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Acosta G, Rico KT, Madden JT, LaCour A, Wang E, Sanchez LM, Davies S, Maestas-Olguin C, Cox KB, Reyna NC, Hogeveen J, Savage DD, Pentkowski NS, Clark BJ. The effects of moderate prenatal alcohol exposure on performance in hippocampal-sensitive spatial memory and anxiety tasks by adult male and female rat offspring. Alcohol 2024; 121:75-86. [PMID: 39122134 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2024] [Revised: 07/24/2024] [Accepted: 08/04/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
Moderate prenatal alcohol exposure (mPAE) results in structural alterations to the hippocampus. Previous studies have reported impairments in hippocampal-sensitive tasks, but have not compared performance between male and female animals. In the present study, performance in hippocampal-sensitive spatial memory and anxiety behavior tests were compared across adult male and female saccharin (SACC) control mPAE Long-Evans rat offspring. Two tests of spatial memory were conducted that were aimed at assessing memory for recently acquired spatial information: A delayed spatial alternation task using an M-shaped maze and a delayed match-to-place task in the Morris water task. In both tasks, rats in SACC and mPAE groups showed similar learning and retention of a spatial location even after a 2-h interval between encoding and retention. A separate group of adult male and female SACC and mPAE rat offspring were tested for anxiety-like behaviors in the elevated plus-maze paradigm. In this test, both male and female mPAE rats exhibited a significantly greater amount of time and a greater number of head dips in the open arms, while locomotion and open arm entries did not differ between groups. The results suggest that mPAE produces a reduction in anxiety-like behaviors in both male and female rats in the elevated plus-maze.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Acosta
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Kehiry Trejo Rico
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - John T Madden
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Ariyana LaCour
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Enhui Wang
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Lilliana M Sanchez
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Suzy Davies
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | | | - Kayla B Cox
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Nicole C Reyna
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Jeremy Hogeveen
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Daniel D Savage
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | | | - Benjamin J Clark
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
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2
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Goncalves-Garcia M, Davies S, Savage DD, Hamilton DA. The histamine H 3 receptor inverse agonist SAR-152954 reverses deficits in long-term potentiation associated with moderate prenatal alcohol exposure. Alcohol 2024; 118:45-55. [PMID: 38705312 PMCID: PMC11409852 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.04.005] [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: 02/10/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure can have persistent effects on learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity. Previous work from our group demonstrated deficits in long-term potentiation (LTP) of excitatory synapses on dentate gyrus granule cells in adult offspring of rat dams that consumed moderate levels of alcohol during pregnancy. At present, there are no pharmacotherapeutic agents approved for these deficits. Prior work established that systemic administration of the histaminergic H3R inverse agonist ABT-239 reversed deficits in LTP observed following moderate PAE. The present study examines the effect of a second H3R inverse agonist, SAR-152954, on LTP deficits following moderate PAE. We demonstrate that systemic administration of 1 mg/kg of SAR-152954 reverses deficits in potentiation of field excitatory post-synaptic potentials (fEPSPs) in adult male rats exposed to moderate PAE. Time-frequency analyses of evoked responses revealed PAE-related reductions in power during the fEPSP, and increased power during later components of evoked responses which are associated with feedback circuitry that are typically not assessed with traditional amplitude-based measures. Both effects were reversed by SAR-152954. These findings provide further evidence that H3R inverse agonism is a potential therapeutic strategy to address deficits in synaptic plasticity associated with PAE.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Suzy Davies
- Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
| | - Daniel D Savage
- Departments of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA; Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
| | - Derek A Hamilton
- Departments of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA; Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA.
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Thomas SD, Abdalla S, Eissa N, Akour A, Jha NK, Ojha S, Sadek B. Targeting Microglia in Neuroinflammation: H3 Receptor Antagonists as a Novel Therapeutic Approach for Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:831. [PMID: 39065682 PMCID: PMC11279978 DOI: 10.3390/ph17070831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Histamine performs dual roles as an immune regulator and a neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain. The histaminergic system plays a vital role in the regulation of wakefulness, cognition, neuroinflammation, and neurogenesis that are substantially disrupted in various neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. Histamine H3 receptor (H3R) antagonists and inverse agonists potentiate the endogenous release of brain histamine and have been shown to enhance cognitive abilities in animal models of several brain disorders. Microglial activation and subsequent neuroinflammation are implicated in impacting embryonic and adult neurogenesis, contributing to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Acknowledging the importance of microglia in both neuroinflammation and neurodevelopment, as well as their regulation by histamine, offers an intriguing therapeutic target for these disorders. The inhibition of brain H3Rs has been found to facilitate a shift from a proinflammatory M1 state to an anti-inflammatory M2 state, leading to a reduction in the activity of microglial cells. Also, pharmacological studies have demonstrated that H3R antagonists showed positive effects by reducing the proinflammatory biomarkers, suggesting their potential role in simultaneously modulating crucial brain neurotransmissions and signaling cascades such as the PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β pathway. In this review, we highlight the potential therapeutic role of the H3R antagonists in addressing the pathology and cognitive decline in brain disorders, e.g., AD, PD, and ASD, with an inflammatory component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilu Deepa Thomas
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates; (S.D.T.); (S.A.)
- Zayed Center for Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 1551, United Arab Emirates
| | - Sabna Abdalla
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates; (S.D.T.); (S.A.)
- Zayed Center for Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 1551, United Arab Emirates
| | - Nermin Eissa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 59911, United Arab Emirates
| | - Amal Akour
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates; (S.D.T.); (S.A.)
- Zayed Center for Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 1551, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Biopharmaceutics and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
| | - Niraj Kumar Jha
- Centre for Global Health Research, Saveetha Medical College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai 602105, India
- Centre of Research Impact and Outcome, Chitkara University, Rajpura 140401, India
- School of Bioengineering & Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144411, India
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied & Life Sciences (SALS), Uttaranchal University, Dehradun 248007, India
| | - Shreesh Ojha
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates; (S.D.T.); (S.A.)
- Zayed Center for Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 1551, United Arab Emirates
| | - Bassem Sadek
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates; (S.D.T.); (S.A.)
- Zayed Center for Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 1551, United Arab Emirates
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Wilson DA, Sullivan RM, Smiley JF, Saito M, Raineki C. Developmental alcohol exposure is exhausting: Sleep and the enduring consequences of alcohol exposure during development. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 158:105567. [PMID: 38309498 PMCID: PMC10923002 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105567] [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: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure is the leading nongenetic cause of human intellectual impairment. The long-term impacts of prenatal alcohol exposure on health and well-being are diverse, including neuropathology leading to behavioral, cognitive, and emotional impairments. Additionally negative effects also occur on the physiological level, such as the endocrine, cardiovascular, and immune systems. Among these diverse impacts is sleep disruption. In this review, we describe how prenatal alcohol exposure affects sleep, and potential mechanisms of those effects. Furthermore, we outline the evidence that sleep disruption across the lifespan may be a mediator of some cognitive and behavioral impacts of developmental alcohol exposure, and thus may represent a promising target for treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald A Wilson
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Regina M Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - John F Smiley
- Division of Neurochemistry, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mariko Saito
- Division of Neurochemistry, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Charlis Raineki
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada; Centre for Neuroscience, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada
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Goncalves-Garcia M, Hamilton DA. Unraveling the complex relationship between prenatal alcohol exposure, hippocampal LTP, and learning and memory. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 16:1326089. [PMID: 38283699 PMCID: PMC10811250 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1326089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been extensively studied for its profound impact on neurodevelopment, synaptic plasticity, and cognitive outcomes. While PAE, particularly at moderate levels, has long-lasting cognitive implications for the exposed individuals, there remains a substantial gap in our understanding of the precise mechanisms underlying these deficits. This review provides a framework for comprehending the neurobiological basis of learning and memory processes that are negatively impacted by PAE. Sex differences, diverse PAE protocols, and the timing of exposure are explored as potential variables influencing the diverse outcomes of PAE on long-term potentiation (LTP). Additionally, potential interventions, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological, are reviewed, offering promising avenues for mitigating the detrimental effects of PAE on cognitive processes. While significant progress has been made, further research is required to enhance our understanding of how prenatal alcohol exposure affects neural plasticity and cognitive functions and to develop effective therapeutic interventions for those impacted. Ultimately, this work aims to advance the comprehension of the consequences of PAE on the brain and cognitive functions.
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Davies S, Nelson DE, Shrestha S, Savage DD. Impact of two different rodent diets on maternal ethanol consumption, serum ethanol concentration and pregnancy outcome measures. Alcohol 2023; 111:39-49. [PMID: 37225109 PMCID: PMC10527634 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2023.05.002] [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: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies report varying levels of ethanol consumption by rodents maintained on different commercially available laboratory diets. As varied ethanol consumption by dams may impact offspring outcome measures in prenatal ethanol exposure paradigms, we compared ethanol consumption by rats maintained on the Envigo 2920 diet, used in our vivarium, with an isocalorically equivalent PicoLab 5L0D diet used in some alcohol consumption studies. Compared to 5L0D diet, female rats maintained on 2920 diet consumed 14% less ethanol during daily 4-h drinking sessions prior to pregnancy and 28% less ethanol during gestation. Rat dams consuming 5L0D diet gained significantly less weight during pregnancy. However, their pup birth weights were significantly higher. A subsequent study revealed that hourly ethanol consumption was not different between diets during the first 2 h, but was significantly lower on 2920 diet at the end of the third and fourth hours. The mean serum ethanol concentration in 5L0D dams after the first 2 h of drinking was 46 mg/dL compared to 25 mg/dL in 2920 dams. Further, ethanol consumption at the 2-h blood sampling time point was more variable in 2920 dams compared to 5L0D dams. An in vitro analysis mixing each powdered diet with 5% ethanol in acidified saline revealed that a 2920 diet suspension adsorbed more aqueous medium than the 5L0D diet suspension. The total ethanol remaining in aqueous supernatant of 5L0D mixtures was nearly twice the amount of ethanol in supernatants of the 2920 mixtures. These results suggest that the 2920 diet expands to a greater extent in aqueous medium than the 5L0D diet. We speculate that increasing adsorption of water and ethanol by the 2920 diet may reduce or delay the amount of ethanol absorbed and may decrease serum ethanol concentration to a greater extent than would be predicted from the amount of ethanol consumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzy Davies
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, United States
| | - Danika E Nelson
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, United States
| | - Sumi Shrestha
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, United States
| | - Daniel D Savage
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, United States.
