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Balleste AF, Sangadi A, Titus DJ, Johnstone T, Hogenkamp D, Gee KW, Atkins CM. Enhancing cognitive recovery in chronic traumatic brain injury through simultaneous allosteric modulation of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine and α5 GABA A receptors. Exp Neurol 2024; 379:114879. [PMID: 38942266 PMCID: PMC11283977 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2024.114879] [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: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to changes in the neural circuitry of the hippocampus that result in chronic learning and memory deficits. However, effective therapeutic strategies to ameliorate these chronic learning and memory impairments after TBI are limited. Two pharmacological targets for enhancing cognition are nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and GABAA receptors (GABAARs), both of which regulate hippocampal network activity to form declarative memories. A promising compound, 522-054, both allosterically enhances α7 nAChRs and inhibits α5 subunit-containing GABAARs. Administration of 522-054 enhances long-term potentiation (LTP) and cognitive functioning in non-injured animals. In this study, we assessed the effects of 522-054 on hippocampal synaptic plasticity and learning and memory deficits in the chronic post-TBI recovery period. Adult male Sprague Dawley rats received moderate parasagittal fluid-percussion brain injury or sham surgery. At 12 wk after injury, we assessed basal synaptic transmission and LTP at the Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapse of the hippocampus. Bath application of 522-054 to hippocampal slices reduced deficits in basal synaptic transmission and recovered TBI-induced impairments in LTP. Moreover, treatment of animals with 522-054 at 12 wk post-TBI improved cue and contextual fear memory and water maze acquisition and retention without a measurable effect on cortical or hippocampal atrophy. These results suggest that dual allosteric modulation of α7 nAChR and α5 GABAAR signaling may be a potential therapy for treating cognitive deficits during chronic recovery from TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa F Balleste
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Akhila Sangadi
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - David J Titus
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | | | - Derk Hogenkamp
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
| | - Kelvin W Gee
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
| | - Coleen M Atkins
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
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2
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Noback M, Bhakta SG, Talledo JA, Kotz JE, Benster L, Roberts BZ, Nungaray JA, Light GA, Swerdlow NR, Brigman JL, Cavanagh JF, Young JW. Amphetamine increases motivation of humans and mice as measured by breakpoint, but does not affect an Electroencephalographic biomarker. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 24:269-278. [PMID: 38168850 PMCID: PMC11060428 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01150-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Translation of drug targets from preclinical studies to clinical trials has been aided by cross-species behavioral tasks, but evidence for brain-based engagement during task performance is still required. Cross-species progressive ratio breakpoint tasks (PRBTs) measure motivation-related behavior and are pharmacologically and clinically sensitive. We recently advanced elevated parietal alpha power as a cross-species electroencephalographic (EEG) biomarker of PRBT engagement. Given that amphetamine increases breakpoint in mice, we tested its effects on breakpoint and parietal alpha power in both humans and mice. Twenty-three healthy participants performed the PRBT with EEG after amphetamine or placebo in a double-blind design. C57BL/6J mice were trained on PRBT with EEG (n = 24) and were treated with amphetamine or vehicle. A second cohort of mice was trained on PRBT without EEG (n = 40) and was treated with amphetamine or vehicle. In humans, amphetamine increased breakpoint. In mice, during concomitant EEG, 1 mg/kg of amphetamine significantly decreased breakpoint. In cohort 2, however, 0.3 mg/kg of amphetamine increased breakpoint consistent with human findings. Increased alpha power was observed in both species as they reached breakpoint, replicating previous findings. Amphetamine did not affect alpha power in either species. Amphetamine increased effort in humans and mice. Consistent with previous reports, elevated parietal alpha power was observed in humans and mice as they performed the PRBT. Amphetamine did not affect this EEG biomarker of effort. Hence, these findings support the pharmacological predictive validity of the PRBT to measure effort in humans and mice and suggest that this EEG biomarker is not directly reflective of amphetamine-induced changes in effort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Noback
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - Savita G Bhakta
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - Jo A Talledo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - Juliana E Kotz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - Lindsay Benster
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - Benjamin Z Roberts
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - John A Nungaray
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - Gregory A Light
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
- Research Service MIRECC, VISN 22, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Neal R Swerdlow
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - Jonathan L Brigman
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - James F Cavanagh
- Psychology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA.
- Research Service MIRECC, VISN 22, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
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3
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Sangadi DK, Sangadi A, Placeres-Uray F, Titus DJ, Johnstone T, Hogenkamp D, Gee KW, Atkins CM. Enhancing cognitive function in chronic TBI: The Role of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor modulation. Exp Neurol 2024; 372:114647. [PMID: 38070724 PMCID: PMC10843542 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2023.114647] [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: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in several pathological changes within the hippocampus that result in adverse effects on learning and memory. Therapeutic strategies to enhance learning and memory after TBI are still in the early stages of clinical development. One strategy is to target the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR), which is highly expressed in the hippocampus and contributes to the formation of long-term memory. In our previous study, we found that AVL-3288, a positive allosteric modulator of the α7 nAChR, improved cognitive recovery in rats after moderate fluid-percussion injury (FPI). However, whether AVL-3288 improved cognitive recovery specifically through the α7 nAChR was not definitively determined. In this study we utilized Chrna7 knockout mice and compared their recovery to wild-type mice treated with AVL-3288 after TBI. We hypothesized that AVL-3288 treatment would improve learning and memory in wild-type mice, but not Chrna7-/- mice after TBI. Adult male C57BL/6 wild-type and Chrna7-/- mice received sham surgery or moderate controlled cortical impact (CCI) and recovered for 3 months. Mice were then treated with vehicle or AVL-3288 at 30 min prior to contextual fear conditioning. At 3 months after CCI, expression of α7 nAChR, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), high-affinity choline transporter (ChT), and vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) were found to be significantly decreased in the hippocampus. Treatment of wild-type mice at 3 months after CCI with AVL-3288 significantly improved cue and contextual fear conditioning, whereas no beneficial effects were observed in Chrna7-/- mice. Parietal cortex and hippocampal atrophy were not improved with AVL-3288 treatment in either wild-type or Chrna7-/- mice. Our results indicate that AVL-3288 improves cognition during the chronic recovery phase of TBI through modulation of the α7 nAChR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinesh K Sangadi
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1095 NW 14th Terrace, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Akhila Sangadi
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1095 NW 14th Terrace, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Fabiola Placeres-Uray
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1095 NW 14th Terrace, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - David J Titus
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Timothy Johnstone
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
| | - Derk Hogenkamp
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
| | - Kelvin W Gee
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA
| | - Coleen M Atkins
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1095 NW 14th Terrace, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
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Letsinger AC, Nacer SA, Stevanovic KD, Larson GJ, DeFilipp JS, Cushman JD, Yakel JL. Genetic deletion of α7 nAChRs reduces hippocampal granule and pyramidal cell number in both sexes but impairs pattern separation in males only. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1244118. [PMID: 37746145 PMCID: PMC10513752 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1244118] [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: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Neurogenesis within the dentate gyrus is thought to play an important role in cognitive processes such as reversal learning and pattern separation. The α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR) is expressed early in newly formed granule cells of the dentate gyrus, though its role in neurogenesis and related cognitive function is not fully understood. Methods To better characterize relevant function of α7 nAChRs, we performed unbiased stereology to quantify hippocampal granule cells, pyramidal cells, and total volume and used a touchscreen operant spatial discrimination/reversal task to test pattern separation in a global α7 nAChR knockout mouse line. Results The knockout resulted in an ≈22% reduction in granule cells and a ≈ 20% reduction in pyramidal cells in both sexes, with no change in total hippocampal volume. However, the knockout impaired performance in the touchscreen task for males only. The sex-dependent difference in behavioral, but not stereological, results suggest a divergence in the structure-function relationship in males versus females. Detailed analyses revealed males were more biased by the initial reversal contingency relative to females indicating a potential source of the sex-specific interaction with the loss of α7 nAChRs. Discussion These findings argue that the α7 nAChR plays a critical role in hippocampal development, not just granule cell neurogenesis, and plays a sex-dependent role in cognitive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayland C. Letsinger
- Neurobiology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Samir A. Nacer
- Neurobiology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Korey D. Stevanovic
- Neurobiology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Gary J. Larson
- Social & Scientific Systems, Inc., a DLH Holdings Corp. Company, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Jemma S. DeFilipp
- Neurobiology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Jesse D. Cushman
- Neurobiology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Jerrel L. Yakel
- Neurobiology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, NC, United States
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Muneeb M, Mansou SM, Saleh S, Mohammed RA. Vitamin D and rosuvastatin alleviate type-II diabetes-induced cognitive dysfunction by modulating neuroinflammation and canonical/noncanonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0277457. [PMID: 36374861 PMCID: PMC9662739 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Type-II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major risk factor for cognitive impairment. Protecting the brain environment against inflammation, and neurodegeneration, as well as preservation of the BBB veracity through modulating the crosstalk between insulin/AKT/GSK-3β and Wnt/β-catenin signaling, might introduce novel therapeutic targets. Purpose This study aimed at exploring the possible neuroprotective potential of vitamin D3 (VitD) and/or rosuvastatin (RSV) in T2DM-induced cognitive deficits. Methods T2DM was induced by a high-fat sucrose diet and a single streptozotocin (STZ) dose. Diabetic rats were allocated into a diabetic control and three groups treated with RSV (15 mg/kg/day, PO), VitD (500 IU/kg/day, PO), or their combination. Results Administration of VitD and/or RSV mitigated T2DM-induced metabolic abnormalities and restored the balance between the anti-inflammatory, IL 27 and the proinflammatory, IL 23 levels in the hippocampus. In addition, they markedly activated both the canonical and noncanonical Wnt/β-catenin cassettes with stimulation of their downstream molecular targets. VitD and/or RSV upregulated insulin and α7 nicotinic acetylcholine (α7nACh) receptors gene expression, as well as blood-brain barrier integrity markers including Annexin A1, claudin 3, and VE-cadherin. Also, they obliterated hippocampal ApoE-4 content, Tau hyperphosphorylation, and Aβ deposition. These biochemical changes were reflected as improved behavioral performance in Morris water maze and novel object recognition tests and restored hippocampal histological profile. Conclusion The current findings have accentuated the neuroprotective potential of VitD and RSV and provide new incentives to expand their use in T2DM-induced cognitive and memory decline. This study also suggests a superior benefit of combining both treatments over either drug alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Muneeb
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Future University in Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Suzan M. Mansou
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Future University in Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
- * E-mail: ,
| | - Samira Saleh
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Reham A. Mohammed
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
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6
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Budisteanu M, Papuc SM, Streata I, Cucu M, Pirvu A, Serban-Sosoi S, Erbescu A, Andrei E, Iliescu C, Ioana D, Severin E, Ioana M, Arghir A. The Phenotypic Spectrum of 15q13.3 Region Duplications: Report of 5 Patients. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1025. [PMID: 34356041 PMCID: PMC8306426 DOI: 10.3390/genes12071025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromosome 15q13.3 microduplications are associated with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations ranging from normal to different neuropsychiatric conditions, such as developmental delay (DD), intellectual disability (ID), epilepsy, hypotonia, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia. The smallest region of overlap for 15q13.3 duplications encompasses the Cholinergic Receptor Nicotinic Alpha 7 Subunit (CHRNA7) gene, a strong candidate for the behavioral abnormalities. We report on a series of five patients with 15q13.3 duplications detected by chromosomal microarray. The size of the duplications ranged from 378 to 537 kb, and involved the CHRNA7 gene in all patients. The most common clinical features, present in all patients, were speech delay, autistic behavior, and muscle hypotonia; DD/ID was present in three patients. One patient presented epileptic seizures; EEG anomalies were observed in three patients. No consistent dysmorphic features were noted. Neuroimaging studies revealed anomalies in two patients: Dandy-Walker malformation and a right temporal cyst. 15q13.3 duplications are associated with various neuropsychiatric features, including speech delay, hypotonia, ASD, and ID, also present in our patient group. Our study brings detailed clinical and molecular data from five ASD patients with 15q13.3 microduplications involving the CHRNA7 gene, contributing to the existing knowledge about the association of 15q13.3 duplications with neuropsychiatric phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Budisteanu
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Prof. Dr. Alex. Obregia Clinical Hospital of Psychiatry, 041914 Bucharest, Romania; (M.B.); (E.A.); (C.I.); (D.I.)
