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Topchiy I, Mohbat J, Folorunso OO, Wang ZZ, Lazcano-Etchebarne C, Engin E. GABA system as the cause and effect in early development. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 161:105651. [PMID: 38579901 PMCID: PMC11081854 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105651] [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] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
GABA is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult brain and through its actions on GABAARs, it protects against excitotoxicity and seizure activity, ensures temporal fidelity of neurotransmission, and regulates concerted rhythmic activity of neuronal populations. In the developing brain, the development of GABAergic neurons precedes that of glutamatergic neurons and the GABA system serves as a guide and framework for the development of other brain systems. Despite this early start, the maturation of the GABA system also continues well into the early postnatal period. In this review, we organize evidence around two scenarios based on the essential and protracted nature of GABA system development: 1) disruptions in the development of the GABA system can lead to large scale disruptions in other developmental processes (i.e., GABA as the cause), 2) protracted maturation of this system makes it vulnerable to the effects of developmental insults (i.e., GABA as the effect). While ample evidence supports the importance of GABA/GABAAR system in both scenarios, large gaps in existing knowledge prevent strong mechanistic conclusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Topchiy
- Division of Basic Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Julie Mohbat
- Division of Basic Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Oluwarotimi O Folorunso
- Division of Basic Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Ziyi Zephyr Wang
- Division of Basic Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | | | - Elif Engin
- Division of Basic Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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2
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Wang Q, Wang Y, Tian Y, Li Y, Han J, Tai F, Jia R. Social environment enrichment alleviates anxiety-like behavior in mice: Involvement of the dopamine system. Behav Brain Res 2024; 456:114687. [PMID: 37778421 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Rearing environment plays a vital role in maintaining physical and mental health of both animals and humans. Plenty of studies have proved that physical environment enrichment in adolescence has protective effects on emotion, social behavior, learning and memory deficits. However, the following effects of social environment enrichment in adolescence remain largely elusive. Using the paradigm of companion rotation (CR), the present study found that social environment enrichment reduced anxiety-like behaviors of early adult male C57BL/6J mice. CR group also showed significantly higher expression of tyrosine hydroxylase in the ventral tegmental area and dopamine 1 receptor mRNA in the nucleus accumbens shell than control group. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that CR from adolescence to early adulthood can suppress the level of anxiety and upregulate dopaminergic neuron activity in early adult male C57BL/6J mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qun Wang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Science, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710119, China
| | - Yuqian Wang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Science, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710119, China
| | - Yaoyao Tian
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Science, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710119, China
| | - Yanyan Li
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Science, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710119, China
| | - Jing Han
- MOE Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710062, China
| | - Fadao Tai
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Science, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710119, China
| | - Rui Jia
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Science, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710119, China.
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3
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Curley JP, Champagne FA. Shaping the development of complex social behavior. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2023; 1530:46-63. [PMID: 37855311 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15076] [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: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Early life experiences can have an enduring impact on the brain and behavior, with implications for stress reactivity, cognition, and social behavior. In particular, the neural systems that contribute to the expression of social behavior are altered by early life social environments. However, paradigms that have been used to alter the social environment during development have typically focused on exposure to stress, adversity, and deprivation of species-typical social stimulation. Here, we explore whether complex social environments can shape the development of complex social behavior. We describe lab-based paradigms for studying early life social complexity in rodents that are generally focused on enriching the social and sensory experiences of the neonatal and juvenile periods of development. The impact of these experiences on social behavior and neuroplasticity is highlighted. Finally, we discuss the degree to which our current approaches for studying social behavior outcomes give insight into "complex" social behavior and how social complexity can be better integrated into lab-based methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P Curley
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Frances A Champagne
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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4
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Lonstein JS, Vitale EM, Olekanma D, McLocklin A, Pence N, Bredewold R, Veenema AH, Johnson AW, Burt SA. Anxiety, aggression, reward sensitivity, and forebrain dopamine receptor expression in a laboratory rat model of early-life disadvantage. Dev Psychobiol 2023; 65:e22421. [PMID: 37860907 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Despite early-life disadvantage (ELD) in humans being a highly heterogenous construct, it consistently predicts negative neurobehavioral outcomes. The numerous environmental contributors and neural mechanisms underlying ELD remain unclear, though. We used a laboratory rat model to evaluate the effects of limited resources and/or heavy metal exposure on mothers and their adult male and female offspring. Dams and litters were chronically exposed to restricted (1-cm deep) or ample (4-cm deep) home cage bedding postpartum, with or without lead acetate (0.1%) in their drinking water from insemination through 1-week postweaning. Restricted-bedding mothers showed more pup-directed behaviors and behavioral fragmentation, while lead-exposed mothers showed more nestbuilding. Restricted bedding-raised male offspring showed higher anxiety and aggression. Either restricted bedding or lead exposure impaired goal-directed performance in a reinforcer devaluation task in females, whereas restricted bedding alone disrupted it in males. Lead exposure, but not limited bedding, also reduced sucrose reward sensitivity in a progressive ratio task in females. D1 and D2 receptor mRNA in the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens (NAc) were each affected by the early-life treatments and differently between the sexes. Most notably, adult males (but not females) exposed to both early-life treatments had greatly increased D1 receptor mRNA in the NAc core. These results illuminate neural mechanisms through which ELD threatens neurobehavioral development and highlight forebrain dopamine as a factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph S Lonstein
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Erika M Vitale
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Doris Olekanma
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Andrew McLocklin
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Nathan Pence
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Remco Bredewold
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Alexa H Veenema
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Alexander W Johnson
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - S Alexandra Burt
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
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5
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Werchan DM, Ku S, Berry D, Blair C. Sensitive caregiving and reward responsivity: A novel mechanism linking parenting and executive functions development in early childhood. Dev Sci 2023; 26:e13293. [PMID: 35665988 PMCID: PMC9719571 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Sensitive caregiving is an essential aspect of positive parenting that influences executive functions development, but the mechanisms underlying this association are less clear. Using data from the Family Life Project, a large prospective longitudinal sample of 1292 families residing in rural, predominately low-income communities, the current study examined whether sensitive caregiving impacts executive functions development by shaping behavioral reward processing systems in early postnatal life. Results indicated that higher levels of sensitive caregiving during infancy were associated with heightened reward responsivity at age 4, which in turn predicted superior executive functions ability at age 5. Notably, children's reward responsivity partially mediated the relationship between sensitive caregiving in infancy and executive functions ability at school entry. These findings add to prior work on early experience and children's executive functions and highlight caregiver scaffolding of developing reward processing systems as a potential foundational mechanism for supporting adaptive behavior and self-regulation across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise M Werchan
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Seulki Ku
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Daniel Berry
- Institute of Child Development, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Clancy Blair
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, New York, USA
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Potter HG, Kowash HM, Woods RM, Revill G, Grime A, Deeney B, Burgess MA, Aarons T, Glazier JD, Neill JC, Hager R. Maternal behaviours and adult offspring behavioural deficits are predicted by maternal TNFα concentration in a rat model of neurodevelopmental disorders. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 108:162-175. [PMID: 36503051 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2022.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to inflammatory stressors during fetal development is a major risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in adult offspring. Maternal immune activation (MIA), induced by infection, causes an acute increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines which can increase the risk for NDDs directly by inducing placental and fetal brain inflammation, or indirectly through affecting maternal care behaviours thereby affecting postnatal brain development. Which of these two potential mechanisms dominates in increasing offspring risk for NDDs remains unclear. Here, we show that acute systemic maternal inflammation induced by the viral mimetic polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) on gestational day 15 of rat pregnancy affects offspring and maternal behaviour, offspring cognition, and expression of NDD-relevant genes in the offspring brain. Dams exposed to poly I:C elicited an acute increase in the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor (TNF; referred to here as TNFα), which predicted disruption of key maternal care behaviours. Offspring of poly I:C-treated dams showed early behavioural and adult cognitive deficits correlated to the maternal TNFα response, but, importantly, not with altered maternal care. We also found interacting effects of sex and treatment on GABAergic gene expression and DNA methylation in these offspring in a brain region-specific manner, including increased parvalbumin expression in the female adolescent frontal cortex. We conclude that the MIA-induced elevation of TNFα in the maternal compartment affects fetal neurodevelopment leading to altered offspring behaviour and cognition. Our results suggest that a focus on prenatal pathways affecting fetal neurodevelopment would provide greater insights into the mechanisms underpinning the TNFα-mediated genesis of altered offspring behaviour and cognition following maternal inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry G Potter
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom; School of Medicine, University of Central Lancashire, Burnley BB11 1RA, United Kingdom.