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7
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Davies S, Lujan KS, Rappaport EJ, Valenzuela CF, Savage DD. Effect of moderate prenatal ethanol exposure on the differential expression of two histamine H3 receptor isoforms in different brain regions of adult rat offspring. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1192096. [PMID: 37449267 PMCID: PMC10338121 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1192096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
We have reported that prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) elevates histamine H3 receptor (H3R) agonist-mediated inhibition of glutamatergic neurotransmission in the dentate gyrus. Here, we hypothesized that PAE alters the expression of two prominent H3R isoforms namely, the rH3A and rH3C isoforms, which have differing intrinsic activities for H3R agonists, in a manner that may contribute to heightened H3R function in PAE rats. In contrast to our predictions, we found different effects of sex and PAE in various brain regions with significant interactions between sex and PAE in dentate gyrus and entorhinal cortex for both isoforms. Subsequently, to confirm the PAE-and sex-induced differences on H3R isoform mRNA expression, we developed a polyclonal antibody selective for the rH3A inform. Western blots of rH3A mRNA-transfected HEK-293 cells identified a ~ 48 kDa band of binding consistent with the molecular weight of rH3A, thus confirming antibody sensitivity for rH3A protein. In parallel, we also established a pan-H3R knockout mice line to confirm antibody specificity in rodent brain membranes. Both qRT-PCR and H3R agonist-stimulated [35S]-GTPγS binding confirmed the absence of mH3A mRNA and H3 receptor-effector coupling in H3R knockout (KO) mice. Subsequent western blotting studies in both rat and mouse brain membranes were unable to detect rH3A antibody binding at ~48 kDa. Rather, the H3RA antibody bound to a ~ 55 kDa band in both rat and mouse membranes, including H3R KO mice, suggesting H3RA binding was not specific for H3Rs in rodent membranes. Subsequent LC/MS analysis of the ~55 kDa band in frontal cortical membranes identified the highly abundant beta subunit of ATPase in both WT and KO mice. Finally, LC/MS analysis of the ~48 kDa band from rH3A mRNA-transfected HEK-293 cell membranes was able to detect rH3A protein, but its presence was below the limits of quantitative reliability. We conclude that PAE alters rH3A and rH3C mRNA expression in some of the same brain regions where we have previously reported PAE-induced alterations in H3R-effector coupling. However, interpreting the functional consequences of altered H3R isoform expression was limited given the technical challenges of measuring the relatively low abundance of rH3A protein in native membrane preparations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Daniel D. Savage
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, United States
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8
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Noor S, Pritha AN, Pasmay AA, Sanchez JE, Sanchez JJ, Fernandez-Oropeza AK, Sun MS, Dell’Orco M, Davies S, Savage DD, Mellios N, Milligan ED. Prenatal alcohol exposure dysregulates spinal and circulating immune cell circular RNA expression in adult female rats with chronic sciatic neuropathy. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1180308. [PMID: 37360167 PMCID: PMC10288115 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1180308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is associated with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) that results in a continuum of central nervous system (CNS) deficits. Emerging evidence from both preclinical and clinical studies indicate that the biological vulnerability to chronic CNS disease in FASD populations is driven by aberrant neuroimmune actions. Our prior studies suggest that, following minor nerve injury, prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is a risk factor for developing adult-onset chronic pathological touch sensitivity or allodynia. Allodynia in PAE rats occurs concurrently with heightened proinflammatory peripheral and spinal glial-immune activation. However, minor nerve-injured control rats remain non-allodynic, and corresponding proinflammatory factors are unaltered. A comprehensive molecular understanding of the mechanism(s) that underlie PAE-induced proinflammatory bias during adulthood remains elusive. Non-coding circular RNAs (circRNAs) are emerging as novel modulators of gene expression. Here, we hypothesized that PAE induces dysregulation of circRNAs that are linked to immune function under basal and nerve-injured conditions during adulthood. Utilizing a microarray platform, we carried out the first systematic profiling of circRNAs in adult PAE rats, prior to and after minor nerve injury. The results demonstrate a unique circRNA profile in adult PAE rats without injury; 18 circRNAs in blood and 32 spinal circRNAs were differentially regulated. Following minor nerve injury, more than 100 differentially regulated spinal circRNAs were observed in allodynic PAE rats. Bioinformatic analysis identified that the parental genes of these circRNAs are linked to the NF-κB complex, a central transcription factor for pain-relevant proinflammatory cytokines. Quantitative real-time PCR was employed to measure levels of selected circRNAs and linear mRNA isoforms. We have validated that circVopp1 was significantly downregulated in blood leukocytes in PAE rats, concurrent with downregulation of Vopp1 mRNA levels. Spinal circVopp1 levels were upregulated in PAE rats, regardless of nerve injury. Additionally, PAE downregulated levels of circItch and circRps6ka3, which are linked to immune regulation. These results demonstrate that PAE exerts long-lasting dysregulation of circRNA expression in blood leukocytes and the spinal cord. Moreover, the spinal circRNA expression profile following peripheral nerve injury is differentially modulated by PAE, potentially contributing to PAE-induced neuroimmune dysregulation.
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Osterlund Oltmanns JR, Schaeffer EA, Goncalves Garcia M, Donaldson TN, Acosta G, Sanchez LM, Davies S, Savage DD, Wallace DG, Clark BJ. Sexually dimorphic organization of open field behavior following moderate prenatal alcohol exposure. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2022; 46:861-875. [PMID: 35315075 PMCID: PMC9117438 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can produce deficits in a wide range of cognitive functions but is especially detrimental to behaviors requiring accurate spatial information processing. In open field environments, spatial behavior is organized such that animals establish "home bases" marked by long stops focused around one location. Progressions away from the home base are circuitous and slow, while progressions directed toward the home base are non-circuitous and fast. The impact of PAE on the organization of open field behavior has not been experimentally investigated. METHODS In the present study, adult female and male rats with moderate PAE or saccharin exposure locomoted a circular high walled open field for 30 minutes under lighted conditions. RESULTS The findings indicate that PAE and sex influence the organization of open field behavior. Consistent with previous literature, PAE rats exhibited greater locomotion in the open field. Novel findings from the current study indicate that PAE and sex also impact open field measures specific to spatial orientation. While all rats established a home base on the periphery of the open field, PAE rats, particularly males, exhibited significantly less clustered home base stopping with smaller changes in heading between stops. PAE also impaired progression measures specific to distance estimation, while sex alone impacted progression measures specific to direction estimation. CONCLUSIONS These findings support the conclusion that adult male rats have an increased susceptibility to the effects of PAE on the organization of open field behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ericka A Schaeffer
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Tia N Donaldson
- Department of Psychology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Gabriela Acosta
- Department of Psychology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Lilliana M Sanchez
- Department of Psychology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Suzy Davies
- Department of Neurosciences, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Daniel D Savage
- Department of Psychology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.,Department of Neurosciences, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Douglas G Wallace
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, Illinois, USA
| | - Benjamin J Clark
- Department of Psychology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.,Department of Neurosciences, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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10
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Bariselli S, Lovinger DM. Corticostriatal Circuit Models of Cognitive Impairments Induced by Fetal Exposure to Alcohol. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 90:516-528. [PMID: 34281711 PMCID: PMC8463431 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The term fetal alcohol spectrum disorder includes a group of diseases caused by fetal alcohol exposure (FAE). Patients with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder display heterogeneous socioemotional and cognitive deficits, particularly in the domain of executive function, that share symptoms with other neuropsychiatric disorders. Despite the availability of several preclinical models, the developmental brain defects causally linked to behavioral deficits induced by FAE remain poorly understood. Here, we first review the effects of FAE on corticostriatal development and its impact on both corticostriatal pathway function and cognitive abilities. We propose three non-mutually exclusive circuit models of corticostriatal dysfunctions to account for some of the FAE-induced cognitive deficits. One model posits that associative-sensorimotor imbalance causes hyper goal-directed behavior, and a second model implies that alteration of prefrontal-striatal behavioral suppression circuits results in loss of behavioral inhibition. A third model suggests that local striatal circuit deficits affect striatal neuronal ensemble function to impair action selection and performance. Finally, we discuss how preclinical approaches applied to these circuit models could offer potential rescue strategies for executive function deficits in patients with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastiano Bariselli
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 5625 Fishers Lane, Bethesda, MD (20892-941),Center on Compulsive Behaviors, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - David M. Lovinger
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 5625 Fishers Lane, Bethesda, MD (20892-941),Corresponding author:
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11
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Wirt RA, McNeela AM, Hyman JM. Spatial Cognition: Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and the Memory Puzzle. Curr Biol 2021; 30:R1058-R1061. [PMID: 32961165 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
We navigate through space using the coordinated activity of spatially sensitive cells in the hippocampus. A new study shows that moderate prenatal alcohol exposure alters multiple features of hippocampal spatial responses, leading to inflexible and less precise representations of our surroundings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A Wirt
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Adam M McNeela
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - James M Hyman
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA.
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12
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Trofimiuk E, Wielgat P, Car H. Selective H3 Antagonist (ABT-239) Differentially Modifies Cognitive Function Under the Impact of Restraint Stress. Front Syst Neurosci 2021; 14:614810. [PMID: 33603652 PMCID: PMC7884464 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2020.614810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: A considerable number of competitive antagonists/inverse agonists of histamine H3 receptor (H3R) have progressed to clinical assessment, with pitolisant approved for the treatment of narcolepsy. H3R, highly expressed in the CNS, is regarded as a relevant target in CNS disorders. At the same time, new compounds including ABT-239 H3R antagonist (ABT; benzonitrile, 4-[2-[2-[(2R)-2-methyl-1-pyrrolidinyl]ethyl]-5-benzofuranyl]-) are continually being tested. The study aimed to test ABT-239 as a prophylactic agent in stress-induced memory impairments. Methods: Stressed and non-stressed rats were pre-treated with ABT-239 and subsequently subjected to several behavioral tests aimed at assessing the animals’ working and spatial reference memory [Morris water maze (MWM), Barnes maze (BM)], assessing the locomotor function and anxiety-like behavior [Open field (OF), elevated “plus” maze—EPM]. Results: Chronically stressed rats displayed a significant decline in spatial (working and reference) memory. In the MWM test, we observed an improvement in spatial reference memory in stressed animals and a positive after ABT-239 pre-treatment. In the BM test, the effect of ABT-239 administration on spatial memory changed in successive attempts, from negative initially to favorable in subsequent attempts, and negative in the last trial of the test in the control group of rats. However, a beneficial effect is noted in the group of stressed animals, which remained throughout the entire testing period. Conclusions: Presented findings demonstrate that ABT-239 shows the potential to abolish or prevent restraint stress-induced spatial memory impairments and cognitive deficits. However, in conditions of appetitive modulation, it could increase damage to memory (unstressed animals).
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Affiliation(s)
- Emil Trofimiuk
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland
| | - Przemysław Wielgat
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland
| | - Halina Car
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland
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13
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Kenton JA, Ontiveros T, Bird CW, Valenzuela CF, Brigman JL. Moderate prenatal alcohol exposure alters the number and function of GABAergic interneurons in the murine orbitofrontal cortex. Alcohol 2020; 88:33-41. [PMID: 32540413 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2020.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to alcohol during development produces Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), characterized by a wide range of effects that include deficits in multiple cognitive domains. Early identification and treatment of individuals with FASD remain a challenge because neurobehavioral alterations do not become a significant problem until late childhood and early adolescence. Understanding the mechanisms underlying low and moderate prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) effects on behavior and cognition is essential for improved diagnosis and treatment. Here, we examined the functional and morphological changes in an area known to be involved in executive control, the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). We found that a moderate PAE model, previously shown to impair behavioral flexibility and to alter OFC activity in vivo, produced moderate functional and morphological changes within the OFC of mice in vitro. Specifically, slice electrophysiological recordings of spontaneous inhibitory post-synaptic currents in OFC pyramidal neurons revealed a significant increase in the amplitude and area in PAE mice relative to controls. Immunohistochemistry uncovered an increase in calretinin-, but not somatostatin- or parvalbumin-expressing cortical interneurons in the OFC of PAE mice. Together, these data suggest that moderate prenatal alcohol exposure alters the disinhibitory function in the OFC, which may contribute to the executive function deficits associated with FASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnny A Kenton
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - Tiahna Ontiveros
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - Clark W Bird
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - C Fernando Valenzuela
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States; New Mexico Alcohol Research Center, University of New Mexico HSC, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - Jonathan L Brigman
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States; New Mexico Alcohol Research Center, University of New Mexico HSC, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States.