- Medical Genetics Laboratory, Victor Babes National Institute of Pathology, 050096 Bucharest, Romania; (A.E.); (A.A.)
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Titu Maiorescu University, 031593 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Sorina Mihaela Papuc
- Medical Genetics Laboratory, Victor Babes National Institute of Pathology, 050096 Bucharest, Romania; (A.E.); (A.A.)
| | - Ioana Streata
- Human Genomics Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania; (I.S.); (M.C.); (A.P.); (S.S.-S.); (M.I.)
- Regional Center of Medical Genetics Dolj, 200642 Craiova, Romania
| | - Mihai Cucu
- Human Genomics Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania; (I.S.); (M.C.); (A.P.); (S.S.-S.); (M.I.)
- Regional Center of Medical Genetics Dolj, 200642 Craiova, Romania
| | - Andrei Pirvu
- Human Genomics Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania; (I.S.); (M.C.); (A.P.); (S.S.-S.); (M.I.)
- Regional Center of Medical Genetics Dolj, 200642 Craiova, Romania
| | - Simona Serban-Sosoi
- Human Genomics Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania; (I.S.); (M.C.); (A.P.); (S.S.-S.); (M.I.)
- Regional Center of Medical Genetics Dolj, 200642 Craiova, Romania
| | - Alina Erbescu
- Medical Genetics Laboratory, Victor Babes National Institute of Pathology, 050096 Bucharest, Romania; (A.E.); (A.A.)
| | - Emanuela Andrei
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Prof. Dr. Alex. Obregia Clinical Hospital of Psychiatry, 041914 Bucharest, Romania; (M.B.); (E.A.); (C.I.); (D.I.)
| | - Catrinel Iliescu
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Prof. Dr. Alex. Obregia Clinical Hospital of Psychiatry, 041914 Bucharest, Romania; (M.B.); (E.A.); (C.I.); (D.I.)
| | - Doina Ioana
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Prof. Dr. Alex. Obregia Clinical Hospital of Psychiatry, 041914 Bucharest, Romania; (M.B.); (E.A.); (C.I.); (D.I.)
| | - Emilia Severin
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Dental Medicine, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest, 050474 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Mihai Ioana
- Human Genomics Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 200349 Craiova, Romania; (I.S.); (M.C.); (A.P.); (S.S.-S.); (M.I.)
- Regional Center of Medical Genetics Dolj, 200642 Craiova, Romania
| | - Aurora Arghir
- Medical Genetics Laboratory, Victor Babes National Institute of Pathology, 050096 Bucharest, Romania; (A.E.); (A.A.)
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Verma MK, Goel RN, Bokare AM, Dandekar MP, Koul S, Desai S, Tota S, Singh N, Nigade PB, Patil VB, Modi D, Mehta M, Gundu J, Walunj SS, Karche NP, Sinha N, Kamboj RK, Palle VP. LL-00066471, a novel positive allosteric modulator of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor ameliorates cognitive and sensorimotor gating deficits in animal models: Discovery and preclinical characterization. Eur J Pharmacol 2021; 891:173685. [PMID: 33127363 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2020.173685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR) is an extensively validated target for several neurological and psychiatric conditions namely, dementia and schizophrenia, owing to its vital roles in cognition and sensorimotor gating. Positive allosteric modulation (PAM) of α7 nAChR represents an innovative approach to amplify endogenous cholinergic signaling in a temporally restricted manner in learning and memory centers of brain. α7 nAChR PAMs are anticipated to side-step burgeoning issues observed with several clinical-stage orthosteric α7 nAChR agonists, related to selectivity, tolerance/tachyphylaxis, thus providing a novel dimension in therapeutic strategy and pharmacology of α7 nAChR ion-channel. Here we describe a novel α7 nAChR PAM, LL-00066471, which potently amplified agonist-induced Ca2+ fluxes in neuronal IMR-32 neuroblastoma cells in a α-bungarotoxin (α-BTX) sensitive manner. LL-00066471 showed excellent oral bioavailability across species (mouse, rat and dog), low clearance and good brain penetration (B/P ratio > 1). In vivo, LL-00066471 robustly attenuated cognitive deficits in both procognitive and antiamnesic paradigms of short-term episodic and recognition memory in novel object recognition task (NORT) and social recognition task (SRT), respectively. Additionally, LL-00066471 mitigated apomorphine-induced sensorimotor gating deficits in acoustic startle reflex (ASR) and enhanced antipsychotic efficacy of olanzapine in conditioned avoidance response (CAR) task. Further, LL-00066471 corrected redox-imbalances and reduced cortico-striatal infarcts in stroke model. These finding together suggest that LL-00066471 has potential to symptomatically alleviate cognitive deficits associated with dementias, attenuate sensorimotor gating deficits in schizophrenia and correct redox-imbalances in cerebrovascular disorders. Therefore, LL-00066471 presents potential for management of cognitive impairments associated with neurological and psychiatric conditions.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Behavior, Animal/drug effects
- Brain/drug effects
- Brain/metabolism
- Brain/physiopathology
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cholinergic Agents/pharmacokinetics
- Cholinergic Agents/pharmacology
- Cognition/drug effects
- Cognitive Dysfunction/metabolism
- Cognitive Dysfunction/physiopathology
- Cognitive Dysfunction/prevention & control
- Cognitive Dysfunction/psychology
- Disease Models, Animal
- Dogs
- Exploratory Behavior/drug effects
- Gait Disorders, Neurologic/metabolism
- Gait Disorders, Neurologic/physiopathology
- Gait Disorders, Neurologic/prevention & control
- Gait Disorders, Neurologic/psychology
- Ischemic Stroke/drug therapy
- Ischemic Stroke/metabolism
- Ischemic Stroke/physiopathology
- Male
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Open Field Test/drug effects
- Oxidative Stress/drug effects
- Rats, Sprague-Dawley
- Rats, Wistar
- Reflex, Startle/drug effects
- Sensory Gating/drug effects
- Signal Transduction
- Social Behavior
- alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor/drug effects
- alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor/metabolism
- Mice
- Rats
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahip K Verma
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India.
| | - Rajan N Goel
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
| | - Anand M Bokare
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
| | - Manoj P Dandekar
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
| | - Sarita Koul
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
| | - Sagar Desai
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
| | - Santoshkumar Tota
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
| | - Nilendra Singh
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
| | - Prashant B Nigade
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
| | - Vinod B Patil
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
| | - Dipak Modi
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
| | - Maneesh Mehta
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
| | - Jayasagar Gundu
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
| | - Sameer S Walunj
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
| | - Navnath P Karche
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
| | - Neelima Sinha
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
| | - Rajender K Kamboj
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
| | - Venkata P Palle
- Department of Pharmacology, Novel Drug Discovery and Development, Lupin Limited, Lupin Research Park, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India
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Ang MJ, Lee S, Kim JC, Kim SH, Moon C. Behavioral Tasks Evaluating Schizophrenia-like Symptoms in Animal Models: A Recent Update. Curr Neuropharmacol 2021; 19:641-664. [PMID: 32798374 PMCID: PMC8573744 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x18666200814175114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that affects more than 21 million people worldwide. Both genetics and the environment play a role in its etiology and pathogenesis. Symptoms of schizophrenia are mainly categorized into positive, negative, and cognitive. One major approach to identify and understand these diverse symptoms in humans has been to study behavioral phenotypes in a range of animal models of schizophrenia. OBJECTIVE We aimed to provide a comprehensive review of the behavioral tasks commonly used for measuring schizophrenia-like behaviors in rodents together with an update of the recent study findings. METHODS Articles describing phenotypes of schizophrenia-like behaviors in various animal models were collected through a literature search in Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, with a focus on advances over the last 10 years. RESULTS Numerous studies have used a range of animal models and behavioral paradigms of schizophrenia to develop antipsychotic drugs for improved therapeutics. In establishing animal models of schizophrenia, the candidate models were evaluated for schizophrenia-like behaviors using several behavioral tasks for positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms designed to verify human symptoms of schizophrenia. Such validated animal models were provided as rapid preclinical avenues for drug testing and mechanistic studies. CONCLUSION Based on the most recent advances in the field, it is apparent that a myriad of behavior tests are needed to confirm and evaluate the congruency of animal models with the numerous behaviors and clinical signs exhibited by patients with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Changjong Moon
- Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Animal Behavior, College of Veterinary Medicine and BK21 Plus Project Team, Chonnam National University, 77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61186, South Korea, Tel: +82-62-530-2838; E-mail:
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9
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Shenkarev ZO, Shulepko MA, Bychkov ML, Kulbatskii DS, Shlepova OV, Vasilyeva NA, Andreev-Andrievskiy AA, Popova AS, Lagereva EA, Loktyushov EV, Koshelev SG, Thomsen MS, Dolgikh DA, Kozlov SA, Balaban PM, Kirpichnikov MP, Lyukmanova EN. Water-soluble variant of human Lynx1 positively modulates synaptic plasticity and ameliorates cognitive impairment associated with α7-nAChR dysfunction. J Neurochem 2020; 155:45-61. [PMID: 32222974 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Lynx1 is a GPI-tethered protein colocalized with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the brain areas important for learning and memory. Previously, we demonstrated that at low micromolar concentrations the water-soluble Lynx1 variant lacking GPI-anchor (ws-Lynx1) acts on α7-nAChRs as a positive allosteric modulator. We hypothesized that ws-Lynx1 could be used for improvement of cognitive processes dependent on nAChRs. Here we showed that 2 µM ws-Lynx1 increased the acetylcholine-evoked current at α7-nAChRs in the rat primary visual cortex L1 interneurons. At higher concentrations ws-Lynx1 inhibits α7-nAChRs expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes with IC50 ~ 50 µM. In mice, ws-Lynx1 penetrated the blood-brain barrier upon intranasal administration and accumulated in the cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum. Chronic ws-Lynx1 treatment prevented the olfactory memory and motor learning impairment induced by the α7-nAChRs inhibitor methyllycaconitine (MLA). Enhanced long-term potentiation and increased paired-pulse facilitation ratio were observed in the hippocampal slices incubated with ws-Lynx1 and in the slices from ws-Lynx1-treated mice. Long-term potentiation blockade observed in MLA-treated mice was abolished by ws-Lynx1 co-administration. To understand the mechanism of ws-Lynx1 action, we studied the interaction of ws-Lynx1 and MLA at α7-nAChRs, measured the basal concentrations of endogenous Lynx1 and the α7 nAChR subunit and their association in the mouse brain. Our findings suggest that endogenous Lynx1 limits α7-nAChRs activation in the adult brain. Ws-Lynx1 partially displaces Lynx1 causing positive modulation of α7-nAChRs and enhancement of synaptic plasticity. Ws-Lynx1 and similar compounds may constitute useful hits for treatment of cognitive deficits associated with the cholinergic system dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zakhar O Shenkarev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow region, Russia
| | - Mikhail A Shulepko
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Maxim L Bychkov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitrii S Kulbatskii
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Olga V Shlepova
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow region, Russia
| | - Nathalia A Vasilyeva
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.,Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander A Andreev-Andrievskiy
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.,Institute of Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anfisa S Popova
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.,Institute of Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Evgeniya A Lagereva
- Institute of Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Sergey G Koshelev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Dmitry A Dolgikh
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey A Kozlov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Pavel M Balaban
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.,Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Mikhail P Kirpichnikov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ekaterina N Lyukmanova
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow region, Russia
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10
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Groman SM. The Neurobiology of Impulsive Decision-Making and Reinforcement Learning in Nonhuman Animals. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2020; 47:23-52. [PMID: 32157666 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2020_127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Impulsive decisions are those that favor immediate over delayed rewards, involve the acceptance of undue risk or uncertainty, or fail to adapt to environmental changes. Pathological levels of impulsive decision-making have been observed in individuals with mental illness, but there may be substantial heterogeneity in the processes that drive impulsive choices. Understanding this behavioral heterogeneity may be critical for understanding associated diverseness in the neural mechanisms that give rise to impulsivity. The application of reinforcement learning algorithms in the deconstruction of impulsive decision-making phenotypes can help bridge the gap between biology and behavior and provide insights into the biobehavioral heterogeneity of impulsive choice. This chapter will review the literature on the neurobiological mechanisms of impulsive decision-making in nonhuman animals; specifically, the role of the amine neuromodulatory systems (dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine) in impulsive decision-making and reinforcement learning processes is discussed. Ultimately, the integration of reinforcement learning algorithms with sophisticated behavioral and neuroscience techniques may be critical for advancing the understanding of the neurochemical basis of impulsive decision-making.