| | - Hager M Kowash
- Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, Division of Developmental Biology and Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester M13 9WL, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca M Woods
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Grace Revill
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Amy Grime
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Brendan Deeney
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew A Burgess
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Toby Aarons
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Jocelyn D Glazier
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Joanna C Neill
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom; Chair of Medical Psychedelics Working Group, Drug Science, United Kingdom
| | - Reinmar Hager
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
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7
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Sarkisova K, van Luijtelaar G. The impact of early-life environment on absence epilepsy and neuropsychiatric comorbidities. IBRO Neurosci Rep 2022; 13:436-468. [PMID: 36386598 PMCID: PMC9649966 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2022.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
This review discusses the long-term effects of early-life environment on epileptogenesis, epilepsy, and neuropsychiatric comorbidities with an emphasis on the absence epilepsy. The WAG/Rij rat strain is a well-validated genetic model of absence epilepsy with mild depression-like (dysthymia) comorbidity. Although pathologic phenotype in WAG/Rij rats is genetically determined, convincing evidence presented in this review suggests that the absence epilepsy and depression-like comorbidity in WAG/Rij rats may be governed by early-life events, such as prenatal drug exposure, early-life stress, neonatal maternal separation, neonatal handling, maternal care, environmental enrichment, neonatal sensory impairments, neonatal tactile stimulation, and maternal diet. The data, as presented here, indicate that some early environmental events can promote and accelerate the development of absence seizures and their neuropsychiatric comorbidities, while others may exert anti-epileptogenic and disease-modifying effects. The early environment can lead to phenotypic alterations in offspring due to epigenetic modifications of gene expression, which may have maladaptive consequences or represent a therapeutic value. Targeting DNA methylation with a maternal methyl-enriched diet during the perinatal period appears to be a new preventive epigenetic anti-absence therapy. A number of caveats related to the maternal methyl-enriched diet and prospects for future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Sarkisova
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Butlerova str. 5a, Moscow 117485, Russia
| | - Gilles van Luijtelaar
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior, Donders Center for Cognition, Radboud University, Nijmegen, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Levis SC, Baram TZ, Mahler SV. Neurodevelopmental origins of substance use disorders: Evidence from animal models of early-life adversity and addiction. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 55:2170-2195. [PMID: 33825217 PMCID: PMC8494863 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder with devastating personal, societal, and economic consequences. In humans, early-life adversity (ELA) such as trauma, neglect, and resource scarcity are linked with increased risk of later-life addiction, but the brain mechanisms underlying this link are still poorly understood. Here, we focus on data from rodent models of ELA and addiction, in which causal effects of ELA on later-life responses to drugs and the neurodevelopmental mechanisms by which ELA increases vulnerability to addiction can be determined. We first summarize evidence for a link between ELA and addiction in humans, then describe how ELA is commonly modeled in rodents. Since addiction is a heterogeneous disease with many individually varying behavioral aspects that may be impacted by ELA, we next discuss common rodent assays of addiction-like behaviors. We then summarize the specific addiction-relevant behavioral phenotypes caused by ELA in male and female rodents and discuss some of the underlying changes in brain reward and stress circuits that are likely responsible. By better understanding the behavioral and neural mechanisms by which ELA promotes addiction vulnerability, we hope to facilitate development of new approaches for preventing or treating addiction in those with a history of ELA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia C Levis
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.,Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Tallie Z Baram
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Stephen V Mahler
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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9
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Birnie MT, Levis SC, Mahler SV, Baram TZ. Developmental Trajectories of Anhedonia in Preclinical Models. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2022; 58:23-41. [PMID: 35156184 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2021_299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This chapter discusses how the complex concept of anhedonia can be operationalized and studied in preclinical models. It provides information about the development of anhedonia in the context of early-life adversity, and the power of preclinical models to tease out the diverse molecular, epigenetic, and network mechanisms that are responsible for anhedonia-like behaviors.Specifically, we first discuss the term anhedonia, reviewing the conceptual components underlying reward-related behaviors and distinguish anhedonia pertaining to deficits in motivational versus consummatory behaviors. We then describe the repertoire of experimental approaches employed to study anhedonia-like behaviors in preclinical models, and the progressive refinement over the past decade of both experimental instruments (e.g., chemogenetics, optogenetics) and conceptual constructs (salience, valence, conflict). We follow with an overview of the state of current knowledge of brain circuits, nodes, and projections that execute distinct aspects of hedonic-like behaviors, as well as neurotransmitters, modulators, and receptors involved in the generation of anhedonia-like behaviors. Finally, we discuss the special case of anhedonia that arises following early-life adversity as an eloquent example enabling the study of causality, mechanisms, and sex dependence of anhedonia.Together, this chapter highlights the power, potential, and limitations of using preclinical models to advance our understanding of the origin and mechanisms of anhedonia and to discover potential targets for its prevention and mitigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T Birnie
- Departments of Anatomy/Neurobiology and Pediatrics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Sophia C Levis
- Departments of Anatomy/Neurobiology and Neurobiology/Behavior, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Stephen V Mahler
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Tallie Z Baram
- Departments of Anatomy/Neurobiology and Pediatrics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
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10
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Corrigendum. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 54:8069. [PMID: 34935225 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Lauby SC, Fleming AS, McGowan PO. Beyond maternal care: The effects of extra-maternal influences within the maternal environment on offspring neurodevelopment and later-life behavior. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 127:492-501. [PMID: 33905789 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The early-life maternal environment has a profound and persistent effect on offspring neuroendocrine function, neurotransmitter systems, and behavior. Studies using rodent models suggest that early-life maternal care can influence the 'developmental programming' of offspring in part through altered epigenetic regulation of specific genes. The exploration of epigenetic regulation of these genes as a biological mechanism has been important to our understanding of how animals adapt to their environments and how these developmental trajectories may be altered. However, other non-maternal factors have been shown to act directly, or to interact with maternal care, to influence later-life phenotype. Based on accumulating evidence, including our research, we discuss other important influences on the developmental programming of offspring. We highlight early-life variations in temperature exposure and offspring genotype x environment interactions as prominent examples. We conclude with recommendations for future investigations on how early-life maternal care and extra-maternal influences lead to persistent changes in the brain and behavior of the offspring throughout development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha C Lauby
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough Campus, Scarborough, ON, Canada; Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alison S Fleming
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.