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14
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Oei JL. Alcohol use in pregnancy and its impact on the mother and child. Addiction 2020; 115:2148-2163. [PMID: 32149441 DOI: 10.1111/add.15036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To review the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure on the outcomes of the mother and child. DESIGN Narrative review. SETTING Review of literature. PARTICIPANTS Mothers and infants affected by prenatal alcohol use. MEASUREMENTS Outcomes of mothers and children. FINDINGS Prenatal alcohol exposure is one of the most important causes of preventable cognitive impairment in the world. The developing neurological system is exquisitely sensitive to harm from alcohol and there is now also substantial evidence that alcohol-related harm can extend beyond the individual person, leading to epigenetic changes and intergenerational vulnerability and disadvantage. There is no known safe level or timing of drinking for pregnant or lactating women and binge drinking (> four drinks within 2 hours for women) is the most harmful. Alcohol-exposure increases the risk of congenital problems, including Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and its most severe form, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). CONCLUSION The impact of FASD and FAS is enduring and life-long with no current treatment or cure. Emerging therapeutic options may mitigate the worst impact of alcohol exposure but significant knowledge gaps remain. This review discusses the history, epidemiology and clinical presentations of prenatal alcohol exposure, focusing on FASD and FAS, and the impact of evidence on future research, practice and policy directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ju Lee Oei
- School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, Australia.,Department of Newborn Care, the Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick, NSW, Australia.,Drug and Alcohol Services, Murrumbidgee Local Health District, NSW, Australia
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15
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Kenton JA, Castillo VK, Kehrer PE, Brigman JL. Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Impairs Visual-Spatial Discrimination in a Sex-Specific Manner: Effects of Testing Order and Difficulty on Learning Performance. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2020; 44:2008-2018. [PMID: 32772384 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to high levels of alcohol during development leads to alterations in neurogenesis and deficits in hippocampal-dependent learning. Evidence suggests that even more moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy can have negative impacts on the cognitive function of offspring. Methods for assessing impairments differ greatly across species, complicating translation of preclinical findings into potential therapeutics. We have demonstrated the utility of a touchscreen operant measure for assessing hippocampal function in mice. METHODS Here, we integrated a well-established "drinking-in-the-dark" exposure model that produces reliable, but more moderate, levels of maternal intoxication with a trial-unique, delayed nonmatching-to-location (TUNL) task to examine the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on hippocampal-sensitive behavior directly analogous to those used in clinical assessment. PAE and SAC offspring mice were trained to touch a single visual stimulus ("sample phase") in one of 10 possible spatial locations (2 × 5 grid) in a touchscreen operant system. After a delay, animals were simultaneously presented with the original stimulus and a rewarded stimulus in a novel location ("choice phase"). PAE and saccharin (SAC) control mice were trained on a series of problems that systematically increased the difficulty by decreasing the separation between the sample and choice stimuli. Next, a separate cohort of PAE and SAC animals were given a brief training and then tested on a challenging variant where both the separation and delay varied with each trial. RESULTS We found that PAE mice were generally able to perform at levels similar to SAC control mice at progressively more difficult separations. When tested on the most difficult unpredictable variant immediately, PAE showed a sex-specific deficit with PAE females performing worse during long delays. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these data demonstrate the utility of the TUNL task for examining PAE related alterations in hippocampal function and underline the need to examine sex-by-treatment interactions in these models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnny A Kenton
- From the Department of Neurosciences, (JAK, VC, PK, JLB), University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Victoria K Castillo
- From the Department of Neurosciences, (JAK, VC, PK, JLB), University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Penelope E Kehrer
- From the Department of Neurosciences, (JAK, VC, PK, JLB), University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Jonathan L Brigman
- From the Department of Neurosciences, (JAK, VC, PK, JLB), University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico.,New Mexico Alcohol Research Center, (JLB), UNM Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico
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16
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Altered Hippocampal Place Cell Representation and Theta Rhythmicity following Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure. Curr Biol 2020; 30:3556-3569.e5. [PMID: 32707066 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) leads to profound deficits in spatial memory and synaptic and cellular alterations to the hippocampus that last into adulthood. Neurons in the hippocampus called place cells discharge as an animal enters specific places in an environment, establish distinct ensemble codes for familiar and novel places, and are modulated by local theta rhythms. Spatial memory is thought to critically depend on the integrity of hippocampal place cell firing. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that hippocampal place cell firing is impaired after PAE by performing in vivo recordings from the hippocampi (CA1 and CA3) of moderate PAE and control adult rats. Our results show that hippocampal CA3 neurons from PAE rats have reduced spatial tuning. Second, CA1 and CA3 neurons from PAE rats are less likely to orthogonalize their firing between directions of travel on a linear track and between changes in contextual stimuli in an open arena compared to control neurons. Lastly, reductions in the number of hippocampal place cells exhibiting significant theta rhythmicity and phase precession were observed, which may suggest changes to hippocampal microcircuit function. Together, the reduced spatial tuning and sensitivity to contextual changes provide a neural systems-level mechanism to explain spatial memory impairment after moderate PAE.
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17
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Noor S, Sanchez JJ, Sun MS, Pervin Z, Sanchez JE, Havard MA, Epler LT, Nysus MV, Norenberg JP, Wagner CR, Davies S, Wagner JL, Savage DD, Jantzie LL, Mellios N, Milligan ED. The LFA-1 antagonist BIRT377 reverses neuropathic pain in prenatal alcohol-exposed female rats via actions on peripheral and central neuroimmune function in discrete pain-relevant tissue regions. Brain Behav Immun 2020; 87:339-358. [PMID: 31918004 PMCID: PMC7316595 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous reports show that moderate prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) poses a risk factor for developing neuropathic pain following adult-onset peripheral nerve injury in male rats. Recently, evidence suggests that immune-related mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain in females are different compared to males despite the fact that both sexes develop neuropathy of similar magnitude and duration following chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve. Data suggest that the actions of peripheral T cells play a greater role in mediating neuropathy in females. The goal of the current study is to identify specificity of immune cell and cytokine changes between PAE and non-PAE neuropathic females by utilizing a well-characterized rodent model of sciatic nerve damage, in an effort to unmask unique signatures of immune-related factors underlying the risk of neuropathy from PAE. Cytokines typically associated with myeloid cell actions such as interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), IL-6, IL-4 and IL-10 as well as the neutrophil chemoattractant CXCL1, are examined. In addition, transcription factors and cytokines associated with various differentiated T cell subtypes are examined (anti-inflammatory FOXP3, proinflammatory IL-17A, IL-21, ROR-γt, interferon (IFN)-γ and T-bet). Lymphocyte function associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) is an adhesion molecule expressed on peripheral immune cells including T cells, and regulates T cell activation and extravasation into inflamed tissue regions. A potential therapeutic approach was explored with the goal of controlling proinflammatory responses in neuroanatomical regions critical for CCI-induced allodynia by blocking LFA-1 actions using BIRT377. The data show profound development of hindpaw allodynia in adult non-PAE control females following standard CCI, but not following minor CCI, while minor CCI generated allodynia in PAE females. The data also show substantial increases in T cell-associated proinflammatory cytokine mRNA and proteins, along with evidence of augmented myeloid/glial activation (mRNA) and induction of myeloid/glial-related proinflammatory cytokines, CCL2, IL-1β and TNF in discrete regions along the pain pathway (damaged sciatic nerve, dorsal root ganglia; DRG, and spinal cord). Interestingly, the characteristic anti-inflammatory IL-10 protein response to nerve damage is blunted in neuropathic PAE females. Moreover, T cell profiles are predominantly proinflammatory in neuropathic Sac and PAE females, augmented levels of Th17-specific proinflammatory cytokines IL-17A and IL-21, as well as the Th1-specific factor, T-bet, are observed. Similarly, the expression of RORγt, a critical transcription factor for Th17 cells, is detected in the spinal cord of neuropathic females. Blocking peripheral LFA-1 actions with intravenous (i.v.) BIRT377 reverses allodynia in Sac and PAE rats, dampens myeloid (IL-1β, TNF, CXCL1)- and T cell-associated proinflammatory factors (IL-17A and RORγt) and spinal glial activation. Moreover, i.v. BIRT377 treatment reverses the blunted IL-10 response to CCI observed only in neuropathic PAE rats and elevates FOXP3 in pain-reversed Sac rats. Unexpectedly, intrathecal BIRT377 treatment is unable to alter allodynia in either Sac or PAE neuropathic females. Together, these data provide evidence that: 1) fully differentiated proinflammatory Th17 cells recruited at the sciatic nerve, DRGs and lumbar spinal cord may interact with the local environment to shape the immune responses underlying neuropathy in female rats, and, 2) PAE primes peripheral and spinal immune responses in adult females. PAE is a risk factor in females for developing peripheral neuropathy after minor nerve injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahani Noor
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA.
| | - Joshua J. Sanchez
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Melody S. Sun
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131,USA
| | - Zinia Pervin
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA.
| | - Jacob E. Sanchez
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131,USA
| | - Mara A. Havard
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 8713,USA
| | - Lauren T. Epler
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-001, USA
| | - Monique V. Nysus
- Department of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, New Mexico Center for Isotopes in Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131,USA
| | - Jeffrey P. Norenberg
- Department of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, New Mexico Center for Isotopes in Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131,USA
| | - Carston R. Wagner
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, College of Pharmacy, MN 55455, USA
| | - Suzy Davies
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA.
| | - Jennifer L Wagner
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA.
| | - Daniel D. Savage
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131,USA
| | - Lauren L. Jantzie
- Department of Pediatrics and Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205-2196, USA
| | - Nikolaos Mellios
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA.
| | - Erin. D. Milligan
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131,USA
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18
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Eissa N, Sadeq A, Sasse A, Sadek B. Role of Neuroinflammation in Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Emergence of Brain Histaminergic System. Lessons Also for BPSD? Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:886. [PMID: 32612529 PMCID: PMC7309953 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.00886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Many behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) share similarities in executive functioning and communication deficits with those described in several neuropsychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), epilepsy, schizophrenia (SCH), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Numerous studies over the last four decades have documented altered neuroinflammation among individuals diagnosed with ASD. The purpose of this review is to examine the hypothesis that central histamine (HA) plays a significant role in the regulation of neuroinflammatory processes of microglia functions in numerous neuropsychiatric diseases, i.e., ASD, AD, SCH, and BPSD. In addition, this review summarizes the latest preclinical and clinical results that support the relevance of histamine H1-, H2-, and H3-receptor antagonists for the potential clinical use in ASD, SCH, AD, epilepsy, and BPSD, based on the substantial symptomatic overlap between these disorders with regards to cognitive dysfunction. The review focuses on the histaminergic neurotransmission as relevant in these brain disorders, as well as the effects of a variety of H3R antagonists in animal models and in clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nermin Eissa
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.,Zayed Center for Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Adel Sadeq
- College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University of Science and Technology, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Astrid Sasse
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Bassem Sadek
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.,Zayed Center for Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
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19
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Savage DD, Rosenberg MJ, Coquet L, Porch MW, Allen NA, Roux C, Aligny C, Jouenne T, Gonzalez BJ. Ethanol-Induced Alterations in Placental and Fetal Cerebrocortical Annexin-A4 and Cerebral Cavernous Malformation Protein 3 Are Associated With Reductions in Fetal Cortical VEGF Receptor Binding and Microvascular Density. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:519. [PMID: 32655346 PMCID: PMC7325964 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Jegou et al. (2012) have reported prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE)-induced reductions of angiogenesis-related proteins in mouse placenta. These effects were associated with striking alterations in microvascular development in neonatal cerebral cortex. Here, we employed a rat model of moderate PAE to search for additional proteins whose placental and fetal cortical expression is altered by PAE, along with a subsequent examination of fetal cerebral cortical alterations associated with altered protein expression. Long-Evans rat dams voluntarily consumed either a 0 or 5% ethanol solution 4 h each day throughout gestation. Daily ethanol consumption, which resulted in a mean peak maternal serum ethanol concentration of 60.8 mg/dL, did not affect maternal weight gain, litter size, or placental or fetal body weight. On gestational day 20, rat placental: fetal units were removed by Caesarian section. Placental protein expression, analyzed by 2D-PAGE – tandem mass spectroscopy, identified a total of 1,117 protein spots, 20 of which were significantly altered by PAE. To date, 14 of these PAE-altered proteins have been identified. Western blotting confirmed the alterations of two of these placental proteins, namely, annexin-A4 (ANX-A4) and cerebral cavernous malformation protein 3 (CCM-3). Specifically, PAE elevated ANX-A4 and decreased CCM-3 in placenta. Subsequently, these two proteins were measured in fetal cerebral cortex, along with radiohistochemical studies of VEGF binding and histofluorescence studies of microvascular density in fetal cerebral cortex. PAE elevated ANX-A4 and decreased CCM-3 in fetal cerebral cortex, in a pattern similar to the alterations observed in placenta. Further, both VEGF receptor binding and microvascular density and orientation, measures that are sensitive to reduced CCM-3 expression in developing brain, were significantly reduced in the ventricular zone of fetal cerebral cortex. These results suggest that the expression angiogenesis-related proteins in placenta might serve as a biomarker of ethanol-induced alterations in microvascular development in fetal brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel D Savage
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Martina J Rosenberg
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Laurent Coquet
- UMR 6270, CNRS, Normandie University, UNIROUEN, Proteomic Facility PISSARO, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine, Rouen, France
| | - Morgan W Porch
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Nyika A Allen
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Christian Roux
- Normandie University, UNIROUEN, INSERM U1245, Normandy Centre for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine, Rouen, France
| | - Caroline Aligny
- Normandie University, UNIROUEN, INSERM U1245, Normandy Centre for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine, Rouen, France
| | - Thierry Jouenne
- UMR 6270, CNRS, Normandie University, UNIROUEN, Proteomic Facility PISSARO, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine, Rouen, France
| | - Bruno J Gonzalez
- Normandie University, UNIROUEN, INSERM U1245, Normandy Centre for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine, Rouen, France
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20
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Alachkar A, Azimullah S, Lotfy M, Adeghate E, Ojha SK, Beiram R, Łażewska D, Kieć-Kononowicz K, Sadek B. Antagonism of Histamine H3 receptors Alleviates Pentylenetetrazole-Induced Kindling and Associated Memory Deficits by Mitigating Oxidative Stress, Central Neurotransmitters, and c-Fos Protein Expression in Rats. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25071575. [PMID: 32235506 PMCID: PMC7181068 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25071575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Histamine H3 receptors (H3Rs) are involved in several neuropsychiatric diseases including epilepsy. Therefore, the effects of H3R antagonist E177 (5 and 10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (i.p.)) were evaluated on the course of kindling development, kindling-induced memory deficit, oxidative stress levels (glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD)), various brain neurotransmitters (histamine (HA), acetylcholine (ACh), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)), and glutamate (GLU), acetylcholine esterase (AChE) activity, and c-Fos protein expression in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ, 40 mg/kg) kindled rats. E177 (5 and 10 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly decreased seizure score, increased step-through latency (STL) time in inhibitory avoidance paradigm, and decreased transfer latency time (TLT) in elevated plus maze (all P < 0.05). Moreover, E177 mitigated oxidative stress by significantly increasing GSH, CAT, and SOD, and decreasing the abnormal level of MDA (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, E177 attenuated elevated levels of hippocampal AChE, GLU, and c-Fos protein expression, whereas the decreased hippocampal levels of HA and ACh were modulated in PTZ-kindled animals (all P < 0.05). The findings suggest the potential of H3R antagonist E177 as adjuvant to antiepileptic drugs with an added advantage of preventing cognitive impairment, highlighting the H3Rs as a potential target for the therapeutic management of epilepsy with accompanied memory deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alaa Alachkar
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 17666, UAE; (A.A.); (S.A.); (S.K.O.); (R.B.)