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11
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Casamassa A, Ferrari D, Gelati M, Carella M, Vescovi AL, Rosati J. A Link between Genetic Disorders and Cellular Impairment, Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Reveal the Functional Consequences of Copy Number Variations in the Central Nervous System-A Close Look at Chromosome 15. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21051860. [PMID: 32182809 PMCID: PMC7084702 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21051860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent cutting-edge human genetics technology has allowed us to identify copy number variations (CNVs) and has provided new insights for understanding causative mechanisms of human diseases. A growing number of studies show that CNVs could be associated with physiological mechanisms linked to evolutionary trigger, as well as to the pathogenesis of various diseases, including cancer, autoimmune disease and mental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, intellectual disabilities or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Their incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity make diagnosis difficult and hinder comprehension of the mechanistic bases of these disorders. Additional elements such as co-presence of other CNVs, genomic background and environmental factors are involved in determining the final phenotype associated with a CNV. Genetically engineered animal models are helpful tools for understanding the behavioral consequences of CNVs. However, the genetic background and the biology of these animal model systems have sometimes led to confusing results. New cellular models obtained through somatic cellular reprogramming technology that produce induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from human subjects are being used to explore the mechanisms involved in the pathogenic consequences of CNVs. Considering the vast quantity of CNVs found in the human genome, we intend to focus on reviewing the current literature on the use of iPSCs carrying CNVs on chromosome 15, highlighting advantages and limits of this system with respect to mouse model systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Casamassa
- Cellular Reprogramming Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Viale dei Cappuccini 1, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy;
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Viale Abramo Lincoln 5, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Daniela Ferrari
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy;
| | - Maurizio Gelati
- Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Viale dei Cappuccini 1, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy; (M.G.); (M.C.)
| | - Massimo Carella
- Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Viale dei Cappuccini 1, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy; (M.G.); (M.C.)
| | - Angelo Luigi Vescovi
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy;
- Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Viale dei Cappuccini 1, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy; (M.G.); (M.C.)
- Correspondence: (A.L.V.); (J.R.)
| | - Jessica Rosati
- Cellular Reprogramming Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Viale dei Cappuccini 1, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy;
- Correspondence: (A.L.V.); (J.R.)
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12
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Jankowska A, Satała G, Partyka A, Wesołowska A, Bojarski AJ, Pawłowski M, Chłoń-Rzepa G. Discovery and Development of Non-Dopaminergic Agents for the Treatment of Schizophrenia: Overview of the Preclinical and Early Clinical Studies. Curr Med Chem 2019; 26:4885-4913. [PMID: 31291870 DOI: 10.2174/0929867326666190710172002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder that affects about 1 in 100 people around the world and results in persistent emotional and cognitive impairments. Untreated schizophrenia leads to deterioration in quality of life and premature death. Although the clinical efficacy of dopamine D2 receptor antagonists against positive symptoms of schizophrenia supports the dopamine hypothesis of the disease, the resistance of negative and cognitive symptoms to these drugs implicates other systems in its pathophysiology. Many studies suggest that abnormalities in glutamate homeostasis may contribute to all three groups of schizophrenia symptoms. Scientific considerations also include disorders of gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic and serotonergic neurotransmissions as well as the role of the immune system. The purpose of this review is to update the most recent reports on the discovery and development of non-dopaminergic agents that may reduce positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia, and may be alternative to currently used antipsychotics. This review collects the chemical structures of representative compounds targeting metabotropic glutamate receptor, gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor, alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, glycine transporter type 1 and glycogen synthase kinase 3 as well as results of in vitro and in vivo studies indicating their efficacy in schizophrenia. Results of clinical trials assessing the safety and efficacy of the tested compounds have also been presented. Finally, attention has been paid to multifunctional ligands with serotonin receptor affinity or phosphodiesterase inhibitory activity as novel strategies in the search for dedicated medicines for patients with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Jankowska
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 9 Medyczna Street, 30-688 Krakow, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Satała
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smetna Street, 31-343 Krakow, Poland
| | - Anna Partyka
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 9 Medyczna Street, 30-688 Krakow, Poland
| | - Anna Wesołowska
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 9 Medyczna Street, 30-688 Krakow, Poland
| | - Andrzej J Bojarski
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smetna Street, 31-343 Krakow, Poland
| | - Maciej Pawłowski
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 9 Medyczna Street, 30-688 Krakow, Poland
| | - Grażyna Chłoń-Rzepa
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 9 Medyczna Street, 30-688 Krakow, Poland
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13
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Rodrigues FS, de Zorzi VN, Funghetto MP, Haupental F, Cardoso AS, Marchesan S, Cardoso AM, Schinger MRC, Machado AK, da Cruz IBM, Duarte MMMF, Xavier LL, Furian AF, Oliveira MS, Santos ARS, Royes LFF, Fighera MR. Involvement of the Cholinergic Parameters and Glial Cells in Learning Delay Induced by Glutaric Acid: Protection by N-Acetylcysteine. Mol Neurobiol 2018; 56:4945-4959. [PMID: 30421167 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-018-1395-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Dysfunction of basal ganglia neurons is a characteristic of glutaric acidemia type I (GA-I), an autosomal recessive inherited neurometabolic disease characterized by deficiency of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (GCDH) and accumulation of glutaric acid (GA). The affected patients present clinical manifestations such as motor dysfunction and memory impairment followed by extensive striatal neurodegeneration. Knowing that there is relevant striatal dysfunction in GA-I, the purpose of the present study was to verify the performance of young rats chronically injected with GA in working and procedural memory test, and whether N-acetylcysteine (NAC) would protect against impairment induced by GA. Rat pups were injected with GA (5 μmol g body weight-1, subcutaneously; twice per day; from the 5th to the 28th day of life) and were supplemented with NAC (150 mg/kg/day; intragastric gavage; for the same period). We found that GA injection caused delay procedural learning; increase of cytokine concentration, oxidative markers, and caspase levels; decrease of antioxidant defenses; and alteration of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Interestingly, we found an increase in glial cell immunoreactivity and decrease in the immunoreactivity of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit alpha 7 (α7nAChR), and neuronal nuclei (NeuN) in the striatum. Indeed, NAC administration improved the cognitive performance, ROS production, neuroinflammation, and caspase activation induced by GA. NAC did not prevent neuronal death, however protected against alterations induced by GA on Iba-1 and GFAP immunoreactivities and AChE activity. Then, this study suggests possible therapeutic strategies that could help in GA-I treatment and the importance of the striatum in the learning tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Silva Rodrigues
- Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de Neuropsiquiatria, Laboratório de Neuropsiquiatria Experimental e Clínico, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil
- Centro de Educação Física e Desportos, Departamento de Métodos e Técnicas Desportivas, Laboratório de Bioquímica do Exercício (BIOEX), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
- Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Neurobiologia da Dor e Inflamação, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
- Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil
| | - Viviane Nogueira de Zorzi
- Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de Neuropsiquiatria, Laboratório de Neuropsiquiatria Experimental e Clínico, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil
- Centro de Educação Física e Desportos, Departamento de Métodos e Técnicas Desportivas, Laboratório de Bioquímica do Exercício (BIOEX), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
| | - Marla Parizzi Funghetto
- Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de Neuropsiquiatria, Laboratório de Neuropsiquiatria Experimental e Clínico, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil
- Centro de Educação Física e Desportos, Departamento de Métodos e Técnicas Desportivas, Laboratório de Bioquímica do Exercício (BIOEX), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Haupental
- Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de Neuropsiquiatria, Laboratório de Neuropsiquiatria Experimental e Clínico, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil
- Centro de Educação Física e Desportos, Departamento de Métodos e Técnicas Desportivas, Laboratório de Bioquímica do Exercício (BIOEX), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
| | - Alexandra Seide Cardoso
- Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de Neuropsiquiatria, Laboratório de Neuropsiquiatria Experimental e Clínico, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil
- Centro de Educação Física e Desportos, Departamento de Métodos e Técnicas Desportivas, Laboratório de Bioquímica do Exercício (BIOEX), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
| | - Sara Marchesan
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica Toxicológica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Andréia M Cardoso
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica Toxicológica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Maria Rosa C Schinger
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica Toxicológica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Alencar Kolinski Machado
- Centro de Ciências da Saúde Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Ivana Beatrice Mânica da Cruz
- Centro de Ciências da Saúde Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Marta Maria Medeiros Frescura Duarte
- Centro de Ciências da Saúde Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Léder L Xavier
- Faculdade de Biociências, Laboratório Central de Microscopia e Microanálise, Departamento de Ciências Fisiológica, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, 90610-000, Brazil
| | - Ana Flavia Furian
- Centro de Ciências da Saúde Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Mauro Schneider Oliveira
- Centro de Ciências da Saúde Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Adair Roberto Soares Santos
- Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Neurobiologia da Dor e Inflamação, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
- Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil
| | - Luiz Fernando Freire Royes
- Centro de Educação Física e Desportos, Departamento de Métodos e Técnicas Desportivas, Laboratório de Bioquímica do Exercício (BIOEX), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
- Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica Toxicológica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil
- Centro de Ciências da Saúde Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Michele Rechia Fighera
- Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de Neuropsiquiatria, Laboratório de Neuropsiquiatria Experimental e Clínico, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil.
- Centro de Educação Física e Desportos, Departamento de Métodos e Técnicas Desportivas, Laboratório de Bioquímica do Exercício (BIOEX), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
- Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 88040-900, Brazil.
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica Toxicológica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil.
- Centro de Ciências da Saúde Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, 97105-900, Brazil.
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14
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Milienne-Petiot M, Higa KK, Grim A, Deben D, Groenink L, Twamley EW, Geyer MA, Young JW. Nicotine improves probabilistic reward learning in wildtype but not alpha7 nAChR null mutants, yet alpha7 nAChR agonists do not improve probabilistic learning. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2018; 28:1217-1231. [PMID: 30213668 PMCID: PMC6344043 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2018.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2017] [Revised: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive impairments, e.g., reward learning, are present in various psychiatric disorders and warrant treatment. Improving reward-related learning could synergistically enhance psychosocial treatments and cognition generally. A critical first step is to understand the mechanisms underlying reward learning. The dopamine system has been implicated in such learning, but less known is how indirect activation of this system may affect reward learning. We determined the role of alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) on a probabilistic reversal learning task (PRLT) in mice that includes reward and punishment. Male alpha7 knockout (KO), heterozygous (HT), and wildtype (WT) littermate mice (n = 84) were treated with vehicle, 0.03, or 0.3 mg/kg nicotine. Two cohorts of C57BL/6NJ male mice were treated with various alpha7 nAChR ligands, including the full agonists PNU282877 and AR-R-17779, the positive allosteric modulator CCMI, the partial agonist SSR180711, and the antagonist methyllycaconitine. All mice were then tested in the PRLT. Nicotine (0.3 mg/kg) significantly improved initial reward learning in alpha7 WT and HT mice but did not improve learning in KO mice, suggesting an involvement of the alpha7 nAChR in the pro-learning effects of nicotine. Neither alpha7 nAChR treatments (PNU282987, AR-R-17779, CCMI, SSR180711, nor methyllycaconitine) affected mouse PRLT performance however. Nicotine improved reward learning via a mechanism that may include alpha7 nAChRs. This improvement unlikely relied solely on alpha7 nAChRs however, since no alpha7 nAChR ligand improved reward learning in normal mice. Future assessments of the effects of other nAChR subtypes on reward learning are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Milienne-Petiot
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, United States; Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Kerin K Higa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, United States
| | - Andrea Grim
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, United States
| | - Debbie Deben
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, United States; Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Lucianne Groenink
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, United States
| | - Elizabeth W Twamley
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, United States; Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health and Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, United States
| | - Mark A Geyer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, United States; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, United States; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United States.
