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Achterberg EJM, Burke CJ, Pellis SM. When the individual comes into play: The role of self and the partner in the dyadic play fighting of rats. Behav Processes 2023; 212:104933. [PMID: 37643663 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Social play in rats is rewarding and important for the development of brain and social skills. There are differences in the amount of play behavior displayed among individuals, with earlier studies suggesting that, despite variation across trials, individual differences tend to be consistent. In the present study, juvenile Lister-hooded rats were paired with a different, unfamiliar same-sex partner on three days and based on the amount of play each individual initiated, it was characterized as a high, medium or low player. Using this categorization, we explored three features related to individual differences. First, we show that by increasing the number of test days from two, as was done in a previous study (Lesscher et al., 2021), to three, characterization was effectively improved. Secondly, while the earlier study only used males, the present study showed that both sexes exhibit a similar pattern of individual differences in the degree of playfulness. Even though low players consistently initiated less play than medium and high players, all rats varied in how much play they initiated from one trial to the next. Thirdly, we assessed two potential mechanisms by which the playfulness of one rat can modify the level of playfulness of the other rat (i.e., emotional contagion vs homeostasis). Analyses of individuals' contribution to the play of dyads suggest that rats consistently adjust their play behavior depending on the behavior displayed by the partner. Since this adjustment can be positive or negative, our data support a homeostatic mechanism, whereby individuals increase or decrease the amount of play they initiate, which results in the experience of an overall stable pattern of play across trials. Future research will investigate the neural bases for individual differences in play and how rats maintain a preferred level of play.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J M Achterberg
- Behavioural Neuroscience Division, Department of Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - C J Burke
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada; Department of Pharmacology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - S M Pellis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada
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2
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Pellis SM, Pellis VC, Ham JR, Stark RA. Play fighting and the development of the social brain: The rat's tale. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 145:105037. [PMID: 36621585 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The benefits gained by young animals engaging in play fighting have been a subject of conjecture for over a hundred years. Progress in understanding the behavioral development of play fighting and the underlying neurobiology of laboratory rats has produced a coherent model that sheds light on this matter. Depriving rats of typical peer-peer play experience during the juvenile period leads to adults with socio-cognitive deficiencies and these are correlated with physiological and anatomical changes to the neurons of the prefrontal cortex, especially the medial prefrontal cortex. Detailed analysis of juvenile peer play has shown that using the abilities needed to ensure that play fighting is reciprocal is critical for attaining these benefits. Therefore, unlike that which was posited by many earlier hypotheses, play fighting does not train specific motor actions, but rather, improves a skill set that can be applied in many different social and non-social contexts. There are still gaps in the rat model that need to be understood, but the model is well-enough developed to provide a framework for broader comparative studies of mammals from diverse lineages that engage in play fighting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio M Pellis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K3M4, Canada.
| | - Vivien C Pellis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K3M4, Canada
| | - Jackson R Ham
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K3M4, Canada
| | - Rachel A Stark
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K3M4, Canada
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3
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CHIBA S, NUMAKAWA T, MURATA T, KAWAMINAMI M, HIMI T. Enhanced social reward response and anxiety-like behavior with downregulation of nucleus accumbens glucocorticoid receptor in BALB/c mice. J Vet Med Sci 2023; 85:30-39. [PMID: 36403974 PMCID: PMC9887208 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.22-0103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Social anhedonia is a psychological state with difficulty in experiencing pleasure from social interactions and is observed in various diseases, such as depressive disorders. Although the relationships between social reward responses and anxiety- and depression-like behaviors have remained unclear, a social reward conditioned place preference (SCPP) test can be used to analyze the rewarding nature of social interactions. To elucidate these relationships, we used 5-week-old male mice of AKR, BALB/c, and C57BL/6J strains and conducted behavioral tests in the following order: elevated plus-maze test (EPM), open field test (OFT), SCPP, saccharin preference test (SPT), and passive avoidance test. The nucleus accumbens of these mice were collected 24 hr after these behavioral tests and were used for western blotting to determine the levels of receptors for brain-derived neurotrophic factors and glucocorticoids. BALB/c mice displayed the highest levels of anxiety-like behavior in EPM and OFT as well as physical anhedonia-like behaviors in SPT. They also showed increased responses to social rewards and huddling behaviors in SCPP, with downregulated glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Regression analysis results revealed positive influences of anxiety- and physical anhedonia-like behaviors and expressions of GR on social reward responses. Collectively, temperament associated with anxiety and physical anhedonia may affect social reward responses, which possibly is influenced by the expression of GR that can modify these psychological traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuichi CHIBA