| | - Sheikh Azimullah
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 17666, UAE; (A.A.); (S.A.); (S.K.O.); (R.B.)
| | - Mohamed Lotfy
- Department of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 17666, UAE;
| | - Ernest Adeghate
- Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 17666, UAE;
| | - Shreesh K. Ojha
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 17666, UAE; (A.A.); (S.A.); (S.K.O.); (R.B.)
| | - Rami Beiram
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 17666, UAE; (A.A.); (S.A.); (S.K.O.); (R.B.)
| | - Dorota Łażewska
- Jagiellonian University Medical College, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Technology and Biotechnology of Drugs, Medyczna 9 St., 30-688 Kraków, Poland; (D.Ł.); (K.K.-K.)
| | - Katarzyna Kieć-Kononowicz
- Jagiellonian University Medical College, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Technology and Biotechnology of Drugs, Medyczna 9 St., 30-688 Kraków, Poland; (D.Ł.); (K.K.-K.)
| | - Bassem Sadek
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 17666, UAE; (A.A.); (S.A.); (S.K.O.); (R.B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +971-3-7137-512; Fax: +971-3-7672-033
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21
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Maxwell JR, Yellowhair TR, Davies S, Rogers DA, McCarson KL, Savage DD, Jantzie LL. Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Chorioamnionitis Results in Microstructural Brain Injury in a Preclinical Investigation. ANNALS OF PEDIATRIC RESEARCH 2020; 4:1031. [PMID: 33073262 PMCID: PMC7560999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE) impacts 2% to 5% of infants born in the United States yearly. Women who consume alcohol during pregnancy have a five-fold increased rate of Chorioamnionitis (CHORIO). Both PAE and CHORIO cause microstructural injury to multiple brain regions including major white matter tracts. OBJECTIVE Utilizing two previously established animal models, we hypothesized that the combination of PAE+CHORIO would result in greater deficits in myelination and structural integrity than PAE alone. MATERIAL AND METHODS Pregnant Long-Evans rats voluntarily drank 5% ethanol or saccharin until Gestational Day 19 (GD). On GD19, CHORIO was induced in one group of PAE dams by a 30 min uterine artery occlusion and injection of Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into each amniotic sac. The remaining PAE dams and saccharin controls underwent sham surgery. Pups were born on GD22 and weaned on Postnatal Day 24 (PD). On PD28, offspring were sacrificed, and their brains examined using ex-vivo Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI). RESULTS Compared to control, PAE alone did not affect offspring birth weights, mortality or any DTI measures. In contrast, PAE+CHORIO significantly reduced offspring survival and, in surviving pups, increased Radial Diffusivity (RD) in medial frontal cortex and decreased Fractional Anisotropy (FA) in medial and ventral frontal cortex and within capsular regions. CONCLUSION The combination of moderate PAE+CHORIO results in an increased mortality, concomitant with diffuse microstructural brain injury noted in young adolescent offspring at PD28. Future studies should examine the extent to which PAE exacerbates the damage caused by CHORIO alone and whether these deficits persist into adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessie R Maxwell
- Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico, USA
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, USA
| | | | - Suzy Davies
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, USA
| | | | - Krystle L McCarson
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, USA
| | - Daniel D Savage
- Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico, USA
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, USA
| | - Lauren L Jantzie
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, USA
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Madden JT, Thompson SM, Magcalas CM, Wagner JL, Hamilton DA, Savage DD, Clark BJ, Pentkowski NS. Moderate prenatal alcohol exposure reduces parvalbumin expressing GABAergic interneurons in the dorsal hippocampus of adult male and female rat offspring. Neurosci Lett 2019; 718:134700. [PMID: 31874217 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.134700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) negatively impacts hippocampal development and impairs hippocampal-sensitive learning and memory. However, hippocampal neural adaptations in response to moderate PAE are not completely understood. To explore the effects of moderate PAE on GABAergic interneuron expression, this study used a rat model of moderate PAE to examine the effects of PAE on parvalbumin (PARV)-positive cells in fields CA1, CA3 and the dentate gyrus (DG) of the dorsal hippocampus (dHC). Long-Evans dams were given daily access to 5 % (vol/vol) ethanol or saccharine (SAC) control solutions throughout the course of gestation. Offspring were divided into four separate groups: PAE (n = 7) or SAC (n = 7) males, or PAE (n = 8) or SAC (n = 8) females. All rats were aged to adulthood and, following testing in the Morris water task, their brains were analyzed for the expression of the GABAergic neuronal marker PARV. We report a main effect of PAE on GABAergic expression, with significant reductions in PARV-positive cells in area CA3 for males and the DG for females. There was also a trend for a reduction in PARV expressing neurons in fields CA1 and CA3 in females. The results are discussed in relation to hippocampal GABAergic interneuron function, PAE and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- John T Madden
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Shannon M Thompson
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Christy M Magcalas
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Jennifer L Wagner
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Derek A Hamilton
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Daniel D Savage
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Benjamin J Clark
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Nathan S Pentkowski
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States.
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Harvey RE, Berkowitz LE, Hamilton DA, Clark BJ. The effects of developmental alcohol exposure on the neurobiology of spatial processing. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 107:775-794. [PMID: 31526818 PMCID: PMC6876993 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.018] [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] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The consumption of alcohol during gestation is detrimental to the developing central nervous system. One functional outcome of this exposure is impaired spatial processing, defined as sensing and integrating information pertaining to spatial navigation and spatial memory. The hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and anterior thalamus are brain regions implicated in spatial processing and are highly susceptible to the effects of developmental alcohol exposure. Some of the observed effects of alcohol on spatial processing may be attributed to changes at the synaptic to circuit level. In this review, we first describe the impact of developmental alcohol exposure on spatial behavior followed by a summary of the development of brain areas involved in spatial processing. We then provide an examination of the consequences of prenatal and early postnatal alcohol exposure in rodents on hippocampal, anterior thalamus, and entorhinal cortex-dependent spatial processing from the cellular to behavioral level. We conclude by highlighting several unanswered questions which may provide a framework for future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan E Harvey
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Laura E Berkowitz
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Derek A Hamilton
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Benjamin J Clark
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States.
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Davies S, Ballesteros-Merino C, Allen NA, Porch MW, Pruitt ME, Christensen KH, Rosenberg MJ, Savage DD. Impact of moderate prenatal alcohol exposure on histaminergic neurons, histidine decarboxylase levels and histamine H 2 receptors in adult rat offspring. Alcohol 2019; 76:47-57. [PMID: 30557779 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2018.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
We have reported that moderate prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) elevates histamine H3 receptor-mediated inhibition of glutamatergic neurotransmission in dentate gyrus (DG), and that the H3 receptor antagonist ABT-239 ameliorates PAE-induced deficits in DG long-term potentiation. Here, we investigated whether PAE alters other markers of histaminergic neurotransmission. Long-Evans rat dams voluntarily consumed either a 0% or a 5% ethanol solution 4 h each day throughout gestation. Young adult female offspring from each prenatal treatment group were used in histidine decarboxylase (HDC) immunohistochemical studies of histamine neuron number in ventral hypothalamus, quantitative Western blotting studies of HDC expression in multiple brain regions, radiohistochemical studies of H2 receptor density in multiple brain regions, and in biochemical studies of H2 receptor-effector coupling in dentate gyrus. Rat dams consumed a mean of 1.90 g of ethanol/kg/day during pregnancy. This level of consumption did not affect maternal weight gain, offspring birth weight, or litter size. PAE did not affect the number of HDC-positive neurons in ventral hypothalamus. However, HDC expression was reduced in frontal cortex, dentate gyrus, and cerebellum of PAE rats compared to controls. Specific [125I]-iodoaminopotentidine binding to H2 receptors was not altered in any of the brain regions measured, nor was basal or H2 receptor agonist-stimulated cAMP accumulation in DG altered in PAE rats compared to controls. These results suggest that not all markers of histaminergic neurotransmission are altered by PAE. However, the observation that HDC levels were reduced in the same brain regions where elevated H3 receptor-effector coupling was observed previously raises the question of whether a cause-effect relationship exists between HDC expression and H3 receptor function in affected brain regions of PAE rats. This relationship, along with the question of why these effects occur in some, but not all brain regions, requires more-detailed investigation.