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Hassan M, Abbas Q, Seo SY, Shahzadi S, Ashwal HA, Zaki N, Iqbal Z, Moustafa AA. Computational modeling and biomarker studies of pharmacological treatment of Alzheimer's disease (Review). Mol Med Rep 2018; 18:639-655. [PMID: 29845262 PMCID: PMC6059694 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2018.9044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex and multifactorial disease. In order to understand the genetic influence in the progression of AD, and to identify novel pharmaceutical agents and their associated targets, the present study discusses computational modeling and biomarker evaluation approaches. Based on mechanistic signaling pathway approaches, various computational models, including biochemical and morphological models, are discussed to explore the strategies that may be used to target AD treatment. Different biomarkers are interpreted on the basis of morphological and functional features of amyloid β plaques and unstable microtubule‑associated tau protein, which is involved in neurodegeneration. Furthermore, imaging and cerebrospinal fluids are also considered to be key methods in the identification of novel markers for AD. In conclusion, the present study reviews various biochemical and morphological computational models and biomarkers to interpret novel targets and agonists for the treatment of AD. This review also highlights several therapeutic targets and their associated signaling pathways in AD, which may have potential to be used in the development of novel pharmacological agents for the treatment of patients with AD. Computational modeling approaches may aid the quest for the development of AD treatments with enhanced therapeutic efficacy and reduced toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mubashir Hassan
- Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences, Kongju National University, Gongju, Chungcheongnam 32588, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Molecular Science and Bioinformatics, Dyal Singh Trust Library, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
| | - Qamar Abbas
- Department of Physiology, University of Sindh, Jamshoro 76080, Pakistan
| | - Sung-Yum Seo
- Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences, Kongju National University, Gongju, Chungcheongnam 32588, Republic of Korea
| | - Saba Shahzadi
- Institute of Molecular Science and Bioinformatics, Dyal Singh Trust Library, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
- Department of Bioinformatics, Virtual University Davis Road Campus, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
| | - Hany Al Ashwal
- College of Information Technology, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates
| | - Nazar Zaki
- College of Information Technology, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates
| | - Zeeshan Iqbal
- Institute of Molecular Science and Bioinformatics, Dyal Singh Trust Library, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
| | - Ahmed A. Moustafa
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW 2751, Australia
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behavior and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW 2751, Australia
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Objective assessment of exploratory behaviour in schizophrenia using wireless motion capture. Schizophr Res 2018; 195:122-129. [PMID: 28954705 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Revised: 09/09/2017] [Accepted: 09/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Motivation deficits are a prominent feature of schizophrenia and have substantial consequences for functional outcome. The impact of amotivation on exploratory behaviour has not been extensively assessed by entirely objective means. This study evaluated deficits in exploratory behaviour in an open-field setting using wireless motion capture. Twenty-one stable adult outpatients with schizophrenia and twenty matched healthy controls completed the Novelty Exploration Task, in which participants explored a novel environment containing familiar and uncommon objects. Objective motion data were used to index participants' locomotor activity and tendency for visual and tactile object exploration. Clinical assessments of positive and negative symptoms, apathy, cognition, depression, medication side-effects, and community functioning were also administered. Relationships between task performance and clinical measures were evaluated using Spearman correlations, and group differences were evaluated using multivariate analysis of covariance tests. Although locomotor activity and tactile exploration were similar between the schizophrenia and healthy control groups, schizophrenia participants exhibited reduced visual object exploration (F(2,35)=3.40, p=0.045). Further, schizophrenia participants' geometric pattern of locomotion, visual exploration, and tactile exploration were correlated with overall negative symptoms (|ρ|=0.46-0.64, p<=0.039) and apathy (|ρ|=0.49-0.62, p<=0.028), and both visual and tactile exploration were also correlated with community functioning (|ρ|=0.46-0.48, p<=0.043). The Novelty Exploration Task may be a valuable tool to quantify exploratory behaviour beyond what is captured through standard clinical instruments and human observer ratings. Findings from this initial study suggest that locomotor activity and object interaction tendencies are impacted by motivation, and reveal deficits specifically in visual exploration in schizophrenia.
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Bismark AW, Thomas ML, Tarasenko M, Shiluk AL, Rackelmann SY, Young JW, Light GA. Relationship between effortful motivation and neurocognition in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2018; 193:69-76. [PMID: 28673753 PMCID: PMC5754266 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.06.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2017] [Revised: 06/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Effortful motivation and reward valuation learning deficits are associated with negative symptoms and impaired cognition in schizophrenia (SZ) patients. Whereas clinical assessments of motivation and reward value typically rely upon clinician ratings or self-report scales, behavioral measures often confound these constructs. Simple reverse-translated behavioral tasks that independently quantify motivation and reward valuation-which could then be linked to cognition-may facilitate the development of pro-cognitive therapeutics by bridging the "preclinical-to-clinical" gap. This study determined whether novel behavioral measures of effortful motivation and reward valuation are associated with impaired cognition in SZ patients (n=36). Patients completed the Progressive Ratio Breakpoint task (PRBT; physical effort motivation) and the Probabilistic Learning Task (PLT; reward learning/valuation) in conjunction with the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). SZ patients exhibited statistically significant deficits in global cognition and all individual MCCB subdomains. Significant correlations were observed between PRBT and MCCB global cognition (r=0.52), speed of processing (r=0.56) and attention vigilance (r=0.48) subdomains, but not with PLT or clinical symptoms. Results indicate that effort and reward learning deficits are dissociable targets that can improve our understanding of cognitive impairments associated among patients with SZ. More importantly, the results support the long-standing notion that the measurement of cognitive impairments in SZ is highly linked to a willingness to expend effort. The availability of a PRBT designed for use in both rodents and humans could improve our understanding of the nature of cognitive impairments in neuropsychiatric disorders and accelerate the development of novel pro-cognitive therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew W Bismark
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, United States
| | - Michael L Thomas
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, United States
| | | | - Alexandra L Shiluk
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, United States
| | - Sonia Y Rackelmann
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, United States
| | - Jared W Young
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, United States.
| | - Gregory A Light
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, United States
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Uddin M, Unda BK, Kwan V, Holzapfel NT, White SH, Chalil L, Woodbury-Smith M, Ho KS, Harward E, Murtaza N, Dave B, Pellecchia G, D’Abate L, Nalpathamkalam T, Lamoureux S, Wei J, Speevak M, Stavropoulos J, Hope KJ, Doble BW, Nielsen J, Wassman ER, Scherer SW, Singh KK. OTUD7A Regulates Neurodevelopmental Phenotypes in the 15q13.3 Microdeletion Syndrome. Am J Hum Genet 2018; 102:278-295. [PMID: 29395074 PMCID: PMC5985537 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2018.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Copy-number variations (CNVs) are strong risk factors for neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. The 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome region contains up to ten genes and is associated with numerous conditions, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), epilepsy, schizophrenia, and intellectual disability; however, the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome remain unknown. We combined whole-genome sequencing, human brain gene expression (proteome and transcriptome), and a mouse model with a syntenic heterozygous deletion (Df(h15q13)/+ mice) and determined that the microdeletion results in abnormal development of cortical dendritic spines and dendrite outgrowth. Analysis of large-scale genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data identified OTUD7A as a critical gene for brain function. OTUD7A was found to localize to dendritic and spine compartments in cortical neurons, and its reduced levels in Df(h15q13)/+ cortical neurons contributed to the dendritic spine and dendrite outgrowth deficits. Our results reveal OTUD7A as a major regulatory gene for 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome phenotypes that contribute to the disease mechanism through abnormal cortical neuron morphological development.
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Phencyclidine increased while isolation rearing did not affect progressive ratio responding in rats: Investigating potential models of amotivation in schizophrenia. Behav Brain Res 2017; 364:413-422. [PMID: 29175446 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.11.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia is a debilitating neurodevelopmental disorder affecting 1% of the global population with heterogeneous symptoms including positive, negative, and cognitive. While treatment for positive symptoms exists, none have been developed to treat negative symptoms. Animal models of schizophrenia are required to test targeted treatments and since patients exhibit reduced effort (breakpoints) for reward in a progressive ratio (PR) task, we examined the PR breakpoints of rats treated with the NMDA receptor antagonist phencyclidine or those reared in isolation - two common manipulations used to induce schizophrenia-relevant behaviors in rodents. METHODS In two cohorts, the PR breakpoint for a palatable food reward was examined in Long Evans rats after: 1) a repeated phencyclidine regimen; 2) A subchronic phencyclidine regimen followed by drug washout; and 3) post-weaning social isolation. RESULTS Rats treated with repeated phencyclidine and those following washout from phencyclidine exhibited higher PR breakpoints than vehicle-treated rats. The breakpoint of isolation reared rats did not differ from those socially reared, despite abnormalities of these rats in other schizophrenia-relevant behaviors. CONCLUSION Despite their common use for modeling other schizophrenia-relevant behaviors neither phencyclidine treatment nor isolation rearing recreated the motivational deficits observed in patients with schizophrenia, as measured by PR breakpoint. Other manipulations, and negative symptom-relevant behaviors, require investigation prior to testing putative therapeutics.