| | - Patrick O McGowan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough Campus, Scarborough, ON, Canada; Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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12
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Lauby SC, Ashbrook DG, Malik HR, Chatterjee D, Pan P, Fleming AS, McGowan PO. The role of interindividual licking received and dopamine genotype on later-life licking provisioning in female rat offspring. Brain Behav 2021; 11:e02069. [PMID: 33560574 PMCID: PMC8035462 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Rat mothers exhibit natural variations in care that propagate between generations of female offspring. However, there is limited information on genetic variation that could influence this propagation. METHODS We assessed early-life maternal care received by individual female rat offspring, later-life maternal care provisioning, and dopaminergic activity in the maternal brain in relation to naturally occurring genetic polymorphisms linked to the dopaminergic system. We also conducted a systematic analysis of other genetic variants potentially related to maternal behavior in our Long-Evans rat population. RESULTS While we did not find a direct relationship between early-life licking received and later-life licking provisioning, this relationship was indirectly affected by dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens and dependent on variation in the dopamine receptor 2 gene (rs107017253). More specifically, female rat offspring with the A/G genotype showed a positive relationship between average licking received and dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens of the maternal brain; there was no relationship with female rat offspring with the A/A genotype. The higher dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens corresponded with higher maternal licking provisioning from postnatal days 2-9. We also discovered and validated several new variants that were predicted by our systematic analysis. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that genetic variation influences the relationship between early-life maternal care received and the dopaminergic system of the maternal brain, which can indirectly influence later-life maternal care provisioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha C. Lauby
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Toronto Scarborough CampusScarboroughONCanada
- Department of Cell and Systems BiologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoONCanada
| | - David G. Ashbrook
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and InformaticsUniversity of Tennessee Health Science CenterMemphisTNUSA
| | - Hannan R. Malik
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Toronto Scarborough CampusScarboroughONCanada
| | - Diptendu Chatterjee
- The Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and LearningSickkids HospitalTorontoONCanada
| | - Pauline Pan
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Toronto Scarborough CampusScarboroughONCanada
| | - Alison S. Fleming
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoONCanada
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Toronto MississaugaMississaugaONCanada
| | - Patrick O. McGowan
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Toronto Scarborough CampusScarboroughONCanada
- Department of Cell and Systems BiologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoONCanada
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoONCanada
- Department of PhysiologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoONCanada
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Carozza S, Leong V. The Role of Affectionate Caregiver Touch in Early Neurodevelopment and Parent-Infant Interactional Synchrony. Front Neurosci 2021; 14:613378. [PMID: 33584178 PMCID: PMC7873991 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.613378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Though rarely included in studies of parent–infant interactions, affectionate touch plays a unique and vital role in infant development. Previous studies in human and rodent models have established that early and consistent affectionate touch from a caregiver confers wide-ranging and holistic benefits for infant psychosocial and neurophysiological development. We begin with an introduction to the neurophysiological pathways for the positive effects of touch. Then, we provide a brief review of how affectionate touch tunes the development of infant somatosensory, autonomic (stress regulation), and immune systems. Affective touch also plays a foundational role in the establishment of social affiliative bonds and early psychosocial behavior. These touch-related bonding effects are known to be mediated primarily by the oxytocin system, but touch also activates mesocorticolimbic dopamine and endogenous opioid systems which aid the development of social cognitive processes such as social learning and reward processing. We conclude by proposing a unique role for affectionate touch as an essential pathway to establishing and maintaining parent-infant interactional synchrony at behavioral and neural levels. The limitations of the current understanding of affectionate touch in infant development point to fruitful avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Carozza
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, Faculty of Biology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria Leong
- Division of Psychology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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14
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Kim P. How stress can influence brain adaptations to motherhood. Front Neuroendocrinol 2021; 60:100875. [PMID: 33038383 PMCID: PMC7539902 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2020.100875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Research shows that a woman's brain and body undergo drastic changes to support her transition to parenthood during the perinatal period. The presence of this plasticity suggests that mothers' brains may be changed by their experiences. Exposure to severe stress may disrupt adaptive changes in the maternal brain and further impact the neural circuits of stress regulation and maternal motivation. Emerging literature of human mothers provides evidence that stressful experience, whether from the past or present environment, is associated with altered responses to infant cues in brain circuits that support maternal motivation, emotion regulation, and empathy. Interventions that reduce stress levels in mothers may reverse the negative impact of stress exposure on the maternal brain. Finally, outstanding questions regarding the timing, chronicity, types, and severity of stress exposure, as well as study design to identify the causal impact of stress, and the role of race/ethnicity are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilyoung Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, United States.
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15
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Smith KE, Pollak SD. Early life stress and development: potential mechanisms for adverse outcomes. J Neurodev Disord 2020; 12:34. [PMID: 33327939 PMCID: PMC7745388 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-020-09337-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic and/or extreme stress in early life, often referred to as early adversity, childhood trauma, or early life stress, has been associated with a wide range of adverse effects on development. However, while early life stress has been linked to negative effects on a number of neural systems, the specific mechanisms through which early life stress influences development and individual differences in children's outcomes are still not well understood. MAIN TEXT The current paper reviews the existing literature on the neurobiological effects of early life stress and their ties to children's psychological and behavioral development. CONCLUSIONS Early life stress has persistent and pervasive effects on prefrontal-hypothalamic-amygdala and dopaminergic circuits that are at least partially mediated by alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function. However, to date, this research has primarily utilized methods of assessment that focus solely on children's event exposures. Incorporating assessment of factors that influence children's interpretation of stressors, along with stressful events, has the potential to provide further insight into the mechanisms contributing to individual differences in neurodevelopmental effects of early life stress. This can aid in further elucidating specific mechanisms through which these neurobiological changes influence development and contribute to risk for psychopathology and health disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E Smith
- Department of Psychology and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 S Highland Blvd, Rm 399, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
| | - Seth D Pollak
- Department of Psychology and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 S Highland Blvd, Rm 399, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
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16
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Wiss DA, Avena N, Gold M. Food Addiction and Psychosocial Adversity: Biological Embedding, Contextual Factors, and Public Health Implications. Nutrients 2020; 12:E3521. [PMID: 33207612 PMCID: PMC7698089 DOI: 10.3390/nu12113521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of stress, trauma, and adversity particularly early in life has been identified as a contributing factor in both drug and food addictions. While links between traumatic stress and substance use disorders are well documented, the pathways to food addiction and obesity are less established. This review focuses on psychosocial and neurobiological factors that may increase risk for addiction-like behaviors and ultimately increase BMI over the lifespan. Early childhood and adolescent adversity can induce long-lasting alterations in the glucocorticoid and dopamine systems that lead to increased addiction vulnerability later in life. Allostatic load, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and emerging data on epigenetics in the context of biological embedding are highlighted. A conceptual model for food addiction is proposed, which integrates data on the biological embedding of adversity as well as upstream psychological, social, and environmental factors. Dietary restraint as a feature of disordered eating is discussed as an important contextual factor related to food addiction. Discussion of various public health and policy considerations are based on the concept that improved knowledge of biopsychosocial mechanisms contributing to food addiction may decrease stigma associated with obesity and disordered eating behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Wiss
- Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;
| | - Nicole Avena
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA;
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
| | - Mark Gold
- School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
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17
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Hazut N, Rapps K, Weller A, Susswein AJ. Nitric oxide and l-arginine have mixed effects on mammalian feeding in condition of a high motivation to feed. Appetite 2020; 158:105011. [PMID: 33121999 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2020.105011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Feeding inhibition caused by satiation in rats is partially mediated by the unconventional neurotransmitter nitric oxide (NO). Thus, in satiated rats blocking NO production increases feeding, and treatment with the NO precursor l-arginine or with an NO donor reduces feeding beyond that caused by satiation. Do NO and l-arginine also inhibit feeding when feeding motivation is high? When feeding motivation in satiated animals was hedonically increased by offering a highly attractive food, blocking NO production reduced the quantity eaten, rather than increasing it, indicating that hedonic aspects of food are partially mediated by NO. Increasing NO via an NO donor or l-arginine did not further increase the quantity eaten, indicating a ceiling effect. The NO donor, but not l-arginine, also decreased some motivation-dependent parameters of feeding. When feeding motivation was increased by hunger, quantities of food eaten were unaffected by an NO donor, blocker or precursor, with only the blocker of NO production affecting feeding patterning. We also examined effects on feeding of dissolving l-arginine in drinking water over 3 weeks. Chronic l-arginine administration had different effects during the first and in subsequent weeks, increasing feeding at first, but not later. The data indicate that NO has complex, state dependent effects on both the quantity of food eaten, and on patterns of feeding, probably reflecting different sites and mechanisms of action in the nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noa Hazut
- Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel; The Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Kayla Rapps
- Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel; The Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Aron Weller
- Department of Psychology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel; The Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel
| | - Abraham J Susswein
- Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel; The Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel.