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama University of Science, Ehime, Japan
| | - Tadahiro NUMAKAWA
- Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuya MURATA
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama University of Science, Ehime, Japan
| | | | - Toshiyuki HIMI
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Musashino University, Tokyo, Japan
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4
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Effects of endocannabinoid system modulation on social behaviour: A systematic review of animal studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 138:104680. [PMID: 35513169 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
Abstract
There is a clear link between psychiatric disorders and social behaviour, and evidence suggests the involvement of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). A systematic review of preclinical literature was conducted using MEDLINE (PubMed) and PsychINFO databases to examine whether pharmacological and/or genetic manipulations of the ECS alter social behaviours in wildtype (WT) animals or models of social impairment (SIM). Eighty studies were included. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed using SYRCLE's RoB tool. While some variability was evident, studies most consistently found that direct cannabinoid receptor (CBR) agonism decreased social behaviours in WT animals, while indirect CBR activation via enzyme inhibition or gene-knockout increased social behaviours. Direct and, more consistently, indirect CBR activation reversed social deficits in SIM. These CBR-mediated effects were often sex- and developmental-phase-dependent and blocked by CBR antagonism. Overall, ECS enzyme inhibition may improve social behaviour in SIM, suggesting the potential usefulness of ECS enzyme inhibition as a therapeutic approach for social deficits. Future research should endeavour to elucidate ECS status in neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by social deficits.
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Green C, Stolicyn A, Harris MA, Shen X, Romaniuk L, Barbu MC, Hawkins EL, Wardlaw JM, Steele JD, Waiter GD, Sandu AL, Campbell A, Porteous DJ, Seckl JR, Lawrie SM, Reynolds RM, Cavanagh J, McIntosh AM, Whalley HC. Hair glucocorticoids are associated with childhood adversity, depressive symptoms and reduced global and lobar grey matter in Generation Scotland. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:523. [PMID: 34642301 PMCID: PMC8511057 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01644-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation has been commonly reported in major depressive disorder (MDD), but with considerable heterogeneity of results; potentially due to the predominant use of acute measures of an inherently variable/phasic system. Chronic longer-term measures of HPA-axis activity have yet to be systematically examined in MDD, particularly in relation to brain phenotypes, and in the context of early-life/contemporaneous stress. Here, we utilise a temporally stable measure of cumulative HPA-axis function (hair glucocorticoids) to investigate associations between cortisol, cortisone and total glucocorticoids with concurrent measures of (i) lifetime-MDD case/control status and current symptom severity, (ii) early/current-life stress and (iii) structural neuroimaging phenotypes, in N = 993 individuals from Generation Scotland (mean age = 59.1 yrs). Increased levels of hair cortisol were significantly associated with reduced global and lobar brain volumes with reductions in the frontal, temporal and cingulate regions (βrange = -0.057 to -0.104, all PFDR < 0.05). Increased levels of hair cortisone were significantly associated with MDD (lifetime-MDD status, current symptoms, and severity; βrange = 0.071 to 0.115, all PFDR = < 0.05), with early-life adversity (β = 0.083, P = 0.017), and with reduced global and regional brain volumes (global: β = -0.059, P = 0.043; nucleus accumbens: β = -0.075, PFDR = 0.044). Associations with total glucocorticoids followed a similar pattern to the cortisol findings. In this large community-based sample, elevated glucocorticoids were significantly associated with MDD, with early, but not later-life stress, and with reduced global and regional brain phenotypes. These findings provide important foundations for future mechanistic studies to formally explore causal relationships between early adversity, chronic rather than acute measures of glucocorticoids, and neurobiological associations relevant to the aetiology of MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Green
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Aleks Stolicyn
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Mathew A Harris
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Xueyi Shen
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Liana Romaniuk
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Miruna C Barbu
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Emma L Hawkins
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Joanna M Wardlaw
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - J Douglas Steele
- Division of Imaging Science and Technology, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Gordon D Waiter
- Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Anca-Larisa Sandu
- Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Archie Campbell
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - David J Porteous
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jonathan R Seckl
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Rebecca M Reynolds
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jonathan Cavanagh
- Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, College of Medical and Veterinary Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Andrew M McIntosh