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Sanchez JJ, Sanchez JE, Noor S, Ruffaner-Hanson CD, Davies S, Wagner CR, Jantzie LL, Mellios N, Savage DD, Milligan ED. Targeting the β2-integrin LFA-1, reduces adverse neuroimmune actions in neuropathic susceptibility caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2019; 7:54. [PMID: 30961664 PMCID: PMC6454692 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-019-0701-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 03/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recently, moderate prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) was shown to be a risk factor for peripheral neuropathy following minor nerve injury. This effect coincides with elevated spinal cord astrocyte activation and ex vivo immune cell reactivity assessed by proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL) -1β protein expression. Additionally, the β2-integrin adhesion molecule, lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1), a factor that influences the expression of the proinflammatory/anti-inflammatory cytokine network is upregulated. Here, we examine whether PAE increases the proinflammatory immune environment at specific anatomical sites critical in the pain pathway of chronic sciatic neuropathy; the damaged sciatic nerve (SCN), the dorsal root ganglia (DRG), and the spinal cord. Additionally, we examine whether inhibiting LFA-1 or IL-1β actions in the spinal cord (intrathecal; i.t., route) could alleviate chronic neuropathic pain and reduce spinal and DRG glial activation markers, proinflammatory cytokines, and elevate anti-inflammatory cytokines. Results show that blocking the actions of spinal LFA-1 using BIRT-377 abolishes allodynia in PAE rats with sciatic neuropathy (CCI) of a 10 or 28-day duration. This effect is observed (utilizing immunohistochemistry; IHC, with microscopy analysis and protein quantification) in parallel with reduced spinal glial activation, IL-1β and TNFα expression. DRG from PAE rats with neuropathy reveal significant increases in satellite glial activation and IL-1β, while IL-10 immunoreactivity is reduced by half in PAE rats under basal and neuropathic conditions. Further, blocking spinal IL-1β with i.t. IL-1RA transiently abolishes allodynia in PAE rats, suggesting that IL-1β is in part, necessary for the susceptibility of adult-onset peripheral neuropathy caused by PAE. Chemokine mRNA analyses from SCN, DRG and spinal cord reveal that increased CCL2 occurs following CCI injury regardless of PAE and BIRT-377 treatment. These data demonstrate that PAE creates dysregulated proinflammatory IL-1β and TNFα /IL-10 responses to minor injury in the sciatic-DRG-spinal pain pathway. PAE creates a risk for developing peripheral neuropathies, and LFA-1 may be a novel therapeutic target for controlling dysregulated neuroimmune actions as a consequence of PAE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua J. Sanchez
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, MSC08 4740, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
| | - Jacob E. Sanchez
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, MSC08 4740, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
| | - Shahani Noor
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, MSC08 4740, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
| | - Chaselyn D. Ruffaner-Hanson
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, MSC08 4740, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
| | - Suzy Davies
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, MSC08 4740, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
| | - Carston R. Wagner
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| | - Lauren L. Jantzie
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, MSC08 4740, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
| | - Nikolaos Mellios
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, MSC08 4740, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
| | - Daniel D. Savage
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, MSC08 4740, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
| | - Erin D. Milligan
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, MSC08 4740, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, MSC08 4740, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
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Bird CW, Baculis BC, Mayfield JJ, Chavez GJ, Ontiveros T, Paine DJ, Marks AJ, Gonzales AL, Ron D, Valenzuela CF. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor VAL68MET polymorphism modulates how developmental ethanol exposure impacts the hippocampus. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2019; 18:e12484. [PMID: 29691979 PMCID: PMC6291361 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal exposure to alcohol causes a wide range of deficits known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Many factors determine vulnerability to developmental alcohol exposure including timing and pattern of exposure, nutrition and genetics. Here, we characterized how a prevalent single nucleotide polymorphism in the human brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene (val66met) modulates FASDs severity. This polymorphism disrupts BDNF's intracellular trafficking and activity-dependent secretion, and has been linked to increased incidence of neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety. We hypothesized that developmental ethanol (EtOH) exposure more severely affects mice carrying this polymorphism. We used transgenic mice homozygous for either valine (BDNFval/val ) or methionine (BDNFmet/met ) in residue 68, equivalent to residue 66 in humans. To model EtOH exposure during the second and third trimesters of human pregnancy, we exposed mice to EtOH in vapor chambers during gestational days 12 to 19 and postnatal days 2 to 9. We found that EtOH exposure reduces cell layer volume in the dentate gyrus and the CA1 hippocampal regions of BDNFmet/met but not BDNFval/val mice during the juvenile period (postnatal day 15). During adulthood, EtOH exposure reduced anxiety-like behavior and disrupted trace fear conditioning in BDNFmet/met mice, with most effects observed in males. EtOH exposure reduced adult neurogenesis only in the ventral hippocampus of BDNFval/val male mice. These studies show that the BDNF val66met polymorphism modulates, in a complex manner, the effects of developmental EtOH exposure, and identify a novel genetic risk factor that may regulate FASDs severity in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clark W. Bird
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A
| | - Brian C. Baculis
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A
| | - Jacob J. Mayfield
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A
| | - Glenna J. Chavez
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A
| | - Tiahna Ontiveros
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A
| | - Dana J. Paine
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A
| | - Aaron J. Marks
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A
| | - Alicia L. Gonzales
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A
| | - Dorit Ron
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, U.S.A
| | - C. Fernando Valenzuela
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A
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Alcohol exposure during embryonic development: An opportunity to conduct systematic developmental time course analyses in zebrafish. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 98:185-193. [PMID: 30641117 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.01.012] [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: 09/14/2018] [Revised: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Ethanol affects numerous neurobiological processes depending upon the developmental stage at which it reaches the vertebrate embryo. Exposure time dependency may explain the variable severity and manifestation of life-long symptoms observed in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) patients. Characterization of behavioural deficits will help us understand developmental stage-dependency and its underlying biological mechanisms. Here we highlight pioneering studies that model FASD using zebrafish, including those that demonstrated developmental stage-dependency of alcohol effects on some behaviours. We also succinctly review the more expansive mammalian literature, briefly discuss potential developmental stage dependent biological mechanisms alcohol alters, and review some of the disadvantages of mammalian systems versus the zebrafish. We stress that the temporal control of alcohol administration in the externally developing zebrafish gives unprecedented precision and is a major advantage of this species over other model organisms employed so far. We also emphasize that the zebrafish is well suited for high throughput screening and will allow systematic exploration of embryonic-stage dependent alcohol effects via mutagenesis and drug screens.
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Sanchez LM, Goss J, Wagner J, Davies S, Savage DD, Hamilton DA, Clark BJ. Moderate prenatal alcohol exposure impairs performance by adult male rats in an object-place paired-associate task. Behav Brain Res 2018; 360:228-234. [PMID: 30529401 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Memory impairments, including spatial and object processing, are often observed in individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. The neurobiological basis of memory deficits after prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is often linked to structural and functional alterations in the medial temporal lobe, including the hippocampus. Recent evidence suggests that the medial temporal lobe plays a critical role in processing high-order sensory stimuli such as complex objects and their associated locations in space. In the first experiment, we tested male rat offspring with moderate PAE in a medial temporal-dependent object-place paired-associate (OPPA) task. The OPPA task requires a conditional discrimination between an identical pair of objects presented at two spatial locations 180° opposite arms of a radial arm maze. Food reinforcement is contingent upon selecting the correct object of the pair for a given spatial location. Adult rats were given a total of 10 trials per day over 14 consecutive days of training. PAE male rats made significantly more errors than male saccharin (SACC) control rats during acquisition of the OPPA task. In Experiment 2, rats performed an object-discrimination task in which a pair of objects were presented in a single arm of the maze. Moderate PAE and SACC control rats exhibited comparable performance. The results suggest that moderate PAE rats can learn to discriminate objects, but are impaired when required to discriminate between objects on the basis of spatial location in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilliana M Sanchez
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Jonathan Goss
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Jennifer Wagner
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Suzy Davies
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Daniel D Savage
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Derek A Hamilton
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Benjamin J Clark
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States.
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Caldwell KK, Solomon ER, Smoake JJW, Djatche de Kamgaing CD, Allan AM. Sex-specific deficits in biochemical but not behavioral responses to delay fear conditioning in prenatal alcohol exposure mice. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2018; 156:1-16. [PMID: 30316893 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Revised: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies in clinical populations and preclinical models have shown that prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with impairments in the acquisition, consolidation and recall of information, with deficits in hippocampal formation-dependent learning and memory being a common finding. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR), mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) are key regulators of hippocampal formation development, structure and functioning and, thus, are potential mediators of PAE's effects on this brain region. In the present studies, we employed a well-characterized mouse model of PAE to identify biochemical mechanisms that may underlie activity-dependent learning and memory deficits associated with PAE. METHODS Mouse dams consumed either 10% (w/v) ethanol in 0.066% (w/v) saccharin (SAC) or 0.066% (w/v) SAC alone using a limited (4-h) access, drinking-in-the-dark paradigm. Male and female offspring (∼180-days of age) were trained using a delay conditioning procedure and contextual fear responses (freezing behavior) were measured 24 h later. Hippocampal formation tissue and blood were collected from three behavioral groups of animals: 20 min following conditioning (conditioning only group), 20 min following the re-exposure to the context (conditioning plus re-exposure group), and behaviorally naïve (naïve group) mice. Plasma corticosterone levels were measured by enzyme immunoassay. Immunoblotting techniques were used to measure protein levels of the GR, MR, ERK1 and ERK2 in nuclear and membrane fractions prepared from the hippocampal formation. RESULTS Adult SAC control male and female mice displayed similar levels of contextual fear. However, significant sex differences were observed in freezing exhibited during the conditioning session. Compared to same-sex SAC controls, male and female PAE mice demonstrated context fear deficits While plasma corticosterone concentrations were elevated in PAE males and females relative to their respective SAC naïve controls, plasma corticosterone concentrations in the conditioning only and conditioning plus re-exposure groups were similar in SAC and PAE animals. Relative to the respective naïve group, nuclear GR protein levels were increased in SAC, but not PAE, male hippocampal formation in the conditioning only group. In contrast, no difference was observed between nuclear GR levels in the naïve and conditioning plus re-exposure groups. In females, nuclear GR levels were significantly reduced by PAE but there was no effect of behavioral group or interaction between prenatal treatment and behavioral group. In males, nuclear MR levels were significantly elevated in the SAC conditioning plus re-exposure group compared to SAC naïve mice. In PAE females, nuclear MR levels were elevated in both the conditioning only and conditioning plus re-exposure groups relative to the naïve group. Levels of activated ERK2 (phospho-ERK2 expressed relative to total ERK2) protein were elevated in SAC, but not PAE, males following context re-exposure, and a significant interaction between prenatal exposure group and behavioral group was found. No main effects or interactions of behavioral group and prenatal treatment on nuclear ERK2 were found in female mice. These findings suggest a sex difference in which molecular pathways are activated during fear conditioning in mice. CONCLUSIONS In PAE males, the deficits in contextual fear were associated with the loss of responsiveness of hippocampal formation nuclear GR, MR and ERK2 to signals generated by fear conditioning and context re-exposure. In contrast, the contextual fear deficit in PAE female mice does not appear to be associated with activity-dependent changes in GR and MR levels or ERK2 activation during training or memory recall, although an overall reduction in nuclear GR levels may play a role. These studies add to a growing body of literature demonstrating that, at least partially, different mechanisms underlie learning, memory formation and memory recall in males and females and that these pathways are differentially affected by PAE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin K Caldwell
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
| | - Elizabeth R Solomon
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Jane J W Smoake
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Chrys D Djatche de Kamgaing
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Andrea M Allan
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
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Davis-Anderson KL, Wesseling H, Siebert LM, Lunde-Young ER, Naik VD, Steen H, Ramadoss J. Fetal regional brain protein signature in FASD rat model. Reprod Toxicol 2018; 76:84-92. [PMID: 29408587 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2018.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Revised: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) describe neurodevelopmental deficits in children exposed to alcohol in utero. We hypothesized that gestational alcohol significantly alters fetal brain regional protein signature. Pregnant rats were binge-treated with alcohol or pair-fed and nutritionally-controlled. Mass spectrometry identified 1806, 2077, and 1456 quantifiable proteins in the fetal hippocampus, cortex, and cerebellum, respectively. A stronger effect of alcohol exposure on the hippocampal proteome was noted: over 600 hippocampal proteins were significantly (P < .05) altered, including annexin A2, nucleobindin-1, and glypican-4, regulators of cellular growth and developmental morphogenesis. In the cerebellum, cadherin-13, reticulocalbin-2, and ankyrin-2 (axonal growth regulators) were significantly (P < .05) altered; altered cortical proteins were involved in autophagy (endophilin-B1, synaptotagmin-1). Ingenuity analysis identified proteins involved in protein homeostasis, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and mTOR as major pathways in the cortex and hippocampus significantly (P < .05) affected by alcohol. Thus, neurodevelopmental protein changes may directly relate to FASD neuropathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie L Davis-Anderson
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4466, USA
| | - Hendrik Wesseling
- Departments of Pathology, Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Lara M Siebert
- Departments of Pathology, Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Emilie R Lunde-Young
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4466, USA
| | - Vishal D Naik
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4466, USA
| | - Hanno Steen
- Departments of Pathology, Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jayanth Ramadoss
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4466, USA.
