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Barnes CN, Wallace CW, Jacobowitz BS, Fordahl SC. Reduced phasic dopamine release and slowed dopamine uptake occur in the nucleus accumbens after a diet high in saturated but not unsaturated fat. Nutr Neurosci 2022; 25:33-45. [PMID: 31914869 PMCID: PMC7343597 DOI: 10.1080/1028415x.2019.1707421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
High-fat diets are linked with obesity and changes in dopamine neurotransmission. Mounting evidence shows that saturated fat impacts dopamine neurons and their terminal fields, but little is known about the effect a diet high in unsaturated fat has on the dopamine system. This study sought to determine whether fat type, saturated vs. unsaturated, differentially affected body weight, blood glucose regulation, locomotor behavior, and control of dopamine release and uptake at dopamine neuron terminals in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). C57BL/6 mice were fed a control diet or a nutrient-matched diet high in saturated fat (SF), unsaturated flaxseed oil (Flax) or a blend of the two fats. After 6-weeks, mice from each high-fat diet group gained significantly more weight than Controls, but the group fed Flax gained less weight than the SF group and had fasting blood glucose levels similar to Controls. Ex-vivo fast scan cyclic voltammetry revealed the SF group also had significantly slower synaptic dopamine clearance and a reduced capacity for phasic dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), but the Flax and Blend groups resembled Controls. These data show that different types of dietary fat have substantially different effects on metabolic phenotype and influence how dopamine terminals in the NAc regulate dopamine neurotransmission. Our data also suggests that a diet high in unsaturated fat may preserve normal metabolic and behavioral parameters as well as dopamine signaling in the NAc.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Steve C Fordahl
- Corresponding Author: Steve C. Fordahl, Ph.D., Department of Nutrition, UNC Greensboro, 319 College Ave.; 338 Stone Bldg., Greensboro, NC 27402, Tel: 336.334.5313, Fax: 336.334.4129,
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Khan AM, D'Arcy CE, Olimpo JT. A historical perspective on training students to create standardized maps of novel brain structure: Newly-uncovered resonances between past and present research-based neuroanatomy curricula. Neurosci Lett 2021; 759:136052. [PMID: 34139317 PMCID: PMC8445161 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Recent efforts to reform postsecondary STEM education in the U.S. have resulted in the creation of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), which, among other outcomes, have successfully retained freshmen in their chosen STEM majors and provided them with a greater sense of identity as scientists by enabling them to experience how research is conducted in a laboratory setting. In 2014, we launched our own laboratory-based CURE, Brain Mapping & Connectomics (BMC). Now in its seventh year, BMC trains University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) undergraduates to identify and label neuron populations in the rat brain, analyze their cytoarchitecture, and draw their detailed chemoarchitecture onto standardized rat brain atlas maps in stereotaxic space. Significantly, some BMC students produce atlas drawings derived from their coursework or from further independent study after the course that are being presented and/or published in the scientific literature. These maps should prove useful to neuroscientists seeking to experimentally target elusive neuron populations. Here, we review the procedures taught in BMC that have empowered students to learn about the scientific process. We contextualize our efforts with those similarly carried out over a century ago to reform U.S. medical education. Notably, we have uncovered historical records that highlight interesting resonances between our curriculum and that created at the Johns Hopkins University Medical School (JHUMS) in the 1890s. Although the two programs are over a century apart and were created for students of differing career levels, many aspects between them are strikingly similar, including the unique atlas-based brain mapping methods they encouraged students to learn. A notable example of these efforts was the brain atlas maps published by Florence Sabin, a JHUMS student who later became the first woman to be elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. We conclude by discussing how the revitalization of century-old methods and their dissemination to the next generation of scientists in BMC not only provides student benefit and academic development, but also acts to preserve what are increasingly becoming "lost arts" critical for advancing neuroscience - brain histology, cytoarchitectonics, and atlas-based mapping of novel brain structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arshad M Khan
- UTEP Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; Border Biomedical Research Center, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; UTEP PERSIST Brain Mapping and Connectomics Teaching Laboratory, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; BUILDing SCHOLARS Program, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; UTEP RISE Program, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; UTEP Neuroscience Bachelor of Science Degree Program, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
| | - Christina E D'Arcy
- UTEP Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; Biology Education Research Group, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; Border Biomedical Research Center, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; UTEP PERSIST Brain Mapping and Connectomics Teaching Laboratory, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; BUILDing SCHOLARS Program, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
| | - Jeffrey T Olimpo
