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Natividad LA, Steinman MQ, McGinn MA, Sureshchandra S, Kerr TM, Ciccocioppo R, Messaoudi I, Edwards S, Roberto M. Impaired hypothalamic feedback dysregulates brain glucocorticoid signaling in genetically-selected Marchigian Sardinian alcohol-preferring rats. Addict Biol 2021; 26:e12978. [PMID: 33142367 PMCID: PMC8052265 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Genetically-selected Marchigian Sardinian alcohol-preferring (msP) rats display comorbid symptoms of increased alcohol preference and elevated anxiety-like behavior. Heightened stress sensitivity in msPs is influenced by genetic polymorphisms of the corticotropin-releasing factor receptor in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), as well as reduced influence of anti-stress mechanisms that normally constrain the stress response. Given this propensity for stress dysregulation, in this study, we expand on the possibility that msPs may display differences in neuroendocrine processes that normally terminate the stress response. We utilized behavioral, biochemical, and molecular assays to compare basal and restraint stress-induced changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis of male and female msPs relative to their nonselected Wistar counterparts. The results showed that msPs display deficits in marble-burying behavior influenced by environmental factors and procedures that modulate arousal states in a sex-dependent manner. Whereas male msPs display evidence of dysregulated neuroendocrine function (higher adrenocorticotropic hormone levels and subthreshold reductions in corticosterone), females display restraint-induced elevations in corticosterone levels that were persistently higher in msPs. A dexamethasone challenge reduced the circulation of these stress hormones, although the reduction in corticosterone was generally attenuated in msP versus Wistar rats. Finally, we found evidence of diminished stress-induced glucocorticoid receptor (GR) phosphorylation in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus of msPs, as well as innate increases in phosphorylated GR levels in the CeA of male msPs. Collectively, these findings suggest that negative feedback processes regulating HPA responsiveness are diminished in msP rats, possibly underlying differences in the expression of anxiety-like behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis A. Natividad
- College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, 92037, USA
| | - Michael Q. Steinman
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, 92037, USA
| | - M. Adrienne McGinn
- Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
| | - Suhas Sureshchandra
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, 92697, USA
| | - Tony M. Kerr
- College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, 92037, USA
| | - Roberto Ciccocioppo
- School of Pharmacy, Pharmacology Unit, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | - Ilhem Messaoudi
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, 92697, USA
| | - Scott Edwards
- Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112, USA
| | - Marisa Roberto
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, 92037, USA
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Peecher DL, Binder AK, Gabriel KI. Rodent models of mental illness in polycystic ovary syndrome: the potential role of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal dysregulation and lessons for behavioral researchers. Biol Reprod 2019; 100:590-600. [PMID: 30388193 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioy233] [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: 08/31/2018] [Revised: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most commonly diagnosed endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age, with phenotypes including ovarian and metabolic dysfunctions. Women with PCOS also show increased rates of mental illness, dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and altered responsiveness to stressors that may contribute to the higher rates of mental illness, specifically depression and anxiety. Animal models of PCOS have provided insight into the ovarian and metabolic mechanisms that underlie the syndrome, and several models have been used to study the behavioral consequences associated with PCOS in the laboratory. Several studies in rodent models of PCOS demonstrate changes in anxiety-like behavior, but researchers often neglect to report procedural details or behavioral data crucial to interpreting the differences observed in those studies. Additionally, the impact of potential HPA dysregulation in animal models of PCOS may influence behavioral findings, although only three studies to date have examined this. As such, researchers should consider and report stress-associated variables (e.g., time of day, light/dark cycle, light intensity, housing, and procedures to control experimenter and litter effects) that may influence depression- and anxiety-like behaviors in rodents. This review will summarize the behavioral and HPA-related studies in women with PCOS and rodent models of the disease, and provide considerations for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle L Peecher
- Department of Psychology, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington, USA.,Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - April K Binder
- Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington, USA
| | - Kara I Gabriel
- Department of Psychology, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington, USA
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Titterness AK, Christie BR. Long-term depression in vivo: effects of sex, stress, diet, and prenatal ethanol exposure. Hippocampus 2008; 18:481-91. [PMID: 18240319 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.20407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Long-term depression (LTD) of synaptic efficacy has proven a difficult phenomenon to examine in vivo, despite the ease with which it is induced in a variety of in vitro preparations. Prior exposure to an acute stressful episode does however seem to enhance the capacity of the hippocampus to exhibit LTD in vivo in male animals. In the present experiments, we examined the capacity for low-frequency stimuli (low-frequency stimulation (LFS)) to induce LTD in juvenile male and female animals following an acute stress episode. Interestingly, prior exposure to stress was only required for the induction of LTD in male animals, while both control and stressed female animals exhibited equivalent LTD. In animals that were exposed to ethanol in utero, a similar requirement for prior exposure to stress to elicit LTD was found for male, but not female animals. This prenatal ethanol exposure did not in itself alter the capacity for LTD induction in either sex; however, in utero food restriction did enhance LTD induction in both male and female animals, irrespective of whether they were exposed to stress just prior to being administered LFS. These results indicate that in utero dietary restriction more drastically affects CA1 LTD than in utero ethanol exposure. In addition, female animals seem to exhibit LTD in vivo in the absence of stress much more easily than their male counterparts.