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Varaschin RK, Allen NA, Rosenberg MJ, Valenzuela CF, Savage DD. Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Increases Histamine H 3 Receptor-Mediated Inhibition of Glutamatergic Neurotransmission in Rat Dentate Gyrus. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2018; 42:295-305. [PMID: 29315624 PMCID: PMC5785429 DOI: 10.1111/acer.13574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We have reported that prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE)-induced deficits in dentate gyrus, long-term potentiation (LTP), and memory are ameliorated by the histamine H3 receptor inverse agonist ABT-239. Curiously, ABT-239 did not enhance LTP or memory in control offspring. Here, we initiated an investigation of how PAE alters histaminergic neurotransmission in the dentate gyrus and other brain regions employing combined radiohistochemical and electrophysiological approaches in vitro to examine histamine H3 receptor number and function. METHODS Long-Evans rat dams voluntarily consumed either a 0% or 5% ethanol solution 4 hours each day throughout gestation. This pattern of drinking, which produces a mean peak maternal serum ethanol concentration of 60.8 ± 5.8 mg/dl, did not affect maternal weight gain, litter size, or offspring birthweight. RESULTS Radiohistochemical studies in adult offspring revealed that specific [3 H]-A349821 binding to histamine H3 receptors was not different in PAE rats compared to controls. However, H3 receptor-mediated Gi /Go protein-effector coupling, as measured by methimepip-stimulated [35 S]-GTPγS binding, was significantly increased in cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and dentate gyrus of PAE rats compared to control. A LIGAND analysis of detailed methimepip concentration-response curves in dentate gyrus indicated that PAE significantly elevates receptor-effector coupling by a lower affinity H3 receptor population without significantly altering the affinities of H3 receptor subpopulations. In agreement with the [35 S]-GTPγS studies, a similar range of methimepip concentrations also inhibited electrically evoked field excitatory postsynaptic potential responses and increased paired-pulse ratio, a measure of decreased glutamate release, to a significantly greater extent in dentate gyrus slices from PAE rats than in controls. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that a PAE-induced elevation in H3 receptor-mediated inhibition of glutamate release from perforant path terminals as 1 mechanism contributing the LTP deficits previously observed in the dentate gyrus of PAE rats, as well as providing a mechanistic basis for the efficacy of H3 receptor inverse agonists for ameliorating these deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael K Varaschin
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131
| | - Nyika A Allen
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131
| | - Martina J Rosenberg
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131
| | - C Fernando Valenzuela
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131
| | - Daniel D Savage
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131
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Comasco E, Rangmar J, Eriksson UJ, Oreland L. Neurological and neuropsychological effects of low and moderate prenatal alcohol exposure. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2018; 222. [PMID: 28470828 DOI: 10.1111/apha.12892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Revised: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Several explanations for the diverse results in research on foetal alcohol spectrum disorders or alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder might be at hand: timing, amount and patterns of alcohol exposure, as well as complex epigenetic responses. The genetic background of the offspring and its interaction with other prenatal and post-natal environmental cues are likely also of importance. In the present report, key findings about the possible effects of low and moderate doses of maternal alcohol intake on the neuropsychological development of the offspring are reviewed and plausible mechanisms discussed. Special focus is put on the serotonergic system within developmental and gene-environment frameworks. The review also suggests guidelines for future studies and also summarizes some of to-be-answered questions of relevance to clinical practice. Contradictory findings and paucity of studies on the effects of exposure to low alcohol levels during foetal life for the offspring's neuropsychological development call for large prospective studies, as well as for studies including neuroimaging and multi-omics analyses to dissect the neurobiological underpinnings of alcohol exposure-related phenotypes and to identify biomarkers. Finally, it remains to be investigated whether any safe threshold of alcohol drinking during pregnancy can be identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Comasco
- Department of Neuroscience; Uppsala University; Uppsala Sweden
| | - J. Rangmar
- Department of Psychology; University of Gothenburg; Gothenburg Sweden
| | - U. J. Eriksson
- Department of Medical Cell Biology; Uppsala University; Uppsala Sweden
| | - L. Oreland
- Department of Neuroscience; Uppsala University; Uppsala Sweden
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Sanchez JJ, Noor S, Davies S, Savage D, Milligan ED. Prenatal alcohol exposure is a risk factor for adult neuropathic pain via aberrant neuroimmune function. J Neuroinflammation 2017; 14:254. [PMID: 29258553 PMCID: PMC5738192 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-017-1030-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clinical studies show that prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) results in effects that persist into adulthood. Experimental animal models of moderate PAE demonstrate that young adults with PAE display potentiated sensitivity to light touch, clinically termed allodynia, following sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury (CCI) that coincides with heightened spinal glial, spinal macrophage, and peripheral immune responses. However, basal touch sensitivity and corresponding glial and leukocyte activation are unaltered. Therefore, the current study explored whether the enduring pathological consequences of moderate PAE on sensory processing are unmasked only following secondary neural insult. METHODS In middle-aged (1 year) Long Evans rats that underwent either prenatal saccharin exposure (control) or moderate PAE, we modified the well-characterized model of sciatic neuropathy, CCI, to study the effects of PAE on neuro-immune responses in adult offspring. Standard CCI manipulation required 4 chromic gut sutures, while a mild version applied a single suture loosely ligated around one sciatic nerve. Spinal glial immunoreactivity was examined using immunohistochemistry. The characterization and functional responses of leukocyte populations were studied using flow cytometry and cell stimulation assays followed by quantification of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Data were statistically analyzed by ANOVA and unpaired t tests. RESULTS The current report demonstrates that mild CCI generates robust allodynia only in PAE rats, while the pathological effects of PAE following the application of a standard CCI are revealed by enhanced allodynia and elevated spinal glial activation. Additionally, mild CCI increases spinal astrocyte activation but not microglia, suggesting astrocytes play a larger role in PAE-induced susceptibility to aberrant sensory processing. Leukocyte populations from PAE are altered under basal conditions (i.e., prior to secondary insult), as the distribution of leukocyte populations in lymphoid organs and other regions are different from those of controls. Lastly, following in vitro leukocyte stimulation, only PAE augments the immune response to antigen stimulation as assessed by heightened production of TNF-α and IL-1β. CONCLUSIONS These studies demonstrate PAE may prime spinal astrocytes and peripheral leukocytes that contribute to enduring susceptibility to adult-onset neuropathic pain that is not apparent until a secondary insult later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua J. Sanchez
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
| | - Shahani Noor
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
| | - Suzy Davies
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
| | - Daniel Savage
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
| | - Erin D. Milligan
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, MSC08 4740, Albuquerque, NM 87131-001 USA
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Wright C, Shin JH, Rajpurohit A, Deep-Soboslay A, Collado-Torres L, Brandon NJ, Hyde TM, Kleinman JE, Jaffe AE, Cross AJ, Weinberger DR. Altered expression of histamine signaling genes in autism spectrum disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2017; 7:e1126. [PMID: 28485729 PMCID: PMC5534955 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2017.87] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Revised: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The histaminergic system (HS) has a critical role in cognition, sleep and other behaviors. Although not well studied in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the HS is implicated in many neurological disorders, some of which share comorbidity with ASD, including Tourette syndrome (TS). Preliminary studies suggest that antagonism of histamine receptors 1-3 reduces symptoms and specific behaviors in ASD patients and relevant animal models. In addition, the HS mediates neuroinflammation, which may be heightened in ASD. Together, this suggests that the HS may also be altered in ASD. Using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), we investigated genome-wide expression, as well as a focused gene set analysis of key HS genes (HDC, HNMT, HRH1, HRH2, HRH3 and HRH4) in postmortem dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) initially in 13 subjects with ASD and 39 matched controls. At the genome level, eight transcripts were differentially expressed (false discovery rate <0.05), six of which were small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs). There was no significant diagnosis effect on any of the individual HS genes but expression of the gene set of HNMT, HRH1, HRH2 and HRH3 was significantly altered. Curated HS gene sets were also significantly differentially expressed. Differential expression analysis of these gene sets in an independent RNA-seq ASD data set from DLPFC of 47 additional subjects confirmed these findings. Understanding the physiological relevance of an altered HS may suggest new therapeutic options for the treatment of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Wright
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Clinical Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,AstraZeneca Postdoc Program, Innovative Medicines and Early Development, Waltham, MA, USA
| | - J H Shin
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Clinical Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - A Rajpurohit
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Clinical Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - A Deep-Soboslay
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Clinical Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - L Collado-Torres
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Clinical Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - N J Brandon
- AstraZeneca Neuroscience, Innovative Medicines and Early Development, Waltham, MA, USA
| | - T M Hyde
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Clinical Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - J E Kleinman
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Clinical Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - A E Jaffe
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Clinical Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA,Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - A J Cross
- AstraZeneca Neuroscience, Innovative Medicines and Early Development, Waltham, MA, USA
| | - D R Weinberger
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Clinical Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Clinical Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, 855 North Wolfe Street, Suite 300, 3rd Floor, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. E-mail:
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Noor S, Sanchez JJ, Vanderwall AG, Sun MS, Maxwell JR, Davies S, Jantzie LL, Petersen TR, Savage DD, Milligan ED. Prenatal alcohol exposure potentiates chronic neuropathic pain, spinal glial and immune cell activation and alters sciatic nerve and DRG cytokine levels. Brain Behav Immun 2017; 61:80-95. [PMID: 28011263 PMCID: PMC5316367 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2016.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2016] [Revised: 12/18/2016] [Accepted: 12/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing body of evidence indicates that prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) may predispose individuals to secondary medical disabilities later in life. Animal models of PAE reveal neuroimmune sequelae such as elevated brain astrocyte and microglial activation with corresponding region-specific changes in immune signaling molecules such as cytokines and chemokines. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of moderate PAE on the development and maintenance of allodynia induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve in adult male rat offspring. Because CCI allodynia requires the actions of glial cytokines, we analyzed lumbar spinal cord glial and immune cell surface markers indicative of their activation levels, as well as sciatic nerve and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) cytokines in PAE offspring in adulthood. While PAE did not alter basal sensory thresholds before or after sham manipulations, PAE significantly potentiated adult onset and maintenance of allodynia. Microscopic analysis revealed exaggerated astrocyte and microglial activation, while flow cytometry data demonstrated increased proportions of immune cells with cell surface major histocompatibility complex II (MHCII) and β-integrin adhesion molecules, which are indicative of PAE-induced immune cell activation. Sciatic nerves from CCI rats revealed that PAE potentiated the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) protein levels with a simultaneous robust suppression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10. A profound reduction in IL-10 expression in the DRG of PAE neuropathic rats was also observed. Taken together, our results provide novel insights into the vulnerability that PAE produces for adult-onset central nervous system (CNS) pathological conditions from peripheral nerve injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahani Noor
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
| | - Joshua J Sanchez
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
| | - Arden G Vanderwall
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA; Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
| | - Melody S Sun
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
| | - Jessie R Maxwell
- Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
| | - Suzy Davies
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
| | - Lauren L Jantzie
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
| | - Timothy R Petersen
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
| | - Daniel D Savage
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
| | - Erin D Milligan
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA.
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Bird CW, Barto D, Magcalas CM, Rodriguez CI, Donaldson T, Davies S, Savage DD, Hamilton DA. Ifenprodil infusion in agranular insular cortex alters social behavior and vocalizations in rats exposed to moderate levels of ethanol during prenatal development. Behav Brain Res 2016; 320:1-11. [PMID: 27888019 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.11.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2016] [Revised: 10/27/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Moderate exposure to alcohol during development leads to subtle neurobiological and behavioral effects classified under the umbrella term fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Alterations in social behaviors are a frequently observed consequence of maternal drinking, as children with FASDs display inappropriate aggressive behaviors and altered responses to social cues. Rodent models of FASDs mimic the behavioral alterations seen in humans, with rats exposed to ethanol during development displaying increased aggressive behaviors, decreased social investigation, and altered play behavior. Work from our laboratory has observed increased wrestling behavior in adult male rats following prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), and increased expression of GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors in the agranular insular cortex (AIC). This study was undertaken to determine if ifenprodil, a GluN2B preferring negative allosteric modulator, has a significant effect on social behaviors in PAE rats. Using a voluntary ethanol exposure paradigm, rat dams were allowed to drink a saccharin-sweetened solution of either 0% or 5% ethanol throughout gestation. Offspring at 6-8 months of age were implanted with cannulae into AIC. Animals were isolated for 24h before ifenprodil or vehicle was infused into AIC, and after 15min they were recorded in a social interaction chamber. Ifenprodil treatment altered aspects of wrestling, social investigatory behaviors, and ultrasonic vocalizations in rats exposed to ethanol during development that were not observed in control animals. These data indicate that GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors in AIC play a role in social behaviors and may underlie alterations in behavior and vocalizations observed in PAE animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clark W Bird
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States.
| | - Daniel Barto
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Christy M Magcalas
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Carlos I Rodriguez
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Tia Donaldson
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Suzy Davies
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Daniel D Savage
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Derek A Hamilton
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
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Rodriguez CI, Magcalas CM, Barto D, Fink BC, Rice JP, Bird CW, Davies S, Pentkowski NS, Savage DD, Hamilton DA. Effects of sex and housing on social, spatial, and motor behavior in adult rats exposed to moderate levels of alcohol during prenatal development. Behav Brain Res 2016; 313:233-243. [PMID: 27424779 PMCID: PMC4987176 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2016] [Revised: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Persistent deficits in social behavior, motor behavior, and behavioral flexibility are among the major negative consequences associated with exposure to ethanol during prenatal development. Prior work from our laboratory has linked moderate prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) in the rat to deficits in these behavioral domains, which depend upon the ventrolateral frontal cortex (Hamilton et al., 2014) [20]. Manipulations of the social environment cause modifications of dendritic morphology and experience-dependent immediate early gene expression in ventrolateral frontal cortex (Hamilton et al., 2010) [19], and may yield positive behavioral outcomes following PAE. In the present study we evaluated the effects of housing PAE rats with non-exposed control rats on adult behavior. Rats of both sexes were either paired with a partner from the same prenatal treatment condition (ethanol or saccharin) or from the opposite condition (mixed housing condition). At four months of age (∼3 months after the housing manipulation commenced), social behavior, tongue protrusion, and behavioral flexibility in the Morris water task were measured as in (Hamilton et al., 2014) [20]. The behavioral effects of moderate PAE were primarily limited to males and were not ameliorated by housing with a non-ethanol exposed partner. Unexpectedly, social behavior, motor behavior, and spatial flexibility were adversely affected in control rats housed with a PAE rat (i.e., in mixed housing), indicating that housing with a PAE rat has broad behavioral consequences beyond the social domain. These observations provide further evidence that moderate PAE negatively affects social behavior, and underscore the importance of considering potential negative effects of housing with PAE animals on the behavior of critical comparison groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos I Rodriguez
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Christy M Magcalas
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Daniel Barto
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Brandi C Fink
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - James P Rice
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Clark W Bird
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Suzy Davies
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Nathan S Pentkowski
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Daniel D Savage
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Derek A Hamilton
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States.