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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CB1 Receptor Signaling Modulates Amygdalar Plasticity during Context-Cocaine Memory Reconsolidation to Promote Subsequent Cocaine Seeking. J Neurosci 2020; 41:613-629. [PMID: 33257326 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1390-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Contextual drug-associated memories precipitate craving and relapse in cocaine users. Such associative memories can be weakened through interference with memory reconsolidation, a process by which memories are maintained following memory retrieval-induced destabilization. We hypothesized that cocaine-memory reconsolidation requires cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1R) signaling based on the fundamental role of the endocannabinoid system in synaptic plasticity and emotional memory processing. Using an instrumental model of cocaine relapse, we evaluated whether systemic CB1R antagonism (AM251; 3 mg/kg, i.p.) during memory reconsolidation altered (1) subsequent drug context-induced cocaine-seeking behavior as well as (2) cellular adaptations and (3) excitatory synaptic physiology in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in male Sprague Dawley rats. Systemic CB1R antagonism, during, but not after, cocaine-memory reconsolidation reduced drug context-induced cocaine-seeking behavior 3 d, but not three weeks, later. CB1R antagonism also inhibited memory retrieval-associated increases in BLA zinc finger 268 (zif268) and activity regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein (Arc) immediate-early gene (IEG) expression and changes in BLA AMPA receptor (AMPAR) and NMDA receptor (NMDAR) subunit phosphorylation that likely contribute to increased receptor membrane trafficking and synaptic plasticity during memory reconsolidation. Furthermore, CB1R antagonism increased memory reconsolidation-associated spontaneous EPSC (sEPSC) frequency in BLA principal neurons during memory reconsolidation. Together, these findings suggest that CB1R signaling modulates cellular and synaptic mechanisms in the BLA that may facilitate cocaine-memory strength by enhancing reconsolidation or synaptic reentry reinforcement, or by inhibiting extinction-memory consolidation. These findings identify the CB1R as a potential therapeutic target for relapse prevention.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Drug relapse can be triggered by the retrieval of context-drug memories on re-exposure to a drug-associated environment. Context-drug associative memories become destabilized on retrieval and must be reconsolidated into long-term memory stores to persist. Hence, targeted interference with memory reconsolidation can weaken maladaptive context-drug memories and reduce the propensity for drug relapse. Our findings indicate that cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1R) signaling is critical for context-cocaine memory reconsolidation and subsequent drug context-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior. Furthermore, cocaine-memory reconsolidation is associated with CB1R-dependent immediate-early gene (IEG) expression and changes in excitatory synaptic proteins and physiology in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). Together, our findings provide initial support for CB1R as a potential therapeutic target for relapse prevention.
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Postreactivation mifepristone impairs generalization of strongly conditioned contextual fear memories. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 27:483-487. [PMID: 33199472 PMCID: PMC7670861 DOI: 10.1101/lm.052167.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The efficacy of pharmacological disruption of fear memory reconsolidation depends on several factors, including memory strength and age. We built on previous observations that systemic treatment with the nootropic nefiracetam potentiates cued fear memory destabilization to facilitate mifepristone-induced reconsolidation impairment. Here, we applied nefiratecam and mifepristone to strongly conditioned, 1-wk-old contextual fear memories in male rats. Unexpectedly, the combined treatment did not result in impairment of contextual fear expression. However, mifepristone did reduce freezing to a novel context. These observations suggest that strong and established contextual fear memories do undergo destabilization without the need for pharmacological facilitation, and that impairments in strong context fear memory reconsolidation can manifest as a reduction in generalization.
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8
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Opioid modulation of social play reward in juvenile rats. Neuropharmacology 2018; 159:107332. [PMID: 30218673 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Revised: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Social play behaviour is a vigorous form of social interaction abundant during the juvenile and adolescent phases of life in many mammalian species, including rats and humans. Social play is thought to be important for social, emotional and cognitive development. Being a rewarding activity, the expression of social play depends on its pleasurable and motivational properties. Since opioids have been widely implicated in reward processes, in the present study we investigated the role of opioids in the pleasurable and motivational properties of social play behaviour in rats. To assess social play motivation, an operant conditioning setup was used in which rats responded for social play under a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. Treatment with the opioid receptor agonist morphine reduced responding for social play at the highest dose tested, likely due to its rate-limiting effects. Morphine treatment increased the expression of social play behaviour during reinforced periods. The acquisition of social play-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in a subeffective conditioning protocol was enhanced by treatment with morphine. Morphine treatment alone also induced CPP. In contrast, antagonizing opioid receptors with naloxone reduced responding for social play, the expression of social play and blocked the development of social play-induced CPP. These data implicate opioid neurotransmission in both the pleasurable and the motivational aspects of social play behaviour in rats. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'The neuropharmacology of social behavior: from bench to bedside'.