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18
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Colucci P, De Castro V, Peloso A, Splendori M, Trezza V, Campolongo P. Perinatal exposure to omega-3 fatty acid imbalance leads to early behavioral alterations in rat pups. Behav Brain Res 2020; 392:112723. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Revised: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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19
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20
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Fu Y, Depue RA. A novel neurobehavioral framework of the effects of positive early postnatal experience on incentive and consummatory reward sensitivity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 107:615-640. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Revised: 09/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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21
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Lauby SC, Chatterjee D, Pan P, McGowan PO, Fleming AS. Inter-individual maternal care received and genotype interactions affect dopaminergic phenotypes in female rat offspring. J Neuroendocrinol 2019; 31:e12706. [PMID: 30860615 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [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] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Revised: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Rat mothers exhibit natural variations in care and can shape offspring adult behaviour and their maternal care by affecting the dopaminergic system. We explored whether genotype and gene × environment interactions are involved in these processes in nulliparous female offspring. We assessed maternal licking/grooming toward individual female pups during the first week postpartum and dopamine-related behaviour of the offspring in adulthood. Behaviours explored included strategy shifting, impulsive action and sucrose preference. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the dopamine receptor 2, dopamine transporter and catechol-O-methyltransferase genes were examined in relation to offspring behaviour and baseline dopamine turnover in select brain regions. Dopamine receptor 2 (RS107017253) variation moderated, or interacted with, the relationship between early-life licking received and behaviour. Specifically, offspring with the A/A genotype showed a significant correlation between early-life licking received and behaviour. Offspring with the A/G and G/G genotypes did not show this relationship. Dopamine transporter gene variation affected offspring behaviour regardless of early-life licking received. Our findings suggest that genotype can directly affect dopamine-related behaviours and alter the sensitivity of offspring to the maternal environment. This could be informative on how maternal care is transmitted between generations of female offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha C Lauby
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Diptendu Chatterjee
- The Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, Sickkids Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pauline Pan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Patrick O McGowan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alison S Fleming
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
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22
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Gardner S, Grindstaff JL, Campbell P. Placental genotype affects early postpartum maternal behaviour. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:190732. [PMID: 31598302 PMCID: PMC6774950 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The mammalian placenta is a source of endocrine signals that prime the onset of maternal care at parturition. While consequences of placental dysfunction for offspring growth are well defined, how altered placental signalling might affect maternal behaviour is unstudied in a natural system. In the cross between sympatric mouse species, Mus musculus domesticus and Mus spretus, hybrid placentas are undersized and show misexpression of genes critical to placental endocrine function. Using this cross, we quantified the effects of placental dysregulation on maternal and anxiety-like behaviours in mice that differed only in pregnancy type. Relative to mothers of conspecific litters, females exposed to hybrid placentas did not differ in anxiety-like behaviours but were slower to retrieve 1-day-old pups and spent less time in the nest on the night following parturition. Early deficits in maternal responsiveness were not explained by reduced ultrasonic vocalization production in hybrid pups and there was no effect of pup genotype on measures of maternal behaviour and physiology collected after the first 24 h postpartum. These results suggest that placental dysregulation leads to poor maternal priming, the effect of which is alleviated by continued exposure to pups. This study provides new insight into the placental mediation of mother-offspring interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Gardner
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
- Author for correspondence: Sarah Gardner e-mail:
| | | | - Polly Campbell
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
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23
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Thompson NA, Cords M. Early life maternal sociality predicts juvenile sociality in blue monkeys. Am J Primatol 2019; 82:e23039. [PMID: 31373721 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Maternal effects are widespread in living organisms though little is known about whether they shape individual affiliative social behavior in primates. Further, it remains a question whether maternal effects on affiliative behavior differ by offspring sex, as they do in other physiological systems, especially in species with high levels of adult sexual dimorphism and divergence in social niches. We explored how direct and indirect experiences of maternal affiliative behavior during infancy predicted affiliative behavior approximately 1-6 years later during the juvenile period, using behavioral data from 41 wild blue monkey juveniles and their 29 mothers, and controlling for individual age, sex, and maternal rank. Female juveniles spent less time grooming with any partner and with peers the more maternal grooming they received during infancy, whereas males groomed more with any partner and with peers. Similarly, the more that mothers groomed with other adult females during subjects' infancy, female subjects played less with peers, and male subjects played more as juveniles. Further, this maternal effect on social behavior appears specific to early life, as the same aspects of mothers' sociality measured throughout subjects' development did not predict juvenile behavior. Overall, our results suggest that both direct and indirect experience of mother's affiliative behavior during infancy influence an individual's affiliation later in life that sexes respond differently to the maternal affiliation, and that the first year of life is a critical window.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole A Thompson
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York.,Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Marina Cords
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York
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24
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Stolzenberg DS, Mayer HS. Experience-dependent mechanisms in the regulation of parental care. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 54:100745. [PMID: 31009675 PMCID: PMC7347228 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Maternal behavior is a defining characteristic of mammals, which is regulated by a core, conserved neural circuit. However, mothering behavior is not always a default response to infant conspecifics. For example, initial fearful, fragmented or aggressive responses toward infants in laboratory rats and mice can give way to highly motivated and organized caregiving behaviors following appropriate hormone exposure or repeated experience with infants. Therefore hormonal and/or experiential factors must be involved in determining the extent to which infants access central approach and avoidance neural systems. In this review we describe evidence supporting the idea that infant conspecifics are capable of activating distinct neural pathways to elicit avoidant, aggressive and parental responses from adult rodents. Additionally, we discuss the hypothesis that alterations in transcriptional regulation within the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus may be a key mechanism of neural plasticity involved in programming the differential sensitivity of these neural pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle S Stolzenberg
- University of California, Davis, Department of Psychology, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, United States.
| | - Heather S Mayer
- University of California, Davis, Department of Psychology, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, United States
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25
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McCormick EM, McElwain NL, Telzer EH. Alterations in adolescent dopaminergic systems as a function of early mother-toddler attachment: A prospective longitudinal examination. Int J Dev Neurosci 2019; 78:122-129. [PMID: 31254598 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2019.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Revised: 06/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Early experiences have the potential for outsized influence on neural development across a wide number of domains. In humans, many of the most important such experiences take place in the context of the mother-child attachment relationship. Work from animal models has highlighted neural changes in dopaminergic systems as a function of early care experiences, but translational research in humans has been limited. Our goal was to fill this gap by examining the longitudinal associations between early attachment experiences (assessed at 2.5 years) and neural responses to risk and rewards during adolescence (assessed at 13 years). Adolescence is a developmental period where sensitivity to rewards has important implications for behavior and long-term outcomes, providing an important window to study potential influences of early attachment experiences on reward processing. In order to address this question, 50 adolescents completed a risk and reward task during an fMRI scan, allowing us to assess differences in neural sensitivity to changes in risk level and reward amount as a function of early attachment experiences. Adolescents with insecure attachment histories showed blunted sensitivity to increasing risk levels in regions of the dorsal striatum, while also showing heightened sensitivity to increasing reward levels in the same region. These results highlight the importance of early attachment experiences for long-term neural development. Specifically, early exposure to more maladaptive relationships with caregivers may confer dual risks prospectively for adolescents, sensitizing them to rewarding outcomes while de-sensitizing them to potential risks associated with those behaviors, perhaps due to stress-related dopaminergic changes early in development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan M McCormick
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, United States
| | - Nancy L McElwain
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, 61801, United States.,The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, 61801, United States
| | - Eva H Telzer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, United States
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26
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Di Segni M, Andolina D, D'Addario SL, Babicola L, Ielpo D, Luchetti A, Pascucci T, Lo Iacono L, D'Amato FR, Ventura R. Sex-dependent effects of early unstable post-natal environment on response to positive and negative stimuli in adult mice. Neuroscience 2019; 413:1-10. [PMID: 31228589 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Revised: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Alterations in early environmental conditions that interfere with the creation of a stable mother-pup bond have been suggested to be a risk factor for the development of stress-related psychopathologies later in life. The long-lasting effects of early experiences are mediated by changes in various cerebral circuits, such as the corticolimbic system, which processes aversive and rewarding stimuli. However, it is evident that the early environment is not sufficient per se to induce psychiatric disorders; interindividual (eg, sex-based) differences in the response to environmental challenges exist. To examine the sex-related effects that are induced by an early experience on later events in adulthood, we determine the enduring effects of repeated cross-fostering (RCF) in female and male C57BL/6J mice. To this end, we assessed the behavioral phenotype of RCF and control (male and female) mice in the saccharine preference test and cocaine-induced conditioned place preference to evaluate the response to natural and pharmacological stimuli and in the elevated plus maze test and forced swimming test to measure their anxiety- and depression-like behavior. We also evaluated FST-induced c-Fos immunoreactivity in various brain regions that are engaged in the response to acute stress exposure (FST). Notably, RCF has opposing effects on the adult response to these tests between sexes, directing male mice toward an "anhedonia-like" phenotype and increasing the sensitivity for rewarding stimuli in female mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Di Segni
- Dept. of Psychology and Center "Daniel Bovet", Sapienza University, 00184 Rome, Italy; IRCSS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00142 Rome, Italy
| | - Diego Andolina
- Dept. of Psychology and Center "Daniel Bovet", Sapienza University, 00184 Rome, Italy; IRCSS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00142 Rome, Italy
| | - Sebastian Luca D'Addario
- Dept. of Psychology and Center "Daniel Bovet", Sapienza University, 00184 Rome, Italy; Behavioral Neuroscience PhD Programme, Sapienza University, 00184, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucy Babicola
- Dept. of Applied and Biotechnological Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Donald Ielpo
- Dept. of Psychology and Center "Daniel Bovet", Sapienza University, 00184 Rome, Italy; Behavioral Neuroscience PhD Programme, Sapienza University, 00184, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Luchetti
- Cell Biology and Neurobiology Institute, National Research Council, 00143 Rome, Italy
| | - Tiziana Pascucci
- Dept. of Psychology and Center "Daniel Bovet", Sapienza University, 00184 Rome, Italy; IRCSS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00142 Rome, Italy
| | - Luisa Lo Iacono
- Dept. of Psychology and Center "Daniel Bovet", Sapienza University, 00184 Rome, Italy; IRCSS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00142 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca R D'Amato
- Cell Biology and Neurobiology Institute, National Research Council, 00143 Rome, Italy; Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Québec, Laval University, Quebec, Canada
| | - Rossella Ventura
- Dept. of Psychology and Center "Daniel Bovet", Sapienza University, 00184 Rome, Italy; IRCSS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00142 Rome, Italy.