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Milienne-Petiot M, Groenink L, Minassian A, Young JW. Blockade of dopamine D 1-family receptors attenuates the mania-like hyperactive, risk-preferring, and high motivation behavioral profile of mice with low dopamine transporter levels. J Psychopharmacol 2017; 31:1334-1346. [PMID: 28950781 PMCID: PMC10773978 DOI: 10.1177/0269881117731162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with bipolar disorder mania exhibit poor cognition, impulsivity, risk-taking, and goal-directed activity that negatively impact their quality of life. To date, existing treatments for bipolar disorder do not adequately remediate cognitive dysfunction. Reducing dopamine transporter expression recreates many bipolar disorder mania-relevant behaviors (i.e. hyperactivity and risk-taking). The current study investigated whether dopamine D1-family receptor blockade would attenuate the risk-taking, hypermotivation, and hyperactivity of dopamine transporter knockdown mice. METHODS Dopamine transporter knockdown and wild-type littermate mice were tested in mouse versions of the Iowa Gambling Task (risk-taking), Progressive Ratio Breakpoint Test (effortful motivation), and Behavioral Pattern Monitor (activity). Prior to testing, the mice were treated with the dopamine D1-family receptor antagonist SCH 23390 hydrochloride (0.03, 0.1, or 0.3 mg/kg), or vehicle. RESULTS Dopamine transporter knockdown mice exhibited hyperactivity and hyperexploration, hypermotivation, and risk-taking preference compared with wild-type littermates. SCH 23390 hydrochloride treatment decreased premature responding in dopamine transporter knockdown mice and attenuated their hypermotivation. SCH 23390 hydrochloride flattened the safe/risk preference, while reducing activity and exploratory levels of both genotypes similarly. CONCLUSIONS Dopamine transporter knockdown mice exhibited mania-relevant behavior compared to wild-type mice. Systemic dopamine D1-family receptor antagonism attenuated these behaviors in dopamine transporter knockdown, but not all effects were specific to only the knockdown mice. The normalization of behavior via blockade of dopamine D1-family receptors supports the hypothesis that D1 and/or D5 receptors could contribute to the mania-relevant behaviors of dopamine transporter knockdown mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Milienne-Petiot
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, United States of America
- Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Lucianne Groenink
- Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Arpi Minassian
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, United States of America
| | - Jared W. Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, United States of America
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United States of America
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21
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O'Tuathaigh CMP, Moran PM, Zhen XC, Waddington JL. Translating advances in the molecular basis of schizophrenia into novel cognitive treatment strategies. Br J Pharmacol 2017; 174:3173-3190. [PMID: 28667666 DOI: 10.1111/bph.13938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2017] [Revised: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The presence and severity of cognitive symptoms, including working memory, executive dysfunction and attentional impairment, contributes materially to functional impairment in schizophrenia. Cognitive symptoms have proved to be resistant to both first- and second-generation antipsychotic drugs. Efforts to develop a consensus set of cognitive domains that are both disrupted in schizophrenia and are amenable to cross-species validation (e.g. the National Institute of Mental Health Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia and Research Domain Criteria initiatives) are an important step towards standardization of outcome measures that can be used in preclinical testing of new drugs. While causative genetic mutations have not been identified, new technologies have identified novel genes as well as hitherto candidate genes previously implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and/or mechanisms of antipsychotic efficacy. This review comprises a selective summary of these developments, particularly phenotypic data arising from preclinical genetic models for cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia, with the aim of indicating potential new directions for pro-cognitive therapeutics. Linked Articles This article is part of a themed section on Pharmacology of Cognition: a Panacea for Neuropsychiatric Disease? To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v174.19/issuetoc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colm M P O'Tuathaigh
- School of Medicine, University College Cork, Brookfield Health Sciences Complex, Cork, Ireland
| | - Paula M Moran
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Xuechu C Zhen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Translational Research & Therapy for Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - John L Waddington
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Translational Research & Therapy for Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.,Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland
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22
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Barnes SA, Der-Avakian A, Young JW. Preclinical Models to Investigate Mechanisms of Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2017; 43:706-711. [PMID: 28586462 PMCID: PMC5472160 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbx065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A Barnes
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - Andre Der-Avakian
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA
- Desert-Pacific Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA
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Vagus Nerve Attenuates Hepatocyte Apoptosis upon Ischemia-Reperfusion via α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor on Kupffer Cells in Mice. Anesthesiology 2017; 125:1005-1016. [PMID: 27560466 DOI: 10.1097/aln.0000000000001309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (HIR) injury is a complication of liver surgery. As much as 50% of hepatocytes undergo apoptosis within the first 24 h of reperfusion. The neurotransmitters of the vagus nerve can activate α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) on macrophages. The function of Kupffer cells (KCs) determines HIR injury. We hypothesize that the vagus nerve could attenuate HIR-induced hepatocyte apoptosis by activating α7nAChR on KCs. METHODS Hepatic vagotomized C57BL/6J mice, KC-eliminated C57BL/6J mice, and α7nAChR mice were used for HIR. Primary KCs and hepatocytes were subjected to hypoxia/reoxygenation (HR). Liver injury, hepatocyte apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and soluble CD163 were measured. RESULTS Hepatic vagotomy and α7nAChR caused higher levels of alanine transaminase and liver caspase-3 and -8 activity by HIR. Activating α7nAChR attenuated these changes in wild-type but not in the α7nAChR mice. Furthermore, activating α7nAChR diminished hepatic injury and reduced liver apoptosis by HIR in vagotomized mice. In vitro, activating α7nAChR reduced apoptosis of hepatocytes cocultured with KCs that suffered HR. Similar to the effects by catalase, activating α7nAChR on KCs reduced ROS and H2O2 by HR. The supernatant from KCs, with α7nAChR activated or catalase treated, prevented hepatocyte apoptosis by HR. Finally, KC elimination reduced HIR-induced H2O2 production in mice. Activating α7nAChR significantly attenuated soluble CD163 both in mice by HIR (serum: 240 ± 34 vs. 446 ± 72; mean ± SD; n = 8; P < 0.01) and in KCs by HR (supernatant: 4.23 ± 0.06 vs. 5.60 ± 0.18; n = 3; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The vagus nerve could minimize HIR-induced liver apoptosis through activating α7nAChR on KCs possibly by preventing their excessive ROS production.
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Higa KK, Grim A, Kamenski ME, van Enkhuizen J, Zhou X, Li K, Naviaux JC, Wang L, Naviaux RK, Geyer MA, Markou A, Young JW. Nicotine withdrawal-induced inattention is absent in alpha7 nAChR knockout mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2017; 234:1573-1586. [PMID: 28243714 PMCID: PMC5420484 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-017-4572-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the USA, but quit attempts result in withdrawal-induced cognitive dysfunction and predicts relapse. Greater understanding of the neural mechanism(s) underlying these cognitive deficits is required to develop targeted treatments to aid quit attempts. OBJECTIVES We examined nicotine withdrawal-induced inattention in mice lacking the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) using the five-choice continuous performance test (5C-CPT). METHODS Mice were trained in the 5C-CPT prior to osmotic minipump implantation containing saline or nicotine. Experiment 1 used 40 mg kg-1 day-1 nicotine treatment and tested C57BL/6 mice 4, 28, and 52 h after pump removal. Experiment 2 used 14 and 40 mg kg-1 day-1 nicotine treatment in α7 nAChR knockout (KO) and wildtype (WT) littermates tested 4 h after pump removal. Subsets of WT mice were killed before and after pump removal to assess changes in receptor expression associated with nicotine administration and withdrawal. RESULTS Nicotine withdrawal impaired attention in the 5C-CPT, driven by response inhibition and target detection deficits. The overall attentional deficit was absent in α7 nAChR KO mice despite response disinhibition in these mice. Synaptosomal glutamate mGluR5 and dopamine D4 receptor expression were reduced during chronic nicotine but increased during withdrawal, potentially contributing to cognitive deficits. CONCLUSIONS The α7 nAChR may underlie nicotine withdrawal-induced deficits in target detection but is not required for response disinhibition deficits. Alterations to the glutamatergic and dopaminergic pathways may also contribute to withdrawal-induced attentional deficits, providing novel targets to alleviate the cognitive symptoms of withdrawal during quit attempts.
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Affiliation(s)
- K K Higa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - A Grim
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - M E Kamenski
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - J van Enkhuizen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - X Zhou
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA, 92037, USA
| | - K Li
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - J C Naviaux
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - L Wang
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - R K Naviaux
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - M A Geyer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA, 92037, USA
| | - A Markou
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - J W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA.
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA, 92037, USA.
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Milienne-Petiot M, Geyer MA, Arnt J, Young JW. Brexpiprazole reduces hyperactivity, impulsivity, and risk-preference behavior in mice with dopamine transporter knockdown-a model of mania. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2017; 234:1017-1028. [PMID: 28160035 PMCID: PMC5391249 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-017-4543-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Bipolar disorder (BD) is a unique mood disorder defined by periods of depression and mania. The defining diagnosis of BD is the presence of mania/hypomania, with symptoms including hyperactivity and risk-taking. Since current treatments do not ameliorate cognitive deficits such as risky decision-making, and impulsivity that can negatively affect a patient's quality of life, better treatments are needed. OBJECTIVES Here, we tested whether acute treatment with brexpiprazole, a serotonin-dopamine activity modulator with partial agonist activity at D2/3 and 5-HT1A receptors, would attenuate the BD mania-relevant behaviors of the dopamine transporter (DAT) knockdown mouse model of mania. METHODS The effects of brexpiprazole on DAT knockdown and wild-type littermate mice were examined in the behavioral pattern monitor (BPM) and Iowa gambling task (IGT) to quantify activity/exploration and impulsivity/risk-taking behavior respectively. RESULTS DAT knockdown mice exhibited hyper-exploratory behavior in the BPM and made fewer safe choices in the IGT. Brexpiprazole attenuated the mania-like hyper-exploratory phenotype and increased safe choices in risk-preferring DAT knockdown mice. Brexpiprazole also reduced safe choices in safe-preferring mice irrespective of genotype. Finally, brexpiprazole reduced premature (impulsive-like) responses in both groups of mice. CONCLUSIONS Consistent with earlier reports, DAT knockdown mice exhibited hyper-exploratory, risk-preferring, and impulsive-like profiles consistent with patients with BD mania in these tasks. These behaviors were attenuated after brexpiprazole treatment. These data therefore indicate that brexpiprazole could be a novel treatment for BD mania and/or risk-taking/impulsivity disorders, since it remediates some relevant behavioral abnormalities in this mouse model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Milienne-Petiot
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
- Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584, CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mark A Geyer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jørn Arnt
- Sunred Pharma Consulting, Solrod Strand, Denmark
- Synaptic Transmission, Neuroscience Drug Discovery, H. Lundbeck A/S, Ottiliavej 9, 2500, Valby, DK, Denmark
| | - Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA.
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
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Potasiewicz A, Nikiforuk A, Hołuj M, Popik P. Stimulation of nicotinic acetylcholine alpha7 receptors rescue schizophrenia-like cognitive impairments in rats. J Psychopharmacol 2017; 31:260-271. [PMID: 28168926 DOI: 10.1177/0269881116675509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR) dysfunction plays an important role in schizophrenia. Positive allosteric modulators of α7 nAChR have emerged as a promising therapeutic approach to manage cognitive deficits that are inadequately treated in schizophrenic patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ability of type I (CCMI) and type II (PNU120596) α7 nAChR positive allosteric modulators to counteract MK-801-induced cognitive and sensorimotor gating deficits. The activity of these compounds was compared with the action of the α7 nAChR agonist A582941. CCMI, PNU120596 and A582941 reversed the sensorimotor gating impairment evoked by MK-801 based on the prepulse inhibition of the startle response. Additionally, no MK-801-evoked working memory deficits were observed with α7 nAChR ligand pretreatment as assessed in a discrete paired-trial delayed alternation task. However, these compounds did not affect the rats' attentional performances in the five-choice serial reaction time test. The α7 nAChR agents demonstrated a beneficial effect on sensorimotor gating and some aspects of cognition tested in a rat model of schizophrenia. Therefore, these results support the use of α7 nAChR positive allosteric modulators as a potential treatment strategy in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Potasiewicz
- 1 Department of Behavioural Neuroscience and Drug Development, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Nikiforuk
- 1 Department of Behavioural Neuroscience and Drug Development, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Hołuj
- 1 Department of Behavioural Neuroscience and Drug Development, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Piotr Popik
- 1 Department of Behavioural Neuroscience and Drug Development, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland.,2 Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
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Striatal dopamine D1 receptor suppression impairs reward-associative learning. Behav Brain Res 2017; 323:100-110. [PMID: 28143767 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.01.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2016] [Revised: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Dopamine (DA) is required for reinforcement learning. Hence, disruptions in DA signaling may contribute to the learning deficits associated with psychiatric disorders. The DA D1 receptor (D1R) has been linked to learning and is a target for cognitive/motivational enhancement in patients with schizophrenia. Separating the striatal D1R contribution to learning vs. motivation, however, has been challenging. We suppressed striatal D1R expression in mice using a D1R-targeting short hairpin RNA (shRNA), delivered locally to the striatum via an adeno-associated virus (AAV). We then assessed reward- and punishment-associative learning using a probabilistic learning task and motivation using a progressive-ratio breakpoint procedure. We confirmed suppression of striatal D1Rs immunohistochemically and by testing locomotor activity after the administration of (+)-doxanthrine, a full D1R agonist, in control mice and those treated with the D1RshRNA. D1RshRNA-treated mice exhibited impaired reward-associative learning, while punishment-associative learning was spared. This deficit was unrelated to general learning impairments or amotivation, because the D1shRNA-treated mice exhibited normal Barnes maze learning and normal motivation in the progressive-ratio breakpoint procedure. Suppression of striatal D1Rs selectively impaired reward-associative learning whereas punishment-associative learning, aversion-motivated learning, and appetitive motivation were spared. Because patients with schizophrenia exhibit similar reward-associative learning deficits, D1R-targeted treatments should be investigated to improve reward learning in these patients.