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Walker SE, Papilloud A, Huzard D, Sandi C. The link between aberrant hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity during development and the emergence of aggression—Animal studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 91:138-152. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Revised: 10/09/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Bou Khalil R, Smayra V, Saliba Y, Hajal J, Bakhos JJ, Souaiby L, Richa S, Tamraz J, Farès N. Mifepristone reduces hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis activation and restores weight loss in rats subjected to dietary restriction and methylphenidate administration. Neurosci Res 2017; 135:46-53. [PMID: 29288690 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2017.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Revised: 12/16/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This study evaluates the efficacy of mifepristone on weight restoration in rats subjected to dietary restriction and methylphenidate administration. 25 female rats aged between 9 and 12 months were divided into 2 groups: 5 controls (exposed only to dietary restriction) and 20 rats that were administered 5 mg/kg/d of methylphenidate before meal exposure, for 36 days. Among rats who responded to methylphenidate (weight loss of 15-25%) weeks after its administration, a group of 6 rats continued to receive only methylphenidate ("Met" group), and another group received 10 mg/kg/d of mifepristone in addition to methylphenidate for 18 days ("Met+Mif" group; n = 6). The mean weight of the "Met+Mif" group remained significantly lower when compared to the control group (87.63 ± 2.83% vs 96.29 ± 3.26%; p < 0.001 respectively) but was significantly higher than that of the "Met" group (87.63 ± 2.83% vs. 80.61 ± 3.52%; p < 0.001 respectively). Plasma concentrations of adiponectin and gene expression of its receptors in rats brain were significantly higher in the "Met" group as compared to the "Met+Mif" and control groups (p < 0.01). Accordingly, mifepristone reduces HPA axis activation and restores weight through adipose tissue recovering. It might be considered a promising treatment for anorexia nervosa patients in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rami Bou Khalil
- Saint Joseph University, Hôtel Dieu de France Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Beirut, Lebanon; Saint Joseph University, Research Laboratory in Physiology and Physiopathology, LRPP, Beirut, Lebanon; Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon.
| | - Viviane Smayra
- Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Youakim Saliba
- Saint Joseph University, Research Laboratory in Physiology and Physiopathology, LRPP, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Joelle Hajal
- Saint Joseph University, Research Laboratory in Physiology and Physiopathology, LRPP, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Jules-Joël Bakhos
- Saint Joseph University, Research Laboratory in Physiology and Physiopathology, LRPP, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Lama Souaiby
- National mental health program, Ministry of public health, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Sami Richa
- Saint Joseph University, Hôtel Dieu de France Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Beirut, Lebanon; Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon; Saint Joseph University, Head of department of Psychiatry, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Jean Tamraz
- Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon; Saint Joseph University, Hôtel Dieu de France Hospital, Department of Neuroimaging, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Nassim Farès
- Saint Joseph University, Research Laboratory in Physiology and Physiopathology, LRPP, Beirut, Lebanon; Saint Joseph University, Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon
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Simola N, Paci E, Serra M, Costa G, Morelli M. Modulation of Rat 50-kHz Ultrasonic Vocalizations by Glucocorticoid Signaling: Possible Relevance to Reward and Motivation. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2017; 21:73-83. [PMID: 29182715 PMCID: PMC5795343 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyx106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rats emit 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) to communicate positive emotional states, and these USVs are increasingly being investigated in preclinical studies on reward and motivation. Although it is the activation of dopamine receptors that initiates the emission of 50-kHz USVs, non-dopaminergic mechanisms may modulate calling in the 50 kHz frequency band. To further elucidate these mechanisms, the present study investigated whether the pharmacological manipulation of glucocorticoid signaling influenced calling. METHODS Rats were administered corticosterone (1-5 mg/kg, s.c.), the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist mifepristone (40 or 100 mg/kg, s.c.), or the corticosterone synthesis inhibitor metyrapone (50 or 100 mg/kg, i.p.). The effects of these drugs on calling initiation and on calling recorded during nonaggressive social contacts or after the administration of amphetamine (0.25 or 1 mg/kg, i.p.) were then evaluated. RESULTS Corticosterone failed to initiate the emission of 50-kHz USVs and did not influence pro-social and amphetamine-stimulated calling. Similarly, mifepristone and metyrapone did not initiate calling. However, metyrapone suppressed pro-social calling and calling stimulated by a moderate dose (1 mg/kg, i.p.) of amphetamine. Conversely, mifepristone attenuated calling stimulated by a low (0.25 mg/kg, i.p.), but not moderate (1 mg/kg, i.p.), dose of amphetamine and had no influence on pro-social calling. CONCLUSIONS The present results demonstrate that glucocorticoid signaling modulates calling in the 50 kHz frequency band only in certain conditions and suggest that mechanisms different from the inhibition of corticosterone synthesis may participate in the suppression of calling by metyrapone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Simola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy,National Institute of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy,Correspondence: Nicola Simola, PhD, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale, 72, 09124, Cagliari, Italy ()