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27
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Risbrough VB, Glynn LM, Davis EP, Sandman CA, Obenaus A, Stern HS, Keator DB, Yassa MA, Baram TZ, Baker DG. Does Anhedonia Presage Increased Risk of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder? : Adolescent Anhedonia and Posttraumatic Disorders. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2019; 38:249-265. [PMID: 29796839 PMCID: PMC9167566 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2018_51] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Anhedonia, the reduced ability to experience pleasure, is a dimensional entity linked to multiple neuropsychiatric disorders, where it is associated with diminished treatment response, reduced global function, and increased suicidality. It has been suggested that anhedonia and the related disruption in reward processing may be critical precursors to development of psychiatric symptoms later in life. Here, we examine cross-species evidence supporting the hypothesis that early life experiences modulate development of reward processing, which if disrupted, result in anhedonia. Importantly, we find that anhedonia may confer risk for later neuropsychiatric disorders, especially posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Whereas childhood trauma has long been associated with increased anhedonia and increased subsequent risk for trauma-related disorders in adulthood, here we focus on an additional novel, emerging direct contributor to anhedonia in rodents and humans: fragmented, chaotic environmental signals ("FRAG") during critical periods of development. In rodents, recent data suggest that adolescent anhedonia may derive from aberrant pleasure/reward circuit maturation. In humans, recent longitudinal studies support that FRAG is associated with increased anhedonia in adolescence. Both human and rodent FRAG exposure also leads to aberrant hippocampal function. Prospective studies are underway to examine if anhedonia is also a marker of PTSD risk. These preliminary cross-species studies provide a critical construct for future examination of the etiology of trauma-related symptoms in adults and for and development of prophylactic and therapeutic interventions. In addition, longitudinal studies of reward circuit development with and without FRAG will be critical to test the mechanistic hypothesis that early life FRAG modifies reward circuitry with subsequent consequences for adolescent-emergent anhedonia and contributes to risk and resilience to trauma and stress in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria B Risbrough
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, San Diego Veterans Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Laura M Glynn
- Department of Psychology, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Elysia P Davis
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Curt A Sandman
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Andre Obenaus
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Hal S Stern
- Department of Statistics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - David B Keator
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Michael A Yassa
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Tallie Z Baram
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Dewleen G Baker
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, San Diego Veterans Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA
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28
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Glynn LM, Baram TZ. The influence of unpredictable, fragmented parental signals on the developing brain. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 53:100736. [PMID: 30711600 PMCID: PMC6776465 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Revised: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Mental illnesses originate early in life, governed by environmental and genetic factors. Because parents are a dominant source of signals to the developing child, parental signals - beginning with maternal signals in utero - are primary contributors to children's mental health. Existing literature on maternal signals has focused almost exclusively on their quality and valence (e.g. maternal depression, sensitivity). Here we identify a novel dimension of maternal signals: their patterns and especially their predictability/unpredictability, as an important determinant of children's neurodevelopment. We find that unpredictable maternal mood and behavior presage risk for child and adolescent psychopathology. In experimental models, fragmented/unpredictable maternal care patterns directly induce aberrant synaptic connectivity and disturbed maturation of cognitive and emotional brain circuits, with commensurate memory problems and anhedonia-like behaviors. Together, our findings across species demonstrate that patterns of maternal signals influence brain circuit maturation, promoting resilience or vulnerability to mental illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Glynn
- Department of Psychology, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA.
| | - Tallie Z Baram
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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29
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Bolton JL, Short AK, Simeone KA, Daglian J, Baram TZ. Programming of Stress-Sensitive Neurons and Circuits by Early-Life Experiences. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:30. [PMID: 30833892 PMCID: PMC6387907 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Early-life experiences influence brain structure and function long-term, contributing to resilience or vulnerability to stress and stress-related disorders. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms by which early-life experiences program specific brain cells and circuits to shape life-long cognitive and emotional functions is crucial. We identify the population of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-expressing neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) as a key, early target of early-life experiences. Adverse experiences increase excitatory neurotransmission onto PVN CRH cells, whereas optimal experiences, such as augmented and predictable maternal care, reduce the number and function of glutamatergic inputs onto this cell population. Altered synaptic neurotransmission is sufficient to initiate large-scale, enduring epigenetic re-programming within CRH-expressing neurons, associated with stress resilience and additional cognitive and emotional outcomes. Thus, the mechanisms by which early-life experiences influence the brain provide tractable targets for intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Bolton
- Departments of Pediatrics, Anatomy/Neurobiology, Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Annabel Katherine Short
- Departments of Pediatrics, Anatomy/Neurobiology, Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Kristina A Simeone
- Departments of Pediatrics, Anatomy/Neurobiology, Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Jennifer Daglian
- Departments of Pediatrics, Anatomy/Neurobiology, Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Tallie Z Baram
- Departments of Pediatrics, Anatomy/Neurobiology, Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
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30
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Genomic imprinting and neurobehavioral programming by adverse early life environments: evidence from studying Cdkn1c. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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31
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Strathearn L, Mertens CE, Mayes L, Rutherford H, Rajhans P, Xu G, Potenza MN, Kim S. Pathways Relating the Neurobiology of Attachment to Drug Addiction. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:737. [PMID: 31780957 PMCID: PMC6857543 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Substance use disorders constitute a significant public health problem in North America and worldwide. Specifically, substance addictions in women during pregnancy or in the postpartum period have adverse effects not only on the mother, but also on mother-infant attachment and the child's subsequent development. Additionally, there is growing evidence suggesting that parental addiction may be transmitted intergenerationally, where the child of parents with addiction problems is more likely to experience addiction as an adult. The current review takes a developmental perspective and draws from animal and human studies to examine how compromised early experience, including insecure attachment, early abuse/neglect, and unresolved trauma, may influence the development of neurobiological pathways associated with addictions, ultimately increasing one's susceptibility to addictions later in life. We approach this from three different levels: molecular, neuroendocrine and behavioral; and examine the oxytocin affiliation system, dopamine reward system, and glucocorticoid stress response system in this regard. Increased understanding of these underlying mechanisms may help identify key targets for early prevention efforts and inform needed intervention strategies related to both insecure attachment and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lane Strathearn
- Attachment and Neurodevelopment Laboratory, Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States.,Center for Disabilities and Development, University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Carol E Mertens
- Attachment and Neurodevelopment Laboratory, Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States.,Center for Disabilities and Development, University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Linda Mayes
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Helena Rutherford
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Purva Rajhans
- Attachment and Neurodevelopment Laboratory, Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Guifeng Xu
- Attachment and Neurodevelopment Laboratory, Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States.,Center for Disabilities and Development, University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, Iowa City, IA, United States.,Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Marc N Potenza
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States.,Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and the National Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Sohye Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
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32
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Becker JB, Chartoff E. Sex differences in neural mechanisms mediating reward and addiction. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:166-183. [PMID: 29946108 PMCID: PMC6235836 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0125-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 247] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Revised: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
There is increasing evidence in humans and laboratory animals for biologically based sex differences in every phase of drug addiction: acute reinforcing effects, transition from occasional to compulsive use, withdrawal-associated negative affective states, craving, and relapse. There is also evidence that many qualitative aspects of the addiction phases do not differ significantly between males and females, but one sex may be more likely to exhibit a trait than the other, resulting in population differences. The conceptual framework of this review is to focus on hormonal, chromosomal, and epigenetic organizational and contingent, sex-dependent mechanisms of four neural systems that are known-primarily in males-to be key players in addiction: dopamine, mu-opioid receptors (MOR), kappa opioid receptors (KOR), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). We highlight data demonstrating sex differences in development, expression, and function of these neural systems as they relate-directly or indirectly-to processes of reward and addictive behavior, with a focus on psychostimulants and opioids. We identify gaps in knowledge about how these neural systems interact with sex to influence addictive behavior, emphasizing throughout that the impact of sex can be highly nuanced and male/female data should be reported regardless of the outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill B Becker
- Department of Psychology and the Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Elena Chartoff
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
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33
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Potter HG, Ashbrook DG, Hager R. Offspring genetic effects on maternal care. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 52:195-205. [PMID: 30576700 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2018.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Parental care is found widely across animal taxa and is manifest in a range of behaviours from basic provisioning in cockroaches to highly complex behaviours seen in mammals. The evolution of parental care is viewed as the outcome of an evolutionary cost/benefit trade-off between investing in current and future offspring, leading to the selection of traits in offspring that influence parental behaviour. Thus, level and quality of parental care are affected by both parental and offspring genetic differences that directly and indirectly influence parental care behaviour. While significant research effort has gone into understanding how parental genomes affect parental, and mostly maternal, behaviour, few studies have investigated how offspring genomes affect parental care. In this review, we bring together recent findings across different fields focussing on the mechanism and genetics of offspring effects on maternal care in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry G Potter
- Division of Evolution and Genomic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine, and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom.