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Glavas MM, Ellis L, Yu WK, Weinberg J. Effects of Prenatal Ethanol Exposure on Basal Limbic?Hypothalamic?Pituitary?Adrenal Regulation: Role of Corticosterone. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2007; 31:1598-610. [PMID: 17760789 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00460.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rats prenatally exposed to ethanol (E) exhibit hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) hyperresponsiveness and changes in central HPA regulation following exposure to stressors. Whether ethanol-induced alterations in basal HPA regulation play a role in mediating HPA hyperresponsiveness remains unclear. We utilized adrenalectomy (ADX), with or without corticosterone (CORT) replacement, to investigate basal HPA function and the role of CORT in mediating ethanol-induced alterations. METHODS Adult males and females from prenatal E, pair-fed (PF), and ad lib-fed control (C) groups were terminated at the circadian peak, 7 days following sham surgery or ADX, with or without CORT replacement. Plasma levels of CORT and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), and mRNA levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) in the paraventricular nucleus, CRH Type 1 receptor (CRH-R1) and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) in the anterior pituitary, and mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors in the dorsal hippocampus were determined. RESULTS Adrenalectomy resulted in significantly greater plasma ACTH elevations in E and PF males, and parallel CRH mRNA elevations in both E and PF males and females compared with their C counterparts. In contrast, pituitary CRH-R1 mRNA levels were lower in E compared with C males, with no differences in POMC. In addition, in response to ADX, E females showed a greater MR mRNA response, and E males showed a greater GR mRNA response compared with their C counterparts, and CORT replacement was ineffective in normalizing ADX-induced alterations in ACTH levels in E and PF females, hippocampal MR mRNA levels in E males, and AVP mRNA levels in PF males and females. CONCLUSIONS Together, these data indicate that the prenatal ethanol exposure induces HPA dysregulation under basal conditions at multiple levels of the axis, resulting in alterations in both HPA drive and feedback regulation and/or in the balance between drive and feedback. While some effects may be nutritionally mediated, it appears that the mechanisms underlying basal HPA dysregulation may differ between E and PF animals rather than occurring along a continuum of effects on the same pathway. Altered basal HPA tone may play a role in mediating the HPA hyperresponsiveness to stressors observed in E offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria M Glavas
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Glavas MM, Yu WK, Weinberg J. Effects of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptor blockade on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function in female rats prenatally exposed to ethanol. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2006; 30:1916-24. [PMID: 17067357 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2006.00236.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rats prenatally exposed to ethanol (E) exhibit hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) hyperresponsiveness, demonstrated by increased and/or prolonged elevations of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and/or corticosterone (CORT) in response to stressors. The present study examined the possible role of CORT feedback deficits in mediating this hyperresponsiveness by examining HPA function following mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptor blockade. METHODS Adult female Sprague-Dawley offspring from E, pair-fed (PF), and control (C) groups were injected subcutaneously with the MR antagonist spironolactone (SPIRO; 30 mg/kg bw), the GR antagonist RU38486 (120 mg/kg bw), or vehicle. One hour postinjection, blood samples (0 minutes) were taken via jugular cannulae to obtain a measure of prestress ACTH and CORT levels. Rats were then loosely restrained for 1 hour, and samples were taken during (15, 30, and 60 minutes) and then 1 hour following stress, for determination of plasma ACTH and CORT levels. RESULTS Both SPIRO and RU38486 significantly increased prestress ACTH levels in E compared with both PF and C females. In contrast, RU38486 significantly increased ACTH levels in C compared with PF females during stress and in C compared with E females during recovery. CORT levels were increased during stress in E females in response to SPIRO, and RU38486 increased the CORT response during stress in PF and during recovery in E and PF females compared with vehicle. CONCLUSIONS E females showed enhanced HPA responses to both MR and GR blockade compared with PF and C before restraint as well as a different pattern of responsivity during and following restraint. While receptor blockade had some effect on CORT responses in PF females, changes in ACTH appear specific to ethanol. These findings suggest that the balance between HPA drive and feedback may be altered in E compared with C females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria M Glavas
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Barr AM, Hofmann CE, Phillips AG, Weinberg J, Honer WG. Prenatal ethanol exposure in rats decreases levels of complexin proteins in the frontal cortex. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2006; 29:1915-20. [PMID: 16340446 DOI: 10.1097/01.alc.0000187806.68957.0a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rodents that are prenatally exposed to ethanol have been shown to exhibit a wide range of cognitive deficits, including impairments in memory, attention and executive function. To determine a potential molecular substrate for cognitive dysfunction in adulthood, we measured regional levels of the presynaptic proteins complexin I and II in a rat model of prenatal ethanol exposure, as levels of these proteins are altered in cognitive-related synaptic plasticity. METHODS Pregnant female rats received either a liquid ethanol diet (36% ethanol-derived calories) or a liquid control diet (maltose-dextrin isocalorically substituted for ethanol, matched in amount [g/kg body wt/day of gestation] to an ethanol-consuming partner), or were given ad libitum-fed access to standard laboratory chow and water. Levels of complexin I, II and the ubiquitous presynaptic marker synaptophysin were measured in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of adult male offspring, using ELISA. RESULTS Prenatal exposure to ethanol did not alter levels of presynaptic proteins in the hippocampus or levels of synaptophysin in the prefrontal cortex. However, rats prenatally exposed to ethanol displayed significantly lower levels of both complexin I and II in the prefrontal cortex compared to control animals. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that prenatal exposure to ethanol is associated with a selective loss of complexin proteins in the frontal cortex. These proteins are known to be important for activity-dependent neurotransmission, and have previously been shown to mediate synaptic plasticity and cognition. These combined findings suggest that further study of complexin proteins as a substrate for cognitive impairment related to prenatal exposure to ethanol is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alasdair M Barr
- Center for Complex Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver General Hospital Research Pavilion, Vancouver, Canada.