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Fernandes CEM, Serafim KR, Gianlorenço ACL, Mattioli R. Cholinergic agonist reverses H1-induced memory deficit in mice. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2017; 72:16-22. [PMID: 27528108 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2016.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Revised: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of bilateral intraamygdalar microinjections of PNU-282987, a nicotinic cholinergic agonist, on anxiety and the reversal of amnesia induced by chlorpheniramine (CPA), an H1 histaminergic antagonist, in mice subjected to the elevated plusmaze (EPM). Two experiments were performed with seventy-nine adult male Swiss mice. The isolated microinjections of PNU-282987 did not produce effects on emotional memory; however, the combined microinjections of PNU-282987 and CPA were able to reverse the deficit in memory induced by CPA (ANOVA, p<0.05). Taken together, these results suggest that intraamygdalar injections of PNU-282987 did not induce effects on anxiety and emotional memory per se; however, concurrent microinjections of PNU-282987 and CPA-reverse amnesia induced-CPA which is suggestive of an interaction between the histaminergic and cholinergic systems in the modulation of emotion memory acquisition in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- C E M Fernandes
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Physiotherapy Department, Center of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Rod. Washington Luis, Km 235, 13565-905 Sao Carlos, Brazil.
| | - K R Serafim
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Physiotherapy Department, Center of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Rod. Washington Luis, Km 235, 13565-905 Sao Carlos, Brazil.
| | - A C L Gianlorenço
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Physiotherapy Department, Center of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Rod. Washington Luis, Km 235, 13565-905 Sao Carlos, Brazil.
| | - R Mattioli
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Physiotherapy Department, Center of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Rod. Washington Luis, Km 235, 13565-905 Sao Carlos, Brazil.
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Chrna7 deficient mice manifest no consistent neuropsychiatric and behavioral phenotypes. Sci Rep 2017; 7:39941. [PMID: 28045139 PMCID: PMC5206704 DOI: 10.1038/srep39941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, encoded by the CHRNA7 gene, has been implicated in various psychiatric and behavioral disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, epilepsy, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease, and is considered a potential target for therapeutic intervention. 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome is a rare genetic disorder, caused by submicroscopic deletions on chromosome 15q. CHRNA7 is the only gene in this locus that has been deleted entirely in cases involving the smallest microdeletions. Affected individuals manifest variable neurological and behavioral phenotypes, which commonly include developmental delay/intellectual disability, epilepsy, and autism spectrum disorder. Subsets of patients have short attention spans, aggressive behaviors, mood disorders, or schizophrenia. Previous behavioral studies suggested that Chrna7 deficient mice had attention deficits, but were normal in baseline behavioral responses, learning, memory, and sensorimotor gating. Given a growing interest in CHRNA7-related diseases and a better appreciation of its associated human phenotypes, an in-depth behavioral characterization of the Chrna7 deficient mouse model appeared prudent. This study was designed to investigate whether Chrna7 deficient mice manifest phenotypes related to those seen in human individuals, using an array of 12 behavioral assessments and electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings on freely-moving mice. Examined phenotypes included social interaction, compulsive behaviors, aggression, hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, and somatosensory gating. Our data suggests that mouse behavior and EEG recordings are not sensitive to decreased Chrna7 copy number.
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Lombardo S, Catteau J, Besson M, Maskos U. A role for β2* nicotinic receptors in a model of local amyloid pathology induced in dentate gyrus. Neurobiol Aging 2016; 46:221-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2016.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2015] [Revised: 05/22/2016] [Accepted: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Sex differences in animal models of schizophrenia shed light on the underlying pathophysiology. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 67:41-56. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2015] [Revised: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Mouse Model of Chromosome 15q13.3 Microdeletion Syndrome Demonstrates Features Related to Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Neurosci 2016; 35:16282-94. [PMID: 26658876 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3967-14.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The chromosome 15q13.3 microdeletion is a pathogenic copy number variation conferring epilepsy, intellectual disability, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We generated mice carrying a deletion of 1.2 Mb homologous to the 15q13.3 microdeletion in human patients. Here, we report that mice with a heterozygous deletion on a C57BL/6 background (D/+ mice) demonstrated phenotypes including enlarged/heavier brains (macrocephaly) with enlarged lateral ventricles, decreased social interactions, increased repetitive grooming behavior, reduced ultrasonic vocalizations, decreased auditory-evoked gamma band EEG, and reduced event-related potentials. D/+ mice had normal body weight, activity levels, sensory gating, and cognitive abilities and no signs of epilepsy/seizures. Our results demonstrate that D/+ mice represent ASD-related phenotypes associated with 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome. Further investigations using this chromosome-engineered mouse model may uncover the common mechanism(s) underlying ASD and other neurodevelopmental/psychiatric disorders representing the 15q13.3 microdeletion syndrome, including epilepsy, intellectual disability, and schizophrenia. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Recently discovered pathologic copy number variations (CNVs) from patients with neurodevelopmental/psychiatric disorders show very strong penetrance and thus are excellent candidates for mouse models of disease that can mirror the human genetic conditions with high fidelity. A 15q13.3 microdeletion in humans results in a range of neurodevelopmental/psychiatric disorders, including epilepsy, intellectual disability, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The disorders conferred by a 15q13.3 microdeletion also have overlapping genetic architectures and comorbidity in other patient populations such as those with epilepsy and schizophrenia/psychosis, as well as schizophrenia and ASD. We generated mice carrying a deletion of 1.2 Mb homologous to the 15q13.3 microdeletion in human patients, which allowed us to investigate the potential causes of neurodevelopmental/psychiatric disorders associated with the CNV.
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Parikh V, Kutlu MG, Gould TJ. nAChR dysfunction as a common substrate for schizophrenia and comorbid nicotine addiction: Current trends and perspectives. Schizophr Res 2016; 171:1-15. [PMID: 26803692 PMCID: PMC4762752 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2016.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2015] [Revised: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The prevalence of tobacco use in the population with schizophrenia is enormously high. Moreover, nicotine dependence is found to be associated with symptom severity and poor outcome in patients with schizophrenia. The neurobiological mechanisms that explain schizophrenia-nicotine dependence comorbidity are not known. This study systematically reviews the evidence highlighting the contribution of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) to nicotine abuse in schizophrenia. METHODS Electronic data bases (Medline, Google Scholar, and Web of Science) were searched using the selected key words that match the aims set forth for this review. A total of 276 articles were used for the qualitative synthesis of this review. RESULTS Substantial evidence from preclinical and clinical studies indicated that dysregulation of α7 and β2-subunit containing nAChRs account for the cognitive and affective symptoms of schizophrenia and nicotine use may represent a strategy to remediate these symptoms. Additionally, recent meta-analyses proposed that early tobacco use may itself increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. Genetic studies demonstrating that nAChR dysfunction that may act as a shared vulnerability factor for comorbid tobacco dependence and schizophrenia were found to support this view. The development of nAChR modulators was considered an effective therapeutic strategy to ameliorate psychiatric symptoms and to promote smoking cessation in schizophrenia patients. CONCLUSIONS The relationship between schizophrenia and smoking is complex. While the debate for the self-medication versus addiction vulnerability hypothesis continues, it is widely accepted that a dysfunction in the central nAChRs represent a common substrate for various symptoms of schizophrenia and comorbid nicotine dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinay Parikh
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19112, United States.
| | - Munir Gunes Kutlu
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19112, United States
| | - Thomas J Gould
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19112, United States
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Nicotinic receptors and lurasidone-mediated reversal of phencyclidine-induced deficit in novel object recognition. Behav Brain Res 2016; 301:204-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.10.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Revised: 10/16/2015] [Accepted: 10/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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35
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Wood C, Kohli S, Malcolm E, Allison C, Shoaib M. Subtype-selective nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists can improve cognitive flexibility in an attentional set shifting task. Neuropharmacology 2016; 105:106-113. [PMID: 26772970 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2015] [Revised: 12/31/2015] [Accepted: 01/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are considered to be viable targets to enhance cognition in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Activation of nAChRs with selective nicotinic receptor agonists may provide effective means to pharmacologically treat cognitive deficits observed in schizophrenia. Cognitive flexibility is one aspect of cognition, which can be assessed in a rodent model of the attentional set-shifting task (ASST). The aim of the present study was two-fold, firstly, to evaluate the efficacy of a series of subtype selective nAChR agonists, such as those that target α7 and α4β2 nAChR subtypes in non-compromised rodents. Secondly, nicotine as a prototypic agonist was evaluated for its effects to restore attentional deficits produced by sub-chronic ketamine exposure in the ASST. Male hooded Lister rats underwent habituation, consisting of a simple odour and medium discrimination with subsequent assessment 24 h later. In experimentally naïve rats, α7 subtype selective agonists, compound-A and SSR180711 along with PNU-120596, an α7 positive allosteric modulator (PAM), were compared against the β2* selective agonist, 5IA-85380. All compounds except for PNU-120596 were observed to significantly improve extra-dimensional (ED) shift performance, nicotine, 5IA-85380 and SSR180711 further enhanced the final reversal (REV3) stage of the task. In another experiment, sub-chronic ketamine treatment produced robust deficits during the ED and the REV3 stages of the discriminations; rodents required significantly more trials to reach criterion during these discriminations. These deficits were attenuated in rodents treated acutely with nicotine (0.1 mg/kg SC) 10 min prior to the ED shift. These results highlight the potential utility of targeting nAChRs to enhance cognitive flexibility, particularly the α7 and β2* receptor subtypes. The improvement with nicotine was much greater in rodents that were impaired following the sub-chronic ketamine exposure suggesting a greater therapeutic opportunity to target nicotinic receptors for patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Wood
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Medical School, Newcastle, NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Shivali Kohli
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Medical School, Newcastle, NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Emma Malcolm
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Medical School, Newcastle, NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Claire Allison
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Medical School, Newcastle, NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Mohammed Shoaib
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Medical School, Newcastle, NE2 4HH, UK.
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36
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Heath CJ, Phillips BU, Bussey TJ, Saksida LM. Measuring Motivation and Reward‐Related Decision Making in the Rodent Operant Touchscreen System. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 74:8.34.1-8.34.20. [DOI: 10.1002/0471142301.ns0834s74] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Heath
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge Cambridge United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin U. Phillips
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge Cambridge United Kingdom
| | - Timothy J. Bussey
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge Cambridge United Kingdom
| | - Lisa M. Saksida
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge Cambridge United Kingdom
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37
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ABT-089, but not ABT-107, ameliorates nicotine withdrawal-induced cognitive deficits in C57BL6/J mice. Behav Pharmacol 2015; 26:241-8. [PMID: 25426579 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Nicotine withdrawal produces cognitive deficits that can predict relapse. Amelioration of these cognitive deficits emerges as a target in current smoking cessation therapies. In rodents, withdrawal from chronic nicotine disrupts contextual fear conditioning (CFC), whereas acute nicotine enhances this hippocampus-specific learning and memory. These modifications are mediated by β2-subunit-containing (β2*) nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the hippocampus. We aimed to test ABT-089, a partial agonist of α4β2*, and ABT-107, an α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist, for amelioration of cognitive deficits induced by withdrawal from chronic nicotine in mice. Mice underwent chronic nicotine administration (12.6 mg/kg/day or saline for 12 days), followed by 24 h of withdrawal. At the end of withdrawal, mice received 0.3 or 0.6 mg/kg ABT-089 or 0.3 mg/kg ABT-107 (doses were determined through initial dose-response experiments and prior studies) and were trained and tested for CFC. Nicotine withdrawal produced deficits in CFC that were reversed by acute ABT-089, but not ABT-107. Cued conditioning was not affected. Taken together, our results suggest that modulation of hippocampal learning and memory using ABT-089 may be an effective component of novel therapeutic strategies for nicotine addiction.