- Biology Education Research Group, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; Border Biomedical Research Center, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; BUILDing SCHOLARS Program, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA
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Rocha-Gomes A, Teixeira AE, Lima DSS, Rocha LDS, da Silva AA, Lessa MR, Pinto NAD, Stuckert-Seixas SR, Riul TR. Caloric restriction or cafeteria diet from birth to adulthood increases the sensitivity to ephedrine in anxiety and locomotion in Wistar rats. Physiol Behav 2021; 236:113430. [PMID: 33865851 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Obesity and undernutrition, consequences of malnutrition, have been linked to the development of mental illnesses. Both states have been linked to increased sensitivity to some drugs, but there are few data for this association considering drugs with noradrenergic-dopaminergic action. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the nutritional status of animals treated with either a caloric restriction (CR) or cafeteria (CAF) diet from birth and their behavior after ephedrine application. METHODS During the lactation period, 12 litters of Wistar rats (dam + 8 pups) were fed one of three diets: control (n = 4), CR (n = 4), and CAF (n = 4). After weaning, the males were placed in individual boxes and received the same diet as their respective dams. Nutritional assessments were performed after weaning and in adulthood. In adulthood, males received either saline or ephedrine (20 mg/kg) and underwent behavioral tests including the elevated plus-maze, open-field, and food intake tests. RESULTS The CR group exhibited higher serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels and lower food and caloric intake, weight gain, and fat mass than the control group. The CAF group exhibited lower food intake and higher fat caloric intake, fat mass, and serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglyceride, total cholesterol, and hepatic lipid levels than the control group. These results indicated that the CR and CAF groups had developed undernutrition and obesity, respectively. In the elevated plus-maze and open-field tests, the CR and CAF groups showed lower anxiety-like behaviors than the control group after ephedrine application. This result indicates that the animal's nutritional status (undernutrition or obesity) can enhance ephedrine sensitivity. CONCLUSION The CR group exhibited undernutrition, whereas the CAF group exhibited obesity. Ephedrine altered anxiety and locomotion in animals that received the CR and CAF diets in manner different than that observed in animals receiving the standard diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Rocha-Gomes
- Laboratório de Nutrição Experimental, Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rodovia MGT 367 (Km 583), Campus JK, n 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, Brasil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rodovia MGT 367 (Km 583), Campus JK, n 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, Brasil; Programa Multicêntrico de Pós-graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rodovia MGT 367 (Km 583), Campus JK, n 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, Brasil
| | - Amanda Escobar Teixeira
- Laboratório de Nutrição Experimental, Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rodovia MGT 367 (Km 583), Campus JK, n 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, Brasil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rodovia MGT 367 (Km 583), Campus JK, n 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, Brasil
| | - Deiviany Santana Santos Lima
- Laboratório de Nutrição Experimental, Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rodovia MGT 367 (Km 583), Campus JK, n 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, Brasil
| | - Luziane Dos Santos Rocha
- Laboratório de Nutrição Experimental, Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rodovia MGT 367 (Km 583), Campus JK, n 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, Brasil
| | - Alexandre Alves da Silva
- Laboratório de Nutrição Experimental, Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rodovia MGT 367 (Km 583), Campus JK, n 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, Brasil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências da Nutrição, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rodovia MGT 367 (Km 583), Campus JK, n 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, Brasil
| | - Mayara Rodrigues Lessa
- Laboratório de Tecnologia e Biomassas do Cerrado, Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rodovia MGT 367 (Km 583), Campus JK, n 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, Brasil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências da Nutrição, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rodovia MGT 367 (Km 583), Campus JK, n 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, Brasil
| | - Nísia Av Dessimoni Pinto
- Laboratório de Tecnologia e Biomassas do Cerrado, Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rodovia MGT 367 (Km 583), Campus JK, n 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, Brasil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências da Nutrição, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rodovia MGT 367 (Km 583), Campus JK, n 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, Brasil
| | - Sérgio R Stuckert-Seixas
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rodovia MGT 367 (Km 583), Campus JK, n 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, Brasil
| | - Tania Regina Riul
- Laboratório de Nutrição Experimental, Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rodovia MGT 367 (Km 583), Campus JK, n 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, Brasil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências da Nutrição, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Rodovia MGT 367 (Km 583), Campus JK, n 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina, Brasil.