| | - Elena Paci
- Department of Physiology, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom,Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Marcello Serra
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Giulia Costa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Micaela Morelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy,National Institute of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy,NCR, National Research Council of Italy, Neuroscience Institute, Cagliari, Italy
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12
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Kelly AM, Vitousek MN. Dynamic modulation of sociality and aggression: an examination of plasticity within endocrine and neuroendocrine systems. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:20160243. [PMID: 28673919 PMCID: PMC5498303 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Endocrine and neuroendocrine systems are key mediators of behavioural plasticity and allow for the ability to shift social behaviour across dynamic contexts. These systems operate across timescales, modulating both rapid responses to environmental changes and developmental plasticity in behavioural phenotypes. Thus, not only do endocrine systems mediate behavioural plasticity, but also the systems themselves exhibit plasticity in functional capabilities. This flexibility at both the mechanistic and behavioural levels can be crucial for reproduction and survival. Here, we discuss how plasticity in nonapeptide and steroid actions may influence the expression of, and allow rapid shifts between, sociality and aggression-behavioural shifts that can be particularly important for social interactions. Recent findings of overlap in the mechanisms that modulate social and aggressive behaviour suggest the potential for a mechanistic continuum between these behaviours. We briefly discuss the potential for a sociality-aggression continuum and novel techniques that will enable probing of the functional connectivity of social behaviours. From an evolutionary perspective, we suggest that plasticity in endocrine and neuroendocrine mechanisms of behaviour may be important targets of selection, and discuss the conditions under which we would predict selection to have resulted in differences in endocrine plasticity across species that differ in social organization.This article is part of the themed issue 'Physiological determinants of social behaviour in animals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, 229 Uris Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Maren N Vitousek
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, E237 Corson Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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13
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The role of glucocorticoids in emotional memory reconsolidation. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2017; 142:126-134. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2016.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Revised: 11/09/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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14
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Esposito E, Drechsler M, Mariani P, Carducci F, Servadio M, Melancia F, Ratano P, Campolongo P, Trezza V, Cortesi R, Nastruzzi C. Lipid nanoparticles for administration of poorly water soluble neuroactive drugs. Biomed Microdevices 2017; 19:44. [DOI: 10.1007/s10544-017-0188-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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15
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Lynch JJ, Van Vleet TR, Mittelstadt SW, Blomme EAG. Potential functional and pathological side effects related to off-target pharmacological activity. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods 2017; 87:108-126. [PMID: 28216264 DOI: 10.1016/j.vascn.2017.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Revised: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Most pharmaceutical companies test their discovery-stage proprietary molecules in a battery of in vitro pharmacology assays to try to determine off-target interactions. During all phases of drug discovery and development, various questions arise regarding potential side effects associated with such off-target pharmacological activity. Here we present a scientific literature curation effort undertaken to determine and summarize the most likely functional and pathological outcomes associated with interactions at 70 receptors, enzymes, ion channels and transporters with established links to adverse effects. To that end, the scientific literature was reviewed using an on-line database, and the most commonly reported effects were summarized in tabular format. The resultant table should serve as a practical guide for research scientists and clinical investigators for the prediction and interpretation of adverse side effects associated with molecules interacting with components of this screening battery.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J Lynch
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA.