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Young JW, Kamenski ME, Higa KK, Light GA, Geyer MA, Zhou X. GlyT-1 Inhibition Attenuates Attentional But Not Learning or Motivational Deficits of the Sp4 Hypomorphic Mouse Model Relevant to Psychiatric Disorders. Neuropsychopharmacology 2015; 40:2715-26. [PMID: 25907107 PMCID: PMC4864647 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2014] [Revised: 02/12/2015] [Accepted: 02/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Serious mental illness occurs in 25% of the general population, with many disorders being neurodevelopmental, lifelong, and debilitating. The wide variation and overlap in symptoms across disorders increases the difficulty of research and treatment development. The NIMH Research Domain of Criteria initiative aims to improve our understanding of the molecular and behavioral consequences of specific neurodevelopmental mechanisms across disorders, enabling targeted treatment development. The transcription factor Specificity Protein 4 (SP4) is important for neurodevelopment and is genetically associated with both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Reduced Sp4 expression in mice (hypomorphic) reproduces several characteristics of psychiatric disorders. We further tested the utility of Sp4 hypomorphic mice as a model organism relevant to psychiatric disorders by assessing cognitive control plus effort and decision-making aspects of approach motivation using cross-species-relevant tests. Sp4 hypomorphic mice exhibited impaired attention as measured by the 5-Choice Continuous Performance Test, an effect that was attenuated by glycine type-1 transporter (GlyT-1) inhibition. Hypomorphic mice also exhibited reduced motivation to work for a reward and impaired probabilistic learning. These deficits may stem from affected anticipatory reward, analogous to anhedonia in patients with schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. Neither positive valence deficit was attenuated by GlyT-1 treatment, suggesting that these and the attentional deficits stem from different underlying mechanisms. Given the association of SP4 gene with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, the present studies provide support that personalized GlyT-1 inhibition may treat attentional deficits in neuropsychiatric patients with low SP4 levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA,Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA,Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA, Tel: +1 619 543 3582, Fax: +1 619 735 9205, E-mail:
| | - Mary E Kamenski
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kerin K Higa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Gregory A Light
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA,Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Mark A Geyer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA,Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Xianjin Zhou
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA,Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
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39
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Potasiewicz A, Kos T, Ravazzini F, Puia G, Arias HR, Popik P, Nikiforuk A. Pro-cognitive activity in rats of 3-furan-2-yl-N-p-tolyl-acrylamide, a positive allosteric modulator of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Br J Pharmacol 2015; 172:5123-35. [PMID: 26276349 DOI: 10.1111/bph.13277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2015] [Revised: 07/21/2015] [Accepted: 07/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7 nAChRs) may represent useful targets for cognitive improvement. The aim of this study is to compare the pro-cognitive activity of selective α7-nAChR ligands, including the partial agonists, DMXBA and A-582941, as well as the positive allosteric modulator, 3-furan-2-yl-N-p-tolyl-acrylamide (PAM-2). EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH The attentional set-shifting task (ASST) and the novel object recognition task (NORT) in rats, were used to evaluate the pro-cognitive activity of each ligand [i.e., PAM-2 (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg·kg(-1) ), DMXBA and A-582941 (0.3 and 1.0 mg·kg(-1) )], in the absence and presence of methyllycaconitine (MLA), a selective competitive antagonist. To determine potential drug interactions, an inactive dose of PAM-2 (0.5 mg·kg(-1) ) was co-injected with inactive doses of either agonist - DMXBA: 0.1 (NORT); 0.3 mg·kg(-1) (ASST) or A-582941: 0.1 mg·kg(-1) . KEY RESULTS PAM-2, DMXBA, and A-582941 improved cognition in a MLA-dependent manner, indicating that the observed activities are mediated by α7 nAChRs. Interestingly, the co-injection of inactive doses of PAM-2 and DMXBA or A-582941 also improved cognition, suggesting drug interactions. Moreover, PAM-2 reversed the scopolamine-induced NORT deficit. The electrophysiological results also support the view that PAM-2 potentiates the α7 nAChR currents elicited by a fixed concentration (3 μM) of DMXBA with apparent EC50 = 34 ± 3 μM and Emax = 225 ± 5 %. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Our results support the view that α7 nAChRs are involved in cognition processes and that PAM-2 is a novel promising candidate for the treatment of cognitive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Potasiewicz
- Behavioral Neuroscience and Drug Development, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smetna Street, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - T Kos
- Behavioral Neuroscience and Drug Development, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smetna Street, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - F Ravazzini
- Department of Life Science, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - G Puia
- Department of Life Science, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - H R Arias
- Department of Medical Education, California Northstate University College of Medicine, CA, 95757, USA
| | - P Popik
- Behavioral Neuroscience and Drug Development, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smetna Street, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - A Nikiforuk
- Behavioral Neuroscience and Drug Development, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smetna Street, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
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40
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Kolisnyk B, Al-Onaizi MA, Prado VF, Prado MAM. α7 nicotinic ACh receptor-deficient mice exhibit sustained attention impairments that are reversed by β2 nicotinic ACh receptor activation. Br J Pharmacol 2015. [PMID: 26222090 DOI: 10.1111/bph.13260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Disruptions of executive function, including attentional deficits, are a hallmark of a number of diseases. ACh in the prefrontal cortex regulates attentive behaviour; however, the role of α7 nicotinic ACh receptor (α7nAChR) in attention is contentious. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH In order to probe attention, we trained both wild-type and α7nAChR knockout mice on a touch screen-based five-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRT). Following training procedures, we then tested sustained attention using a probe trial experiment. To further differentiate the role of specific nicotinic receptors in attention, we then tested the effects of both α7nAChR and β2nAChR agonists on the performance of both wild-type and knockout mice on the 5-CSRT task. KEY RESULTS At low doses, α7nAChR agonists improved attentional performance of wild-type mice, while high doses had deleterious effects on attention. α7nAChR knockout mice displayed deficits in sustained attention that were not ameliorated by α7nAChR agonists. However, these deficits were completely reversed by the administration of a β2nAChR agonist. Furthermore, administration of a β2nAChR agonist in α7nAChR knockout mice elicited similar biochemical response in the prefrontal cortex as the administration of α7nAChR agonists in wild-type mice. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Our experiments reveal an intricate relationship between distinct nicotinic receptors to regulate attentional performance and provide the basis for targeting β2nAChRs pharmacologically to decrease attentional deficits due to a dysfunction in α7nAChRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Kolisnyk
- Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Mohammed A Al-Onaizi
- Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Vania F Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Marco A M Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
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41
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Young JW, Markou A. Translational Rodent Paradigms to Investigate Neuromechanisms Underlying Behaviors Relevant to Amotivation and Altered Reward Processing in Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2015; 41:1024-34. [PMID: 26194891 PMCID: PMC4535652 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbv093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Amotivation and reward-processing deficits have long been described in patients with schizophrenia and considered large contributors to patients' inability to integrate well in society. No effective treatments exist for these symptoms, partly because the neuromechanisms mediating such symptoms are poorly understood. Here, we propose a translational neuroscientific approach that can be used to assess reward/motivational deficits related to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia using behavioral paradigms that can also be conducted in experimental animals. By designing and using objective laboratory behavioral tools that are parallel in their parameters in rodents and humans, the neuromechanisms underlying behaviors with relevance to these symptoms of schizophrenia can be investigated. We describe tasks that measure the motivation of rodents to expend physical and cognitive effort to gain rewards, as well as probabilistic learning tasks that assess both reward learning and feedback-based decision making. The latter tasks are relevant because of demonstrated links of performance deficits correlating with negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. These tasks utilize operant techniques in order to investigate neural circuits targeting a specific domain across species. These tasks therefore enable the development of insights into altered mechanisms leading to negative symptom-relevant behaviors in patients with schizophrenia. Such findings will then enable the development of targeted treatments for these altered neuromechanisms and behaviors seen in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA
| | - Athina Markou
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA
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Featherstone RE, Siegel SJ. The Role of Nicotine in Schizophrenia. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2015; 124:23-78. [PMID: 26472525 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2015.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is associated with by severe disruptions in thought, cognition, emotion, and behavior. Patients show a marked increase in rates of smoking and nicotine dependence relative to nonaffected individuals, a finding commonly ascribed to the potential ameliorative effects of nicotine on symptom severity and cognitive impairment. Indeed, many studies have demonstrated improvement in patients following the administration of nicotine. Such findings have led to an increased emphasis on the development of therapeutic agents to target the nicotinic system as well as increasing the impetus to understand the genetic basis for nicotinic dysfunction in schizophrenia. The goal of this review article is to provide a critical summary of evidence for the role of the nicotinic system in schizophrenia. The first part will review the role of nicotine in normalization of primary dysfunctions and endophenotypical changes found in schizophrenia. The second part will provide a summary of genetic evidence linking polymorphisms in nicotinic receptor genes to smoking and schizophrenia. The third part will summarize attempts to treat schizophrenia using agents specifically targeting nicotinic and nicotinic receptor subtypes. Although currently available antipsychotic treatments are generally able to manage some aspects of schizophrenia (e.g., positive symptoms) they fail to address several other critically effected aspects of the disease. As such, the search for novel mechanisms to treat this disease is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert E Featherstone
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
| | - Steven J Siegel
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Sadler B, Haller G, Edenberg H, Tischfield J, Brooks A, Kramer J, Schuckit M, Nurnberger J, Goate A. Positive Selection on Loci Associated with Drug and Alcohol Dependence. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0134393. [PMID: 26270548 PMCID: PMC4536217 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Accepted: 07/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Much of the evolution of human behavior remains a mystery, including how certain disadvantageous behaviors are so prevalent. Nicotine addiction is one such phenotype. Several loci have been implicated in nicotine related phenotypes including the nicotinic receptor gene clusters (CHRNs) on chromosomes 8 and 15. Here we use 1000 Genomes sequence data from 3 populations (Africans, Asians and Europeans) to examine whether natural selection has occurred at these loci. We used Tajima's D and the integrated haplotype score (iHS) to test for evidence of natural selection. Our results provide evidence for strong selection in the nicotinic receptor gene cluster on chromosome 8, previously found to be significantly associated with both nicotine and cocaine dependence, as well as evidence selection acting on the region containing the CHRNA5 nicotinic receptor gene on chromosome 15, that is genome wide significant for risk for nicotine dependence. To examine the possibility that this selection is related to memory and learning, we utilized genetic data from the Collaborative Studies on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) to test variants within these regions with three tests of memory and learning, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) Block Design, WAIS Digit Symbol and WAIS Information tests. Of the 17 SNPs genotyped in COGA in this region, we find one significantly associated with WAIS digit symbol test results. This test captures aspects of reaction time and memory, suggesting that a phenotype relating to memory and learning may have been the driving force behind selection at these loci. This study could begin to explain why these seemingly deleterious SNPs are present at their current frequencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke Sadler
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, United States of America
| | - Gabe Haller
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, United States of America
| | - Howard Edenberg
- Department of Molecular Biology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America
| | - Jay Tischfield
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, United States of America
| | - Andy Brooks
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, United States of America
| | - John Kramer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Marc Schuckit
- Department of Psychiatry, University of San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - John Nurnberger
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America
| | - Alison Goate
- Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, United States of America
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Nikiforuk A, Kos T, Potasiewicz A, Popik P. Positive allosteric modulation of alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors enhances recognition memory and cognitive flexibility in rats. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 25:1300-13. [PMID: 26003081 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2015.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2014] [Revised: 04/09/2015] [Accepted: 04/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
A wide body of preclinical and clinical data suggests that alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7-nAChRs) may represent useful targets for cognitive improvement in schizophrenia and Alzheimer׳s disease. A promising recent approach is based on the use of positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of α7-nAChRs due to their several advantages over the direct agonists. Nevertheless, the behavioural effects of this class of compounds, particularly with regard to higher-order cognitive functions, have not been broadly characterised. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the procognitive efficacies of type I and type II α7-nAChRs PAMs, N-(4-chlorophenyl)-[[(4-chlorophenyl)amino]methylene]-3-methyl-5-isoxazoleacet-amide (CCMI) and N-(5-Chloro-2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-N'-(5-methyl-3-isoxazolyl)urea (PNU-120596) in the novel object recognition task (NORT), attentional set-shifting task (ASST) and five-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) in rats. Additionally, the effects of galantamine, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor that also allosterically modulates nAChRs, were assessed. We report that CCMI (0.3-3mg/kg), PNU-120596 (0.3-3mg/kg) and galantamine (1-3mg/kg) attenuated the delay-induced impairment in NORT performance and facilitated cognitive flexibility in the ASST. Methyllycaconitine (3mg/kg) blocked the actions of CCMI, PNU-120596 and galantamine in the NORT and ASST, suggesting that the procognitive effects of these compounds are α7-nAChRs-dependent. However, none of the compounds tested affected the rats' attentional performance in the 5-CSRTT. The present findings confirm and extend the observations indicating that the positive allosteric modulation of α7-nAChRs enhances recognition memory and cognitive flexibility in preclinical tasks. Therefore, the present study supports the utility of α7-nAChRs PAMs as a potential cognitive enhancing therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Nikiforuk
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience and Drug Development, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | - Tomasz Kos
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience and Drug Development, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Potasiewicz
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience and Drug Development, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | - Piotr Popik
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience and Drug Development, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland.
