dependent modulation of social approach and investigation. These types of social-context deficits are similar to behavioral deficits observed in social disorders such as autism and other pervasive developmental disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Banafsheh Jolous-Jamshidi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403-0208, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|