| | | | | | - Eric A G Blomme
- AbbVie Inc., 1 North Waukegan Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
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16
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Hillard CJ, Beatka M, Sarvaideo J. Endocannabinoid Signaling and the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis. Compr Physiol 2016; 7:1-15. [PMID: 28134998 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c160005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The elucidation of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol as the active principal of Cannabis sativa in 1963 initiated a fruitful half-century of scientific discovery, culminating in the identification of the endocannabinoid signaling system, a previously unknown neuromodulatory system. A primary function of the endocannabinoid signaling system is to maintain or recover homeostasis following psychological and physiological threats. We provide a brief introduction to the endocannabinoid signaling system and its role in synaptic plasticity. The majority of the article is devoted to a summary of current knowledge regarding the role of endocannabinoid signaling as both a regulator of endocrine responses to stress and as an effector of glucocorticoid and corticotrophin-releasing hormone signaling in the brain. We summarize data demonstrating that cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) signaling can both inhibit and potentiate the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis by stress. We present a hypothesis that the inhibitory arm has high endocannabinoid tone and also serves to enhance recovery to baseline following stress, while the potentiating arm is not tonically active but can be activated by exogenous agonists. We discuss recent findings that corticotropin-releasing hormone in the amygdala enables hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation via an increase in the catabolism of the endocannabinoid N-arachidonylethanolamine. We review data supporting the hypotheses that CB1R activation is required for many glucocorticoid effects, particularly feedback inhibition of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation, and that glucocorticoids mobilize the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol. These features of endocannabinoid signaling make it a tantalizing therapeutic target for treatment of stress-related disorders but to date, this promise is largely unrealized. © 2017 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:1-15, 2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia J Hillard
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, and Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Margaret Beatka
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, and Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jenna Sarvaideo
- Department of Medicine, and Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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17
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Vanderschuren LJMJ, Achterberg EJM, Trezza V. The neurobiology of social play and its rewarding value in rats. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 70:86-105. [PMID: 27587003 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 192] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2016] [Revised: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 07/21/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In the young of many mammalian species, including humans, a vigorous and highly rewarding social activity is abundantly expressed, known as social play behaviour. Social play is thought to be important for the development of social, cognitive and emotional processes and their neural underpinnings, and it is disrupted in pediatric psychiatric disorders. Here, we summarize recent progress in our understanding of the brain mechanisms of social play behaviour, with a focus on its rewarding properties. Opioid, endocannabinoid, dopamine and noradrenaline systems play a prominent role in the modulation of social play. Of these, dopamine is particularly important for the motivational properties of social play. The nucleus accumbens has been identified as a key site for opioid and dopamine modulation of social play. Endocannabinoid influences on social play rely on the basolateral amygdala, whereas noradrenaline modulates social play through the basolateral amygdala, habenula and prefrontal cortex. In sum, social play behaviour is the result of coordinated activity in a network of corticolimbic structures, and its monoamine, opioid and endocannabinoid innervation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louk J M J Vanderschuren
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - E J Marijke Achterberg
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Viviana Trezza
- Department of Science, Section of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, University "Roma Tre", Rome, Italy
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18
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Dillon DG. The neuroscience of positive memory deficits in depression. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1295. [PMID: 26441703 PMCID: PMC4561348 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Adults with unipolar depression typically show poor episodic memory for positive material, but the neuroscientific mechanisms responsible for this deficit have not been characterized. I suggest a simple hypothesis: weak memory for positive material in depression reflects disrupted communication between the mesolimbic dopamine pathway and medial temporal lobe (MTL) memory systems during encoding. This proposal draws on basic research showing that dopamine release in the hippocampus is critical for the transition from early- to late-phase long-term potentiation (LTP) that marks the conversion of labile, short-term memories into stable, long-term memories. Neuroimaging and pharmacological data from healthy humans paint a similar picture: activation of the mesolimbic reward circuit enhances encoding and boosts retention. Unipolar depression is characterized by anhedonia-loss of pleasure-and reward circuit dysfunction, which is believed to reflect negative effects of stress on the mesolimbic dopamine pathway. Thus, I propose that the MTL is deprived of strengthening reward signals in depressed adults and memory for positive events suffers accordingly. Although other mechanisms are important, this hypothesis holds promise as an explanation for positive memory deficits in depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G Dillon
- Motivated Learning and Memory Laboratory, Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School , Belmont, MA, USA
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