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Hall FS, Der-Avakian A, Gould TJ, Markou A, Shoaib M, Young JW. Negative affective states and cognitive impairments in nicotine dependence. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 58:168-85. [PMID: 26054790 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2014] [Revised: 02/13/2015] [Accepted: 06/03/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Smokers have substantial individual differences in quit success in response to current treatments for nicotine dependence. This observation may suggest that different underlying motivations for continued tobacco use across individuals and nicotine cessation may require different treatments in different individuals. Although most animal models of nicotine dependence emphasize the positive reinforcing effects of nicotine as the major motivational force behind nicotine use, smokers generally report that other consequences of nicotine use, including the ability of nicotine to alleviate negative affective states or cognitive impairments, as reasons for continued smoking. These states could result from nicotine withdrawal, but also may be associated with premorbid differences in affective and/or cognitive function. Effects of nicotine on cognition and affect may alleviate these impairments regardless of their premorbid or postmorbid origin (e.g., before or after the development of nicotine dependence). The ability of nicotine to alleviate these symptoms would thus negatively reinforce behavior, and thus maintain subsequent nicotine use, contributing to the initiation of smoking, the progression to dependence and relapse during quit attempts. The human and animal studies reviewed here support the idea that self-medication for pre-morbid and withdrawal-induced impairments may be more important factors in nicotine addiction and relapse than has been previously appreciated in preclinical research into nicotine dependence. Given the diverse beneficial effects of nicotine under these conditions, individuals might smoke for quite different reasons. This review suggests that inter-individual differences in the diverse effects of nicotine associated with self-medication and negative reinforcement are an important consideration in studies attempting to understand the causes of nicotine addiction, as well as in the development of effective, individualized nicotine cessation treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Scott Hall
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
| | - Andre Der-Avakian
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Thomas J Gould
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Athina Markou
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Mohammed Shoaib
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
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Dissociable deficits of executive function caused by gestational adversity are linked to specific transcriptional changes in the prefrontal cortex. Neuropsychopharmacology 2015; 40:1353-63. [PMID: 25418810 PMCID: PMC4397392 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2014.313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2014] [Revised: 10/25/2014] [Accepted: 11/04/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Poor-quality maternal diet during pregnancy, and subsequent gestational growth disturbances in the offspring, have been implicated in the etiology of multiple neurodevelopmental disorders, including ADHD, schizophrenia, and autism. These disorders are characterized, in part, by abnormalities in responses to reward and errors of executive function. Here, we demonstrate dissociable deficits in reward processing and executive function in male and female mice, solely due to maternal malnutrition via high-fat or low-protein diets. Gestational exposure to a high-fat diet delayed acquisition of a fixed ratio response, and decreased motivation as assessed by progressive ratio. In contrast, offspring of a low-protein diet displayed no deficits in operant learning, but were more prone to assign salience to a cue that predicts reward (sign-tracking) in a Pavlovian-conditioned approach task. In the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT), gestational exposure to a high-fat diet promoted impulsivity, whereas exposure to a low-protein diet led to marked inattention. These dissociable executive function deficits are known to be mediated by the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC), which displays markers of epigenetic dysregulation in neurodevelopmental disorders. Following behavioral characterization, we assayed PFC gene expression using a targeted PCR array and found that both maternal diets increased overall transcription in PFC. Cluster analysis of the relationships between individual transcripts and behavioral outcomes revealed a cluster of primarily epigenetic modulators, whose overexpression was linked to executive function deficits. The overexpression of four genes, DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), δ-opioid receptor (OPRD1), cannabinoid receptor 1 (CNR1), and catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT), was strongly associated with overall poor performance. All 5-CSRTT deficits were associated with DNMT1 upregulation, whereas impulsive behavior could be dissociated from inattention by overexpression of OPRD1 or COMT, respectively, as well as a distinct cluster of epigenetic regulators. These data provide molecular support for dissociable domains of executive function.
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Pinnock F, Bosch D, Brown T, Simons N, Yeomans JR, DeOliveira C, Schmid S. Nicotine receptors mediating sensorimotor gating and its enhancement by systemic nicotine. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:30. [PMID: 25717295 PMCID: PMC4324144 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2014] [Accepted: 01/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle occurs when intensity stimuli precede stronger startle-inducing stimuli by 10–1000 ms. PPI deficits are found in individuals with schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders, and they correlate with other cognitive impairments. Animal research and clinical studies have demonstrated that both PPI and cognitive function can be enhanced by nicotine. PPI has been shown to be mediated, at least in part, by mesopontine cholinergic neurons that project to pontine startle neurons and activate muscarinic and potentially nicotine receptors (nAChRs). The subtypes and anatomical location of nAChRs involved in mediating and modulating PPI remain unresolved. We tested the hypothesis that nAChRs that are expressed by pontine startle neurons contribute to PPI. We also explored whether or not these pontine receptors are responsible for the nicotine enhancement of PPI. While systemic administration of nAChR antagonists had limited effects on PPI, PnC microinfusions of the non-α7nAChR preferring antagonist TMPH, but not of the α7nAChR antagonist MLA, into the PnC significantly reduced PPI. Electrophysiological recordings from startle-mediating PnC neurons confirmed that nicotine affects excitability of PnC neurons, which could be antagonized by TMPH, but not by MLA, indicating the expression of non-α7nAChR. In contrast, systemic nicotine enhancement of PPI was only reversed by systemic MLA and not by TMPH or local microinfusions of MLA into the PnC. In summary, our data indicate that non-α7nAChRs in the PnC contribute to PPI at stimulus intervals of 100 ms or less, whereas activation of α7nAChRs in other brain areas is responsible for the systemic nicotine enhancement of PPI. This is important knowledge for the correct interpretation of behavioral, preclinical, and clinical data as well as for developing drugs for the amelioration of PPI deficits and the enhancement of cognitive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farena Pinnock
- Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario London, ON, Canada
| | - Daniel Bosch
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada ; Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tyler Brown
- Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario London, ON, Canada
| | - Nadine Simons
- Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario London, ON, Canada
| | - John R Yeomans
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Cleusa DeOliveira
- Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario London, ON, Canada
| | - Susanne Schmid
- Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario London, ON, Canada ; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
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Young JW, Geyer MA. Developing treatments for cognitive deficits in schizophrenia: the challenge of translation. J Psychopharmacol 2015; 29:178-96. [PMID: 25516372 PMCID: PMC4670265 DOI: 10.1177/0269881114555252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a life-long debilitating mental disorder affecting tens of millions of people worldwide. The serendipitous discovery of antipsychotics focused pharmaceutical research on developing a better antipsychotic. Our understanding of the disorder has advanced however, with the knowledge that cognitive enhancers are required for patients in order to improve their everyday lives. While antipsychotics treat psychosis, they do not enhance cognition and hence are not antischizophrenics. Developing pro-cognitive therapeutics has been extremely difficult, however, especially when no approved treatment exists. In lieu of stumbling on an efficacious treatment, developing targeted compounds can be facilitated by understanding the neural mechanisms underlying altered cognitive functioning in patients. Equally importantly, these cognitive domains will need to be measured similarly in animals and humans so that novel targets can be tested prior to conducting expensive clinical trials. To date, the limited similarity of testing across species has resulted in a translational bottleneck. In this review, we emphasize that schizophrenia is a disorder characterized by abnormal cognitive behavior. Quantifying these abnormalities using tasks having cross-species validity would enable the quantification of comparable processes in rodents. This approach would increase the likelihood that the neural substrates underlying relevant behaviors will be conserved across species. Hence, we detail cross-species tasks which can be used to test the effects of manipulations relevant to schizophrenia and putative therapeutics. Such tasks offer the hope of providing a bridge between non-clinical and clinical testing that will eventually lead to treatments developed specifically for patients with deficient cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- JW Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - MA Geyer
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
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Motivational assessment of mice using the touchscreen operant testing system: effects of dopaminergic drugs. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:4043-57. [PMID: 26156636 PMCID: PMC4600476 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-015-4009-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2015] [Accepted: 06/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Touchscreens are widely used to examine rodent cognition. Current paradigms require animals to view stimuli and nose poke at an appropriate touchscreen location. After responding, there is little screen interaction and, as infra-red touchscreens eliminate the need for physical contact, minimal somatosensory feedback. It is therefore unclear if touchscreens can support the vigorous, repetitive responding required in paradigms like progressive ratio (PR) for assessing motivation and effort-related choice (ERC) for assessing decision-making. OBJECTIVES This study aims to adapt and validate PR and ERC for the rodent touchscreen. METHODS Male C57Bl/6 mice were trained until responding on PR stabilised. Amphetamine, sulpiride and raclopride were administered via the intraperitoneal route to modify performance. Mice were transferred to ERC and paradigm parameters adjusted to demonstrate behavioural modification. ERC reward preference was assessed by home cage choice analysis. RESULTS PR performance stabilised within seven sessions. Amphetamine (1 mg/kg) increased and raclopride (0.3 mg/kg) decreased performance by 63 and 28 %, respectively, with a 20-min injection-test interval. Sulpiride (50 mg/kg) decreased performance by 19 % following a 40-min injection-test interval. Increasing ERC operant requirements shifted responding from the operant response-dependent preferred reward towards the freely available alternative. CONCLUSIONS Vigorous, repetitive responding is sustainable in touchscreen PR and ERC and task validation mirrors non-touchscreen versions. Thus, motivation and reward-related decision-making can be measured directly with touchscreens and can be evaluated prior to cognitive testing in the same apparatus to avoid confounding by motivational factors.
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Tran H, Sawatari A, Leamey CA. The glycoprotein Ten-m3 mediates topography and patterning of thalamostriatal projections from the parafascicular nucleus in mice. Eur J Neurosci 2014; 41:55-68. [PMID: 25406022 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2014] [Revised: 09/29/2014] [Accepted: 09/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The striatum is the key input nucleus of the basal ganglia, and is implicated in motor control and learning. Despite the importance of striatal circuits, the mechanisms associated with their development are not well established. Previously, Ten-m3, a member of the Ten-m/teneurin/odz family of transmembrane glycoproteins, was found to be important in the mapping of binocular visual pathways. Here, we investigated a potential role for Ten-m3 in striatal circuit formation. In situ hybridisation revealed a patchy distribution of Ten-m3 mRNA expression superimposed on a high-dorsal to low-ventral gradient in a subregion of the striatal matrix. A survey of afferent/efferent structures associated with the matrix identified the parafascicular thalamic nucleus (PF) as a potential locus of action. Ten-m3 was also found to be expressed in a high-dorsal to low-ventral gradient in the PF, corresponding topographically to its expression in the striatum. Further, a subset of thalamic terminal clusters overlapped with Ten-m3-positive domains within the striatal matrix. Studies in wild-type (WT) and Ten-m3 knockout (KO) mice revealed no differences in overall striatal or PF structure. Thalamostriatal terminals in KOs, however, while still confined to the matrix subregion, lost their clustered appearance. Topography was also altered, with terminals from the lateral PF projecting ectopically to ventral and medial striatum, rather than remaining confined dorsolaterally as in WTs. Behaviorally, Ten-m3 KOs displayed delayed motor skill acquisition. This study demonstrates that Ten-m3 plays a key role in directing the formation of thalamostriatal circuitry, the first molecular candidate reported to regulate connectivity within this pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Tran
- Discipline of Physiology, Bosch Institute and School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
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