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Bird DN, Sato AK, Knee DS, Uyehara CF, Person DA, Claybaugh JR. Effects of prenatal ethanol exposure and sex on the arginine vasopressin response to hemorrhage in the rat. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2006; 291:R77-82. [PMID: 16469837 PMCID: PMC1500814 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00740.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
AVP synthesis, storage, and osmotically stimulated release are reduced in young adult rats exposed prenatally to ethanol (PE). Whether the reduced release of AVP to the osmotic stimulus is due to impairment of the vasopressin system or specifically to an osmoreceptor-mediated release is not known. The present experiments were done, therefore, to determine whether a hemorrhage-induced AVP response would also be diminished in PE-exposed rats. Pregnant rats were fed either a control liquid diet [no prenatal ethanol (NPE)] or a liquid diet with 35% of the calories from ethanol from days 7-21 of pregnancy. Offspring were weaned at 3 wk of life. At 11 wk of age, femoral arterial catheters were surgically placed, and blood volumes were determined at 12 wk. Three days later, two hemorrhages of 10% of the blood volume were performed with samples taken before and 10 min after the hemorrhages. After a 20% blood loss, plasma AVP was 19% higher in NPE rats than in the PE rats despite no differences in mean arterial blood pressure (MABP). Also, hypothalamic AVP mRNA and pituitary AVP content were reduced in PE rats. Furthermore, confirming an earlier report of sex differences in AVP release, the hemorrhage-induced hormone response was twofold greater in female rats than male rats, regardless of previous ethanol exposure. These studies demonstrate that the AVP response to hemorrhage is reduced in PE rats independently of differences in MABP. The data are compatible with a theory of a reduced number of hemorrhage-responsive vasopressinergic neurons capable of stimulated AVP release in PE rats.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aileen K. Sato
- Clinical Investigation, Tripler Army Medical Center, Tripler AMC, HI 96859-5000
| | | | | | - Donald A. Person
- Departments of Pediatrics, and
- Clinical Investigation, Tripler Army Medical Center, Tripler AMC, HI 96859-5000
| | - John R. Claybaugh
- Clinical Investigation, Tripler Army Medical Center, Tripler AMC, HI 96859-5000
- Corresponding Author’s Address: John R. Claybaugh, PhD, Department of Clinical Investigation, MCHK-CI, 1 Jarrett White Road, Tripler Army Medical Center, HI 96859, Telephone number: (808) 433-5219, Fax number: (808) 433-7160, E-mail:
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Knee DS, Sato AK, Uyehara CFT, Claybaugh JR. Prenatal exposure to ethanol causes partial diabetes insipidus in adult rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2004; 287:R277-83. [PMID: 15142835 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00223.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Chronic consumption of ethanol in adult rats and humans leads to reduced AVP-producing neurons, and prenatal ethanol (PE) exposure has been reported to cause changes in the morphology of AVP-producing cells in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of young rats. The present studies further characterize the effects of PE exposure on AVP in the young adult rat, its hypothalamic synthesis, pituitary storage, and osmotically stimulated release. Pregnant rats were fed a liquid diet with 35% of the calories from ethanol or a control liquid diet for days 7-22 of pregnancy. Water consumption and urine excretion rate were measured in the offspring at 60-68 days of age. Subsequently, the offspring were infused with 5% NaCl at 0.05 ml.kg(-1).min(-1) with plasma samples taken before and at three 40-min intervals during infusion for measurement of AVP and osmolality. Urine output and water intake were approximately 20% greater in PE-exposed rats than in rats with no PE exposure, and female rats had a greater water intake than males. The relationship between plasma osmolality and AVP in PE-exposed rats was parallel to, but shifted to the right of, the control rats, indicating an increase in osmotic threshold for AVP release. Pituitary AVP was reduced by 13% and hypothalamic AVP mRNA content was reduced by 35% in PE-exposed rats. Our data suggest that PE exposure can cause a permanent condition of a mild partial central diabetes insipidus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel S Knee
- Department of Pediatrics, Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii 96859-5000, USA
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