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Marquardt K, Brigman JL. The impact of prenatal alcohol exposure on social, cognitive and affective behavioral domains: Insights from rodent models. Alcohol 2016; 51:1-15. [PMID: 26992695 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2015.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2015] [Revised: 12/11/2015] [Accepted: 12/11/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are characterized by deficits in working memory, response inhibition, and behavioral flexibility. However, the combination and severity of impairments are highly dependent upon maternal ethanol consumption patterns, which creates a complex variety of manifestations. Rodent models have been essential in identifying behavioral endpoints of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). However, experimental model outcomes are extremely diverse based on level, pattern, timing, and method of ethanol exposure, as well as the behavioral domain assayed and paradigm used. Therefore, comparisons across studies are difficult and there is currently no clear comprehensive behavioral phenotype of PAE. This lack of defined cognitive and behavioral phenotype is a contributing factor to the difficulty in identifying FASD individuals. The current review aims to critically examine preclinical behavioral outcomes in the social, cognitive, and affective domains in terms of the PAE paradigm, with a special emphasis on dose, timing, and delivery, to establish a working model of behavioral impairment. In addition, this review identifies gaps in our current knowledge and proposes future areas of research that will advance knowledge in the field of PAE outcomes. Understanding the complex behavioral phenotype, which results from diverse ethanol consumption will allow for development of better diagnostic tools and more critical evaluation of potential treatments for FASD.
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Effects of pre-natal alcohol exposure on hippocampal synaptic plasticity: Sex, age and methodological considerations. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 64:12-34. [PMID: 26906760 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Revised: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 02/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The consumption of alcohol during gestation is detrimental to the developing central nervous system (CNS). The severity of structural and functional brain alterations associated with alcohol intake depends on many factors including the timing and duration of alcohol consumption. The hippocampal formation, a brain region implicated in learning and memory, is highly susceptible to the effects of developmental alcohol exposure. Some of the observed effects of alcohol on learning and memory may be due to changes at the synaptic level, as this teratogen has been repeatedly shown to interfere with hippocampal synaptic plasticity. At the molecular level alcohol interferes with receptor proteins and can disrupt hormones that are important for neuronal signaling and synaptic plasticity. In this review we examine the consequences of prenatal and early postnatal alcohol exposure on hippocampal synaptic plasticity and highlight the numerous factors that can modulate the effects of alcohol. We also discuss some potential mechanisms responsible for these changes as well as emerging therapeutic avenues that are beginning to be explored.
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Chi P, Aras R, Martin K, Favero C. Using Swiss Webster mice to model Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD): An analysis of multilevel time-to-event data through mixed-effects Cox proportional hazards models. Behav Brain Res 2016; 305:1-7. [PMID: 26765502 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.12.040] [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: 08/13/2015] [Revised: 12/01/2015] [Accepted: 12/25/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) collectively describes the constellation of effects resulting from human alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Even with public awareness, the incidence of FASD is estimated to be upwards of 5% in the general population and is becoming a global health problem. The physical, cognitive, and behavioral impairments of FASD are recapitulated in animal models. Recently rodent models utilizing voluntary drinking paradigms have been developed that accurately reflect moderate consumption, which makes up the majority of FASD cases. The range in severity of FASD characteristics reflects the frequency, dose, developmental timing, and individual susceptibility to alcohol exposure. As most rodent models of FASD use C57BL/6 mice, there is a need to expand the stocks of mice studied in order to more fully understand the complex neurobiology of this disorder. To that end, we allowed pregnant Swiss Webster mice to voluntarily drink ethanol via the drinking in the dark (DID) paradigm throughout their gestation period. Ethanol exposure did not alter gestational outcomes as determined by no significant differences in maternal weight gain, maternal liquid consumption, litter size, or pup weight at birth or weaning. Despite seemingly normal gestation, ethanol-exposed offspring exhibit significantly altered timing to achieve developmental milestones (surface righting, cliff aversion, and open field traversal), as analyzed through mixed-effects Cox proportional hazards models. These results confirm Swiss Webster mice as a viable option to study the incidence and causes of ethanol-induced neurobehavioral alterations during development. Future studies in our laboratory will investigate the brain regions and molecules responsible for these behavioral changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Chi
- Ursinus College, Computer Science Department, 601 E. Main Street, Collegeville, PA 19426-1000, United States.
| | - Radha Aras
- Ursinus College, Biology Department, 601 E. Main Street, Collegeville, PA 19426-1000, United States.
| | - Katie Martin
- Ursinus College, Biology Department, 601 E. Main Street, Collegeville, PA 19426-1000, United States.
| | - Carlita Favero
- Ursinus College, Biology Department, 601 E. Main Street, Collegeville, PA 19426-1000, United States.
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Baculis BC, Diaz MR, Valenzuela CF. Third trimester-equivalent ethanol exposure increases anxiety-like behavior and glutamatergic transmission in the basolateral amygdala. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2015; 137:78-85. [PMID: 26284742 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2015.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2015] [Revised: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Ethanol consumption during pregnancy produces a wide range of morphological and behavioral alterations known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Among the behavioral deficits associated with FASD is an increased probability of developing anxiety disorders. Studies with animal models of FASD have demonstrated that ethanol exposure during the equivalent to the 1(st) and 2(nd) trimesters of human pregnancy increases anxiety-like behavior. Here, we examined the impact on this type of behavior of exposure to high doses of ethanol in vapor inhalation chambers during the rat equivalent to the human 3rd trimester of pregnancy (i.e., neonatal period in these animals). We evaluated anxiety-like behavior with the elevated plus maze. Using whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiological techniques in brain slices, we also characterized glutamatergic and GABAergic synaptic transmission in the basolateral amygdala, a brain region that has been implicated to play a role in emotional behavior. We found that ethanol-exposed adolescent offspring preferred the closed arms over the open arms in the elevated plus maze and displayed lower head dipping activity than controls. Electrophysiological measurements showed an increase in the frequency of spontaneous and miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents in pyramidal neurons from the ethanol group. These findings suggest that high-dose ethanol exposure during the equivalent to the last trimester of human pregnancy can persistently increase excitatory synaptic inputs to principal neurons in the basolateral amygdala, leading to an increase in anxiety-like behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian C Baculis
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
| | - Marvin R Diaz
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA; Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Binghamton University - State University of New York, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, USA
| | - C Fernando Valenzuela
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA.
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Lantz CL, Sipe GO, Wong EL, Majewska AK, Medina AE. Effects of Developmental Alcohol Exposure on Potentiation and Depression of Visual Cortex Responses. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2015; 39:1434-42. [PMID: 26108422 PMCID: PMC4515209 DOI: 10.1111/acer.12775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2015] [Accepted: 05/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuronal plasticity deficits are thought to underlie abnormal neurodevelopment in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and in animal models of this condition. Previously, we found that alcohol exposure during a period that is similar to the last months of gestation in humans disrupts ocular dominance plasticity (ODP), as measured in superficial cortical layers. We hypothesize that exposure to alcohol can differentially affect the potentiation and depression of responses that are necessary for activity-dependent sprouting and pruning of neuronal networks. ODP is an established paradigm that allows the assessment of activity-dependent depression and potentiation of responses in vivo. METHODS Mouse pups were exposed to 3.6 to 5 g/kg of ethanol in saline daily or every other day between postnatal days 4 and 9. Visual cortex plasticity was then assessed during the critical period for ODP using 2 techniques that separately record in layers 4 (visually evoked potentials [VEPs]) and 2/3 (optical imaging of intrinsic signals [OI]). RESULTS We discovered a layer-specific effect of early alcohol exposure. Recording of VEPs from layer 4 showed that while the potentiation component of ODP was disrupted in animals treated with alcohol when compared with saline controls, the depression component of ODP (Dc-ODP) was unaltered. In contrast, OI from layers 2/3 showed that Dc-ODP was markedly disrupted in alcohol-treated animals when compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS Combined with our previous work, these findings strongly suggest that developmental alcohol exposure has a distinct and layer-specific effect on the potentiation and depression of cortical responses after monocular deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Crystal L Lantz
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Grayson O Sipe
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York
| | - Elissa L Wong
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York
| | - Ania K Majewska
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York
| | - Alexandre E Medina
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland
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Oshiro W, Beasley T, McDaniel K, Evansky P, Martin S, Moser V, Gilbert M, Bushnell P. Prenatal exposure to vapors of gasoline–ethanol blends causes few cognitive deficits in adult rats. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2015; 49:59-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2015.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2015] [Revised: 03/30/2015] [Accepted: 04/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Bird CW, Candelaria-Cook FT, Magcalas CM, Davies S, Valenzuela CF, Savage DD, Hamilton DA. Moderate prenatal alcohol exposure enhances GluN2B containing NMDA receptor binding and ifenprodil sensitivity in rat agranular insular cortex. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0118721. [PMID: 25747876 PMCID: PMC4351952 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2014] [Accepted: 01/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal exposure to alcohol affects the expression and function of glutamatergic neurotransmitter receptors in diverse brain regions. The present study was undertaken to fill a current gap in knowledge regarding the regional specificity of ethanol-related alterations in glutamatergic receptors in the frontal cortex. We quantified subregional expression and function of glutamatergic neurotransmitter receptors (AMPARs, NMDARs, GluN2B-containing NMDARs, mGluR1s, and mGluR5s) by radioligand binding in the agranular insular cortex (AID), lateral orbital area (LO), prelimbic cortex (PrL) and primary motor cortex (M1) of adult rats exposed to moderate levels of ethanol during prenatal development. Increased expression of GluN2B-containing NMDARs was observed in AID of ethanol-exposed rats compared to modest reductions in other regions. We subsequently performed slice electrophysiology measurements in a whole-cell patch-clamp preparation to quantify the sensitivity of evoked NMDAR-mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in layer II/III pyramidal neurons of AID to the GluN2B negative allosteric modulator ifenprodil. Consistent with increased GluN2B expression, ifenprodil caused a greater reduction in NMDAR-mediated EPSCs from prenatal alcohol-exposed rats than saccharin-exposed control animals. No alterations in AMPAR-mediated EPSCs or the ratio of AMPARs/NMDARs were observed. Together, these data indicate that moderate prenatal alcohol exposure has a significant and lasting impact on GluN2B-containing receptors in AID, which could help to explain ethanol-related alterations in learning and behaviors that depend on this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clark W. Bird
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
| | | | - Christy M. Magcalas
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Suzy Davies
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - C. Fernando Valenzuela
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Daniel D. Savage
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Derek A. Hamilton
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Hamilton DA, Magcalas CM, Barto D, Bird CW, Rodriguez CI, Fink BC, Pellis SM, Davies S, Savage DD. Moderate prenatal alcohol exposure and quantification of social behavior in adult rats. J Vis Exp 2014:52407. [PMID: 25549080 PMCID: PMC4396951 DOI: 10.3791/52407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Alterations in social behavior are among the major negative consequences observed in children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs). Several independent laboratories have demonstrated robust alterations in the social behavior of rodents exposed to alcohol during brain development across a wide range of exposure durations, timing, doses, and ages at the time of behavioral quantification. Prior work from this laboratory has identified reliable alterations in specific forms of social interaction following moderate prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) in the rat that persist well into adulthood, including increased wrestling and decreased investigation. These behavioral alterations have been useful in identifying neural circuits altered by moderate PAE(1), and may hold importance for progressing toward a more complete understanding of the neural bases of PAE-related alterations in social behavior. This paper describes procedures for performing moderate PAE in which rat dams voluntarily consume ethanol or saccharin (control) throughout gestation, and measurement of social behaviors in adult offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek A Hamilton