| | - David G Ashbrook
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics, Translational Science Research Building, Room 415, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 71 S Manassas St, Memphis, TN 38103, United States
| | - Reinmar Hager
- Division of Evolution and Genomic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine, and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
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34
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Köhler JC, Gröger N, Lesse A, Guara Ciurana S, Rether K, Fegert J, Bock J, Braun K. Early-Life Adversity Induces Epigenetically Regulated Changes in Hippocampal Dopaminergic Molecular Pathways. Mol Neurobiol 2018; 56:3616-3625. [PMID: 30173406 PMCID: PMC6476847 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-018-1199-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Early-life adversity (ELA) represents a major risk factor for the development of behavioral dysfunctions and mental disorders later in life. On the other hand, dependent on type, time point, and duration, ELA exposure can also induce adaptations, which result in better stress coping and resilience later in life. Guided by the hypothesis that chronic exposure to ELA results in dysfunctional brain and behavior, whereas short exposure to ELA may result in resilience, the behavioral and neurobiological consequences of long-term separation stress (LTSS) and short-term separation stress (STSS) were compared in a mouse model for ELA. In line with our hypothesis, we found that LTSS induced depressive-like behavior, whereas STSS reduced depressive-like behavioral symptoms. We then tested the hypothesis that the opposite behavioral outcomes of the two stress paradigms may be mediated by functional, epigenetically regulated changes of dopaminergic modulation in the hippocampal formation. We found that STSS exposure elevated dopamine receptor D1 (DRD1) gene expression and decreased gene expression of its downstream modulator DARPP-32 (32-kDa dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein), which was paralleled by decreased H3 acetylation at its gene promoter region. In contrast, LTSS elevated DARPP-32 gene expression, which was not paralleled by changes in histone acetylation and DRD1 gene expression. These findings indicate that short- and long-term neonatal exposure to ELA induces changes in dopaminergic molecular pathways, some of which are epigenetically regulated and which either alleviate or aggravate depressive-like symptoms later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana C Köhler
- Department of Zoology/Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, Bldg. 91, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.,PG "Epigenetics and Structural Plasticity", Institute of Biology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - N Gröger
- Department of Zoology/Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, Bldg. 91, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - A Lesse
- Department of Zoology/Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, Bldg. 91, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - S Guara Ciurana
- Department of Zoology/Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, Bldg. 91, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - K Rether
- Department of Zoology/Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, Bldg. 91, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - J Fegert
- Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie/Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - J Bock
- PG "Epigenetics and Structural Plasticity", Institute of Biology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Braun
- Department of Zoology/Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Straße 44, Bldg. 91, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany. .,Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany.
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35
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The relationship between childhood trauma, early-life stress, and alcohol and drug use, abuse, and addiction: An integrative review. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-018-9973-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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36
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Gianatiempo O, Sonzogni SV, Fesser EA, Belluscio LM, Smucler E, Sued MR, Cánepa ET. Intergenerational transmission of maternal care deficiency and offspring development delay induced by perinatal protein malnutrition. Nutr Neurosci 2018; 23:387-397. [PMID: 30124115 DOI: 10.1080/1028415x.2018.1509178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Objectives: Early life represents a sensitive and critical period for an individual. Nutrition plays a crucial role in the maturation and functional development of the central nervous system. Inadequate nutrition before birth and during the postnatal life can seriously interfere with brain development and lead to behavioral and neurological disorders such as learning disabilities and psychiatric diseases. In addition, the quality of mother-infant interactions represents an important adaptive pathway that prepares offspring for the conditions of life. In this work, we asked if protein malnutrition alters maternal care and offspring development and if these phenotypes can be transmitted to next generation.Methods: Female mice were fed with a normal or hypoproteic diet during pregnancy and lactation. Nurturing behaviors, i.e. arched, blanket and passive nursing, and liking and grooming of the pups, were evaluated from postnatal day 1 (PD1) to postnatal day 7 (PD7). The same protocol was employed to evaluate maternal behavior for filial generation 1 (F1) and filial generation 2 (F2) dams. Offspring development was evaluated for F1, F2, and F3 generations. Developmental landmarks and neurological reflexes were assessed from PD8 until complete development of the landmark or acquisition of the reflex.Results: Our results show that malnourished dams provide a lesser and more fragmented maternal care than their normally fed counterparts. This altered maternal behavior as well as the delay in the physical and neurological development observed in the offspring from malnourished mothers was transmitted up to two generations at least.Conclusion: These results highlight the harmful effects of protein malnutrition even for generations that are not directly exposed to this environmental adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Octavio Gianatiempo
- Laboratorio de Neuroepigenética, Departamento de Química Biológica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Silvina V Sonzogni
- Laboratorio de Neuroepigenética, Departamento de Química Biológica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Estefanía A Fesser
- Laboratorio de Neuroepigenética, Departamento de Química Biológica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Laura M Belluscio
- Laboratorio de Neuroepigenética, Departamento de Química Biológica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ezequiel Smucler
- Instituto de Cálculo, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariela R Sued
- Instituto de Cálculo, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Eduardo T Cánepa
- Laboratorio de Neuroepigenética, Departamento de Química Biológica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
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37
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Barr HJ, Woolley SC. Developmental auditory exposure shapes responses of catecholaminergic neurons to socially-modulated song. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11717. [PMID: 30082796 PMCID: PMC6079043 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-30039-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental sensory experience is critical to the tuning of sensory systems and can shape perceptual abilities and their neural substrates. Neuromodulators, including catecholamines, contribute to sensory plasticity in both older and younger individuals and provide a mechanism for translating sensory experience into changes in brain and behavior. Less well known, however, is whether developmental sensory experience has lasting effects on the neuromodulatory neurons themselves. Here, we used female zebra finches to investigate the degree to which developmental auditory experience can have lasting effects on the density and sensory responsiveness of catecholamine-synthesizing neuron populations. We found that hearing courtship, but not non-courtship, song increased expression of the activity-dependent immediate early gene cFOS in dopamine neurons of the caudal ventral tegmental area (VTA) and this increase was dependent on whether females heard adult song during development. Developmental song exposure also affected the density of dopamine producing neurons in the rostral VTA. In contrast, song-evoked responses in noradrenergic neurons of the Locus Coeruleus were not affected by either developmental song exposure or the social context of the stimulus. These data highlight the lasting effects that developmental auditory experience can have in shaping both the density and sensory responsiveness of dopamine neuron populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena J Barr
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Center for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sarah C Woolley
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. .,Center for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. .,Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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38
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Growing a social brain. Nat Hum Behav 2018; 2:624-636. [PMID: 31346259 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-018-0384-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Revised: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
It has long been assumed that social animals, such as humans, are born with a brain system that has evolved to support social affiliation. However, the evidence does not necessarily support this assumption. Alternatively, social animals can be defined as those who cannot survive alone and rely on members from their group to regulate their ongoing physiology (or allostasis). The rather simple evolutionary constraint of social dependency for survival can be sufficient to make the social environment vitally salient, and to provide the ultimate driving force for socially crafted brain development and learning. In this Perspective, we propose a framework for sociality and specify a set of hypotheses on the mechanisms of social development and underlying neural systems. The theoretical shift proposed here implies that profound human characteristics, including but not limited to sociality, are acquired at an early age, while social interactions provide key wiring instructions that determine brain development.