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Beltran NM, Ramos J, Galindo KI, Echeverri Alegre JI, Cruz B, Hernandez-Casner C, Serafine KM. Intermittent dietary supplementation with fish oil prevents high fat diet-induced enhanced sensitivity to dopaminergic drugs. Behav Pharmacol 2021; 32:9-20. [PMID: 33399293 PMCID: PMC7790933 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Eating a high fat diet can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and dopamine system dysfunction. For example, rats eating high fat chow are more sensitive than rats eating standard chow to the behavioral effects (e.g., locomotion and yawning) of dopaminergic drugs (e.g., quinpirole and cocaine). Daily dietary supplementation with 20% (w/w) fish oil prevents high fat diet-induced enhanced sensitivity to quinpirole-induced yawning and cocaine-induced locomotion; however, doctors recommend that patients take fish oil just two to three times a week. To test the hypothesis that intermittent (i.e., 2 days per week) dietary supplementation with fish oil prevents high fat diet-induced enhanced sensitivity to quinpirole and cocaine, rats eating standard chow (17% kcal from fat), high fat chow (60% kcal from fat), and rats eating standard or high fat chow with 20% (w/w) intermittent (e.g., 2 days per week) dietary fish oil supplementation were tested once weekly with quinpirole [0.0032-0.32 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.)] or cocaine (1.0-17.8 mg/kg, i.p.) using a cumulative dosing procedure. Consistent with previous reports, eating high fat chow enhanced sensitivity of rats to the behavioral effects of quinpirole and cocaine. Intermittent dietary supplementation of fish oil prevented high fat chow-induced enhanced sensitivity to dopaminergic drugs in male and female rats. Future experiments will focus on understanding the mechanism(s) by which fish oil produces these beneficial effects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Katherine M Serafine
- Department of Psychology
- Border Biomedical Research Center, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
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Darcey VL, Serafine KM. Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Vulnerability to Addiction: Reviewing Preclinical and Clinical Evidence. Curr Pharm Des 2020; 26:2385-2401. [DOI: 10.2174/1381612826666200429094158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Omega-3 (N3) fatty acids are dietary nutrients that are essential for human health. Arguably, one of their most critical contributions to health is their involvement in the structure and function of the nervous system. N3 fatty acids accumulate in neuronal membranes through young adulthood, becoming particularly enriched in a brain region known to be the locus of cognitive control of behavior-the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The PFC undergoes a surge in development during adolescence, coinciding with a life stage when dietary quality and intake of N3 fatty acids tend to be suboptimal. Such low intake may impact neurodevelopment and normative development of cognitive functions suggested to be protective for the risk of subsequent substance and alcohol use disorders (UD). While multiple genetic and environmental factors contribute to risk for and resilience to substance and alcohol use disorders, mounting evidence suggests that dietary patterns early in life may also modulate cognitive and behavioral factors thought to elevate UD risk (e.g., impulsivity and reward sensitivity). This review aims to summarize the literature on dietary N3 fatty acids during childhood and adolescence and risk of executive/ cognitive or behavioral dysfunction, which may contribute to the risk of subsequent UD. We begin with a review of the effects of N3 fatty acids in the brain at the molecular to cellular levels–providing the biochemical mechanisms ostensibly supporting observed beneficial effects. We continue with a review of cognitive, behavioral and neurodevelopmental features thought to predict early substance and alcohol use in humans. This is followed by a review of the preclinical literature, largely demonstrating that dietary manipulation of N3 fatty acids contributes to behavioral changes that impact drug sensitivity. Finally, a review of the available evidence in human literature, suggesting an association between dietary N3 fatty and neurodevelopmental profiles associated with risk of adverse outcomes including UD. We conclude with a brief summary and call to action for additional research to extend the current understanding of the impact of dietary N3 fatty acids and the risk of drug and alcohol UD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie L. Darcey
- Georgetown University, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Washington DC, United States
| | - Katherine M. Serafine
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, United States
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Dietary supplementation with fish oil reverses high fat diet-induced enhanced sensitivity to the behavioral effects of quinpirole. Behav Pharmacol 2020; 30:370-375. [PMID: 31085944 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Consuming a high fat diet can lead to many negative health consequences, such as obesity, insulin resistance, and enhanced sensitivity to drugs acting on dopamine systems. It has recently been demonstrated that dietary supplementation with fish oil, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, can prevent this high fat diet-induced enhanced sensitivity to dopaminergic drugs from developing. However, it is not known whether fish oil supplementation can reverse this effect once it has already developed. To test the hypothesis that dietary supplementation with fish oil will reverse high fat diet-induced enhanced sensitivity to quinpirole, a dopamine D2/D3 receptor agonist, male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either standard chow (17% kcal from fat), high fat chow (60% kcal from fat), standard chow, or high fat chow supplemented with 20% (w/w) fish oil. Body weight, food consumption, and sensitivity to quinpirole-induced (0.0032-0.32 mg/kg) penile erections were examined throughout the course of the experiment. Eating high fat chow enhanced sensitivity of rats to quinpirole-induced penile erections (i.e. resulted in a leftward shift of the ascending limb of the dose-response curve). Dietary supplementation with fish oil successfully treated this effect, as dose-response curves were not different for rats eating standard chow and rats eating high fat chow with fish oil. These results suggest that in addition to preventing the negative health consequences of eating a high fat diet, fish oil can also reverse some of these consequences once they have developed.
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