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico;
| | | | - Daniel Barto
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico
| | - Clark W Bird
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico
| | | | - Brandi C Fink
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico
| | - Sergio M Pellis
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge
| | - Suzy Davies
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico
| | - Daniel D Savage
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico
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Staples MC, Porch MW, Savage DD. Impact of combined prenatal ethanol and prenatal stress exposures on markers of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity in rat dentate gyrus. Alcohol 2014; 48:523-32. [PMID: 25129673 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2014.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2013] [Revised: 06/27/2014] [Accepted: 06/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal ethanol exposure and prenatal stress can each cause long-lasting deficits in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and disrupt learning and memory processes. However, the mechanisms underlying these perturbations following a learning event are still poorly understood. We examined the effects of prenatal ethanol exposure and prenatal stress exposure, either alone or in combination, on the cytosolic expression of activity-regulated cytoskeletal (ARC) protein and the synaptosomal expression of AMPA-glutamate receptor subunits (GluA1 and GluA2) in dentate gyrus of female adult offspring under baseline conditions and after 2-trial trace conditioning (TTTC). Surprisingly, baseline cytoplasmic ARC expression was significantly elevated in both prenatal treatment groups. In contrast, synaptosomal GluA1 receptor subunit expression was decreased in both prenatal treatment groups. GluA2 subunit expression was elevated in the prenatal stress group. TTTC did not alter ARC levels compared to an unpaired behavioral control (UPC) group in any of the 4 prenatal treatment groups. In contrast, TTTC significantly elevated both synaptosomal GluA1 and GluA2 subunit expression relative to the UPC group in control offspring, an effect that was not observed in any of the other 3 prenatal treatment groups. Given ARC's role in regulating synaptosomal AMPA receptors, these results suggest that prenatal ethanol-induced or prenatal stress exposure-induced increases in baseline ARC levels could contribute to reductions in both baseline and activity-dependent changes in AMPA receptors in a manner that diminishes the role of AMPA receptors in dentate gyrus synaptic plasticity and hippocampal-sensitive learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda C Staples
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Morgan W Porch
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Daniel D Savage
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
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Hamilton DA, Barto D, Rodriguez CI, Magcalas CM, Fink BC, Rice JP, Bird CW, Davies S, Savage DD. Effects of moderate prenatal ethanol exposure and age on social behavior, spatial response perseveration errors and motor behavior. Behav Brain Res 2014; 269:44-54. [PMID: 24769174 PMCID: PMC4134935 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.04.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2014] [Revised: 04/15/2014] [Accepted: 04/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Persistent deficits in social behavior are among the major negative consequences associated with exposure to ethanol during prenatal development. Prior work from our laboratory has linked deficits in social behavior following moderate prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) in the rat to functional alterations in the ventrolateral frontal cortex [21]. In addition to social behaviors, the regions comprising the ventrolateral frontal cortex are critical for diverse processes ranging from orofacial motor movements to flexible alteration of behavior in the face of changing consequences. The broader behavioral implications of altered ventrolateral frontal cortex function following moderate PAE have, however, not been examined. In the present study we evaluated the consequences of moderate PAE on social behavior, tongue protrusion, and flexibility in a variant of the Morris water task that required modification of a well-established spatial response. PAE rats displayed deficits in tongue protrusion, reduced flexibility in the spatial domain, increased wrestling, and decreased investigation, indicating that several behaviors associated with ventrolateral frontal cortex function are impaired following moderate PAE. A linear discriminant analysis revealed that measures of wrestling and tongue protrusion provided the best discrimination of PAE rats from saccharin-exposed control rats. We also evaluated all behaviors in young adult (4-5 months) or older (10-11 months) rats to address the persistence of behavioral deficits in adulthood and possible interactions between early ethanol exposure and advancing age. Behavioral deficits in each domain persisted well into adulthood (10-11 months), however, there was no evidence that aging enhances the effects of moderate PAE within the age ranges that were studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek A Hamilton
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States.
| | - Daniel Barto
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - Carlos I Rodriguez
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - Christy M Magcalas
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - Brandi C Fink
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - James P Rice
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - Clark W Bird
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - Suzy Davies
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Daniel D Savage
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
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48
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Oshiro WM, Beasley TE, McDaniel KL, Taylor MM, Evansky P, Moser VC, Gilbert ME, Bushnell PJ. Selective cognitive deficits in adult rats after prenatal exposure to inhaled ethanol. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2014; 45:44-58. [PMID: 25020118 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2014.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2014] [Revised: 06/05/2014] [Accepted: 07/02/2014] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Increased use of ethanol blends in gasoline suggests a need to assess the potential public health risks of exposure to these fuels. Ethanol consumed during pregnancy is a teratogen. However, little is known about the potential developmental neurotoxicity of ethanol delivered by inhalation, the most likely route of exposure from gasoline-ethanol fuel blends. We evaluated the potential cognitive consequences of ethanol inhalation by exposing pregnant Long Evans rats to clean air or ethanol vapor from gestational days 9-20, a critical period of neuronal development. Concentrations of inhaled ethanol (5000, 10,000, or 21,000 ppm for 6.5h/day) produced modeled peak blood ethanol concentrations (BECs) in exposed dams of 2.3, 6.8, and 192 mg/dL, respectively. In offspring, no dose-related impairments were observed on spatial learning or working memory in the Morris water maze or in operant delayed match-to-position tests. Two measures showed significant effects in female offspring at all ethanol doses: 1) impaired cue learning after trace fear conditioning, and 2) an absence of bias for the correct quadrant after place training during a reference memory probe in the Morris water maze. In choice reaction time tests, male offspring (females were not tested) from the 5000 and 10,000 ppm groups showed a transient increase in decision times. Also, male offspring from the 21,000 ppm group made more anticipatory responses during a preparatory hold period, suggesting a deficit in response inhibition. The increase in anticipatory responding during the choice reaction time test shows that inhaled ethanol yielding a peak BEC of ~200mg/dL can produce lasting effects in the offspring. The lack of a dose-related decrement in the effects observed in females on cue learning and a reference memory probe may reflect confounding influences in the exposed offspring possibly related to maternal care or altered anxiety levels in females. The surprising lack of more pervasive cognitive deficits, as reported by others at BECs in the 200mg/dL range, may reflect route-dependent differences in the kinetics of ethanol. These data show that response inhibition was impaired in the offspring of pregnant rats that inhaled ethanol at concentrations at least 5 orders of magnitude higher than concentrations observed during normal automotive transport and fueling operations, which rarely exceed 100 ppb.
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Affiliation(s)
- W M Oshiro
- Toxicity Assessment Division, MD B105-04, MD B105-02, National Health Effects and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - T E Beasley
- Toxicity Assessment Division, MD B105-04, MD B105-02, National Health Effects and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - K L McDaniel
- Toxicity Assessment Division, MD B105-04, MD B105-02, National Health Effects and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - M M Taylor
- Toxicity Assessment Division, MD B105-04, MD B105-02, National Health Effects and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - P Evansky
- Environmental Public Health Division, MD B105-02, National Health Effects and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - V C Moser
- Toxicity Assessment Division, MD B105-04, MD B105-02, National Health Effects and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - M E Gilbert
- Toxicity Assessment Division, MD B105-04, MD B105-02, National Health Effects and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - P J Bushnell
- Toxicity Assessment Division, MD B105-04, MD B105-02, National Health Effects and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
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Varaschin RK, Rosenberg MJ, Hamilton DA, Savage DD. Differential effects of the histamine H(3) receptor agonist methimepip on dentate granule cell excitability, paired-pulse plasticity and long-term potentiation in prenatal alcohol-exposed rats. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2014; 38:1902-11. [PMID: 24818819 PMCID: PMC5094461 DOI: 10.1111/acer.12430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2013] [Accepted: 03/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We previously reported that prenatal alcohol-induced deficits in dentate gyrus (DG) long-term potentiation (LTP) are ameliorated by the histamine H3 receptor inverse agonist ABT-239. ABT-239 did not enhance LTP in control rats, suggesting that the possibility of a heightened H3 receptor-mediated inhibition of LTP in prenatal alcohol-exposed (PAE) offspring. METHODS To further investigate this mechanism, we examined the effect of methimepip, a selective histamine H3 receptor agonist, on DG granule cell responses and LTP in saccharin control and PAE rats. Long-Evans rat dams voluntarily consumed either a 0 or 5% ethanol solution 4 hours each day throughout gestation. Adult male offspring from these dams were anesthetized with urethane and electrodes implanted into the entorhinal cortical perforant path and the DG. RESULTS In control offspring, methimepip reduced the coupling of fast excitatory postsynaptic field potentials to population spikes (E-S coupling), the probability of glutamate release, as measured by paired-pulse ratio (PPR) and diminished DG LTP. Similar reductions in E-S coupling and LTP were observed in saline-treated PAE offspring. In contrast to the control group, methimepip did not exacerbate PAE-induced reductions in E-S coupling or LTP. CONCLUSIONS While the effects of methimepip in control offspring were consistent with speculation of a PAE-induced enhancement of H3 receptor-mediated inhibition of E-S coupling and LTP, the absence of an added effect of methimepip in PAE offspring could indicate either an inability to further inhibit these responses with methimepip in PAE rats or the presence of more complex regulatory neural interactions with in vivo recordings in PAE rats. Follow-up studies of H3 receptor-mediated responses in DG slice preparations are under way to provide clearer insights into the role of the H3 receptor regulation of excitatory transmission in PAE rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael K. Varaschin
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131, USA
| | - Martina J. Rosenberg
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131, USA
| | - Derek A. Hamilton
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131, USA
| | - Daniel D. Savage
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131, USA
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50
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Staples MC, Rosenberg MJ, Allen NA, Porch MW, Savage DD. Impact of combined prenatal ethanol and prenatal stress exposure on anxiety and hippocampal-sensitive learning in adult offspring. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2013; 37:2039-47. [PMID: 23915215 DOI: 10.1111/acer.12190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2013] [Accepted: 04/15/2013] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal ethanol (EtOH) and prenatal stress have both been independently shown to induce learning deficits and anxiety behavior in adult offspring. However, the interactive effects of these 2 developmental teratogens on behavioral outcomes have not been systematically evaluated. METHODS We combined an established moderate prenatal EtOH consumption paradigm where Long-Evans rat dams voluntarily consume either a 0 or 5% EtOH solution in 0.066% saccharin water (resulting in a mean peak maternal serum EtOH concentration of 84 mg/dl) with a novel prenatal stress paradigm. Pregnant rats were exposed to 3% 2,3,5-trimethyl-3-thiazoline (TMT) for 20 minutes a day on gestational days 13, 15, 17, and 19. Adult female offspring were evaluated for anxiety-like behavior using an elevated plus-maze and hippocampal-sensitive learning using a 2-trial trace conditioning (TTTC) task. RESULTS TMT exposure produced a threefold increase in maternal serum corticosterone compared to nonexposed, unhandled controls. Neither prenatal exposure paradigm, either alone or in combination, altered maternal weight gain, EtOH consumption, maternal care of litters, litter size, pup birth weight, or pup weight gain up to weaning. Offspring exposed to prenatal stress displayed significant increases in anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze in terms of open arm entries and time spent on the open arms, with no significant effect of prenatal EtOH exposure and no interaction of the 2 prenatal exposures. Performance in a TTTC task revealed a significant effect of prenatal EtOH exposure on freezing behavior on the testing day, with no significant effect of prenatal stress exposure and no interaction of the 2 prenatal exposures. CONCLUSIONS While each prenatal exposure independently produced different behavioral outcomes, the results indicate that there is no significant interaction of prenatal EtOH and prenatal stress exposures on learning or anxiety at the exposure levels employed in this dual exposure paradigm. Subsequent studies will examine whether similar outcomes occur in male offspring and whether other measures of anxiety or learning are differentially impacted by these prenatal exposure paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda C Staples
- Department of Neurosciences , University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico
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