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39
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Di Segni M, Andolina D, Ventura R. Long-term effects of early environment on the brain: Lesson from rodent models. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2018; 77:81-92. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.09.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Revised: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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40
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de Souza JA, da Silva MC, de Matos RJB, do Amaral Almeida LC, Beltrão LC, de Souza FL, de Castro RM, de Souza SL. Pre-weaning maternal separation increases eating later in life in male and female offspring, but increases brainstem dopamine receptor 1a and 2a only in males. Appetite 2018; 123:114-119. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2017] [Revised: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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41
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Popoola DO, Cameron NM. Maternal care-related differences in males and females rats' sensitivity to ethanol and the associations between the GABAergic system and steroids in males. Dev Psychobiol 2018; 60:380-394. [PMID: 29442358 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21607] [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: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of maternal care on adolescent ethanol consumption, sensitivity to ethanol-induced hypnosis, as well as gonadal hormones and γ-aminobutyric acid type-A (GABAA ) systems. Long Evans rat dams were categorized by maternal licking/grooming (LG) frequency into High- and Low-LG mothers. Both female and male offspring from Low-LG rats demonstrated a greater sensitivity to ethanol-induced hypnosis in the loss-of-righting-reflex test at ethanol doses of 3.0 and 3.5 g/kg during late-adolescence (postnatal Day 50) but not at mid-adolescence (postnatal Day 42). However, we found no effect of maternal care on consumption of a 5% ethanol solution in a two-bottle choice test. We further investigated the association between the observed variations in sensitivity to ethanol-induced hypnosis and baseline hormonal levels in males. In male offspring from Low-LG mothers compared to High-LG mothers, baseline plasma corticosterone and progesterone levels were higher. GABAA α1 and δ subunit expressions were also higher in the cerebral cortex of Low-LG males but lower in the cerebellar synaptosomal fraction. Early environmental influences on adolescent sensitivity to ethanol-induced hypnosis, consumption, and preference may be mediated by gonadal hormones and possibly through GABAergic functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel O Popoola
- Department of Psychology, Center for Developmental and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York.,Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York.,Behavioral Neuropharmacology and Neuroimaging Laboratory on Addictions, Research Institute on Addictions, University of Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
| | - Nicole M Cameron
- Department of Psychology, Center for Developmental and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York.,Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York
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42
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Di Segni M, Andolina D, Luchetti A, Babicola L, D'Apolito LI, Pascucci T, Conversi D, Accoto A, D'Amato FR, Ventura R. Unstable Maternal Environment Affects Stress Response in Adult Mice in a Genotype-Dependent Manner. Cereb Cortex 2018; 26:4370-4380. [PMID: 26400917 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhv204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Early postnatal events exert powerful effects on development, inducing persistent functional alterations in different brain network, such as the catecholamine prefrontal-accumbal system, and increasing the risk of developing psychiatric disorders later in life. However, a vast body of literature shows that the interaction between genetic factors and early environmental conditions is crucial for expression of psychopathologies in adulthood. We evaluated the long-lasting effects of a repeated cross-fostering (RCF) procedure in 2 inbred strains of mice (C57BL/6J, DBA/2), known to show a different susceptibility to the development and expression of stress-induced psychopathologies. Coping behavior (forced swimming test) and preference for a natural reinforcing stimulus (saccharine preference test) were assessed in adult female mice of both genotypes. Moreover, c-Fos stress-induced activity was assessed in different brain regions involved in stress response. In addition, we evaluated the enduring effects of RCF on catecholamine prefrontal-accumbal response to acute stress (restraint) using, for the first time, a new "dual probes" in vivo microdialysis procedure in mouse. RCF experience affects behavioral and neurochemical responses to acute stress in adulthood in opposite direction in the 2 genotypes, leading DBA mice toward an "anhedonic-like" phenotype and C57 mice toward an increased sensitivity for a natural reinforcing stimulus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Di Segni
- Santa Lucia Foundation, 00143 Rome, Italy.,Department of Psychology and "Daniel Bovet" Center and
| | - Diego Andolina
- Santa Lucia Foundation, 00143 Rome, Italy.,Department of Science and Biomedical Technologies, University of L'Aquila, 67010 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Alessandra Luchetti
- Cell Biology and Neurobiology Institute, National Research Council, 00143 Rome, Italy
| | - Lucy Babicola
- Department of Psychology and "Daniel Bovet" Center and
| | - Lina Ilaras D'Apolito
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin,""La Sapienza" University, 00181 Rome, Italy
| | - Tiziana Pascucci
- Santa Lucia Foundation, 00143 Rome, Italy.,Department of Psychology and "Daniel Bovet" Center and
| | - David Conversi
- Santa Lucia Foundation, 00143 Rome, Italy.,Department of Psychology and "Daniel Bovet" Center and
| | | | - Francesca R D'Amato
- Cell Biology and Neurobiology Institute, National Research Council, 00143 Rome, Italy.,Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Québec, Laval University, Quebec, Canada
| | - Rossella Ventura
- Santa Lucia Foundation, 00143 Rome, Italy.,Department of Psychology and "Daniel Bovet" Center and
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43
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Cao J, Willett JA, Dorris DM, Meitzen J. Sex Differences in Medium Spiny Neuron Excitability and Glutamatergic Synaptic Input: Heterogeneity Across Striatal Regions and Evidence for Estradiol-Dependent Sexual Differentiation. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2018; 9:173. [PMID: 29720962 PMCID: PMC5915472 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2018.00173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Steroid sex hormones and biological sex influence how the brain regulates motivated behavior, reward, and sensorimotor function in both normal and pathological contexts. Investigations into the underlying neural mechanisms have targeted the striatal brain regions, including the caudate-putamen, nucleus accumbens core (AcbC), and shell. These brain regions are of particular interest to neuroendocrinologists given that they express membrane-associated but not nuclear estrogen receptors, and also the well-established role of the sex steroid hormone 17β-estradiol (estradiol) in modulating striatal dopamine systems. Indeed, output neurons of the striatum, the medium spiny neurons (MSNs), exhibit estradiol sensitivity and sex differences in electrophysiological properties. Here, we review sex differences in rat MSN glutamatergic synaptic input and intrinsic excitability across striatal regions, including evidence for estradiol-mediated sexual differentiation in the nucleus AcbC. In prepubertal animals, female MSNs in the caudate-putamen exhibit a greater intrinsic excitability relative to male MSNs, but no sex differences are detected in excitatory synaptic input. Alternatively, female MSNs in the nucleus AcbC exhibit increased excitatory synaptic input relative to male MSNs, but no sex differences in intrinsic excitability were detected. Increased excitatory synaptic input onto female MSNs in the nucleus AcbC is abolished after masculinizing estradiol or testosterone exposure during the neonatal critical period. No sex differences are detected in MSNs in prepubertal nucleus accumbens shell. Thus, despite possessing the same neuron type, striatal regions exhibit heterogeneity in sex differences in MSN electrophysiological properties, which likely contribute to the sex differences observed in striatal function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyan Cao
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Jaime A. Willett
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Graduate Program in Physiology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - David M. Dorris
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - John Meitzen
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- *Correspondence: John Meitzen,
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44
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Leblanc É, Dégeilh F, Daneault V, Beauchamp MH, Bernier A. Attachment Security in Infancy: A Preliminary Study of Prospective Links to Brain Morphometry in Late Childhood. Front Psychol 2017; 8:2141. [PMID: 29312029 PMCID: PMC5733037 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A large body of longitudinal research provides compelling evidence for the critical role of early attachment relationships in children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. It is expected that parent–child attachment relationships may also impact children’s brain development, however, studies linking normative caregiving experiences and brain structure are scarce. To our knowledge, no study has yet examined the associations between the quality of parent–infant attachment relationships and brain morphology during childhood. The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate the prospective links between mother–infant attachment security and whole-brain gray matter (GM) volume and thickness in late childhood. Attachment security toward the mother was assessed in 33 children when they were 15 months old. These children were then invited to undergo structural magnetic resonance imaging at 10–11 years of age. Results indicated that children more securely attached to their mother in infancy had larger GM volumes in the superior temporal sulcus and gyrus, temporo-parietal junction, and precentral gyrus in late childhood. No associations between attachment security and cortical thickness were found. If replicated, these results would suggest that a secure attachment relationship and its main features (e.g., adequate dyadic emotion regulation, competent exploration) may influence GM volume in brain regions involved in social, cognitive, and emotional functioning through experience-dependent processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Élizabel Leblanc
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Fanny Dégeilh
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Véronique Daneault
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Functional Neuroimaging Unit, University of Montreal's Geriatric Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Miriam H Beauchamp
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Annie Bernier
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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45
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Sensitivity to cocaine in adult mice is due to interplay between genetic makeup, early environment and later experience. Neuropharmacology 2017; 125:87-98. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Revised: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 07/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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46
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He Z, Hou W, Hao X, Dong N, Du P, Yuan W, Yang J, Jia R, Tai F. Oxytocin receptor antagonist treatments alter levels of attachment to mothers and central dopamine activity in pre-weaning mandarin vole pups. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2017; 84:124-134. [PMID: 28710956 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Revised: 06/25/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) is known to be important in mother-infant bonding. Although the relationship between OT and filial attachment behavior has been studied in a few mammalian species, the effects on infant social behavior have received little attention in monogamous species. The present study examined the effects of OT receptor antagonist (OTA) treatment on attachment behavior and central dopamine (DA) activity in male and female pre-weaning mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus). Our data showed that OTA treatments decreased the attachment behavior of pups to mothers, measured using preference tests at postnatal day 14, 16, 18 and 20. OTA treatments reduced serum OT concentration in pre-weaning pups and decreased tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) levels in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), indicating a decrease in central DA activity. In male and female pups, OTA reduced DA levels, DA 1-type receptor (D1R) and DA 2-type receptor (D2R) protein expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Our results indicate that OTA treatment inhibits the attachment of pre-weaning pups to mothers. This inhibition is possibly associated with central DA activity and levels of two types of dopamine receptor in the NAcc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixiong He
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Wenjuan Hou
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Xin Hao
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Na Dong
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Peirong Du
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Wei Yuan
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Jinfeng Yang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Rui Jia
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China; Cognition Neuroscience and Learning Division, Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Fadao Tai
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China; Cognition Neuroscience and Learning Division, Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China.
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47
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Gonçalves LK, da Silva IRV, Cechinel LR, Frusciante MR, de Mello AS, Elsner VR, Funchal C, Dani C. Maternal consumption of high-fat diet and grape juice modulates global histone H4 acetylation levels in offspring hippocampus: A preliminary study. Neurosci Lett 2017; 661:29-32. [PMID: 28951285 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.09.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Revised: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the impact of maternal consumption of a hyperlipid diet and grape juice on global histone H4 acetylation levels in the offsprinǵs hippocampus at different stages of development. During pregnancy and lactation of offspring, dams were divided into 4 groups: control diet (CD), high-fat diet (HFD), control diet and purple grape juice (PGJCD) and purple grape juice and high-fat diet (PGJHFD). Male Wistar rats were euthanized at 21days of age (PN21, adolescents) and at 50days of age (PN50, adults). The maternal consumption of grape juice increased global histone H4 acetylation levels in hippocampus of adolescents pups (PN21), an indicative of enhanced transcriptional activity and increased gene expression. On the other hand, the maternal high-fat diet diminished significantly this epigenetic marker in the adult phase (PN50), suggesting gene silencing. These preliminary findings demonstrated that the maternal choices are able to induce changes on histone H4 acetylation status in hippocampus of the offspring, which may modulate the expression of specific genes. Interestingly, this response occurs in an age and stimuli-dependent manner and strongly reinforce the importance of maternal choices during gestation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana Kneib Gonçalves
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Biociências e Reabilitação do Centro Universitário Metodista-IPA, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
| | - Ivy Reichert Vital da Silva
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Biociências e Reabilitação do Centro Universitário Metodista-IPA, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
| | - Laura Reck Cechinel
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Fisiologia, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
| | - Marina Rocha Frusciante
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Biociências e Reabilitação do Centro Universitário Metodista-IPA, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
| | - Alexandre Silva de Mello
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Biociências e Reabilitação do Centro Universitário Metodista-IPA, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
| | - Viviane Rostirola Elsner
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Biociências e Reabilitação do Centro Universitário Metodista-IPA, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
| | - Claudia Funchal
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Biociências e Reabilitação do Centro Universitário Metodista-IPA, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
| | - Caroline Dani
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Biociências e Reabilitação do Centro Universitário Metodista-IPA, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
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48
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McNamara GI, Davis BA, Browne M, Humby T, Dalley JW, Xia J, John RM, Isles AR. Dopaminergic and behavioural changes in a loss-of-imprinting model of Cdkn1c. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2017; 17:149-157. [PMID: 28857482 PMCID: PMC5836939 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2017] [Revised: 08/18/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The imprinted gene Cdkn1c is expressed exclusively from the maternally inherited allele as a consequences of epigenetic regulation. Cdkn1c exemplifies many of the functional characteristics of imprinted genes, playing a role in foetal growth and placental development. However, Cdkn1c also plays an important role in the brain, being key to the appropriate proliferation and differentiation of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Using a transgenic model (Cdkn1cBACx1) with a twofold elevation in Cdkn1c expression that mimics loss‐of‐imprinting, we show that increased expression of Cdkn1c in the brain gives rise to neurobiological and behavioural changes indicative of a functionally altered dopaminergic system. Cdkn1cBACX1 mice displayed altered expression of dopamine system‐related genes, increased tyrosine hydroxylase (Th) staining and increased tissue content of dopamine in the striatum. In addition, Cdkn1cBACx1 animals were hypersensitive to amphetamine as showed by c‐fos expression in the nucleus accumbens. Cdkn1cBACX1 mice had significant changes in behaviours that are dependent on the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. Specifically, increased motivation for palatable food stuffs, as indexed on a progressive ratio task. In addition, Cdkn1cBACX1 mice displayed enhanced social dominance. These data show, for the first time, the consequence of elevated Cdkn1c expression on dopamine‐related behaviours highlighting the importance of correct dosage of this imprinted gene in the brain. This work has significant relevance for deepening our understanding of the epigenetic factors that can shape neurobiology and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- G I McNamara
- Behavioural Genetics Group, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - B A Davis
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - M Browne
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - T Humby
- Behavioural Genetics Group, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.,School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - J W Dalley
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - J Xia
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - R M John
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - A R Isles
- Behavioural Genetics Group, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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49
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Champagne FA, Curley JP. Plasticity of the Maternal Brain Across the Lifespan. New Dir Child Adolesc Dev 2017; 2016:9-21. [PMID: 27589495 DOI: 10.1002/cad.20164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Maternal behavior is dynamic and highly sensitive to experiential and contextual factors. In this review, this plasticity will be explored, with a focus on how experiences of females occurring from the time of fetal development through to adulthood impact maternal behavior and the maternal brain. Variation in postpartum maternal behavior is dependent on estrogen sensitivity within the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus and activation within mesolimbic dopamine neurons. This review will discuss how experiences across the lifespan alter the function of these systems and the multigenerational consequences of these neuroendocrine and behavioral changes. These studies, based primarily on the examination of maternal behavior in laboratory rodents and nonhuman primates, provide mechanistic insights relevant to our understanding of human maternal behavior and to the mechanisms of lifelong plasticity.
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50
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Perkeybile AM, Bales KL. Intergenerational transmission of sociality: the role of parents in shaping social behavior in monogamous and non-monogamous species. J Exp Biol 2017; 220:114-123. [PMID: 28057834 PMCID: PMC5278619 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.142182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Social bonds are necessary for many mammals to survive and reproduce successfully. These bonds (i.e. pair-bonds, friendships, filial bonds) are characterized by different periods of development, longevity and strength. Socially monogamous species display certain behaviors not seen in many other mammals, such as adult pair-bonding and male parenting. In our studies of prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and titi monkeys (Callicebus cupreus), we have examined the neurohormonal basis of these bonds. Here, we discuss the evidence from voles that aspects of adolescent and adult social behavior are shaped by early experience, including changes to sensory systems and connections, neuropeptide systems such as oxytocin and vasopressin, and alterations in stress responses. We will compare this with what is known about these processes during development and adulthood in other mammalian species, both monogamous and non-monogamous, and how our current knowledge in voles can be used to understand the development of and variation in social bonds. Humans are endlessly fascinated by the variety of social relationships and family types displayed by animal species, including our own. Social relationships can be characterized by directionality (either uni- or bi-directional), longevity, developmental epoch (infant, juvenile or adult) and strength. Research on the neurobiology of social bonds in animals has focused primarily on 'socially monogamous' species, because of their long-term, strong adult affiliative bonds. In this Review, we attempt to understand how the ability and propensity to form these bonds (or lack thereof), as well as the display of social behaviors more generally, are transmitted both genomically and non-genomically via variation in parenting in monogamous and non-monogamous species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison M Perkeybile
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Karen L Bales
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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