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Chan SY, Low XZ, Ngoh ZM, Ong ZY, Kee MZL, Huang P, Kumar S, Rifkin-Graboi A, Chong YS, Chen H, Tan KH, Chan JKY, Fortier MV, Gluckman PD, Zhou JH, Meaney MJ, Tan AP. Neonatal Nucleus Accumbens Microstructure Modulates Individual Susceptibility to Preconception Maternal Stress in Relation to Externalizing Behaviors. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2024; 63:1035-1046. [PMID: 38423282 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2023.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Maternal stress influences in utero brain development and is a modifiable risk factor for offspring psychopathologies. Reward circuitry dysfunction underlies various internalizing and externalizing psychopathologies. This study examined (1) the association between maternal stress and microstructural characteristics of the neonatal nucleus accumbens (NAcc), a major node of the reward circuitry, and (2) whether neonatal NAcc microstructure modulates individual susceptibility to maternal stress in relation to childhood behavioral problems. METHOD K-means longitudinal cluster analysis was performed to determine trajectories of maternal stress measures (Perceived Stress Scale [PSS], hair cortisol) from preconception to the third trimester. Neonatal NAcc microstructural measures (orientation density index [ODI] and intracellular volume fraction [ICVF]) were compared across trajectories. We then examined the interaction between maternal stress and neonatal NAcc microstructure on child internalizing and externalizing behaviors, assessed between ages 3 and 4 years. RESULTS Two trajectories of maternal stress magnitude ("low"/"high") were identified for both PSS (n = 287) and hair cortisol (n = 336). Right neonatal NAcc ODI (rNAcc-ODI) was significantly lower in "low" relative to "high" PSS trajectories (n = 77, p = .04). PSS at preconception had the strongest association with rNAcc-ODI (r = 0.293, p = .029). No differences in NAcc microstructure were found between hair cortisol trajectories. A significant interaction between preconception PSS and rNAcc-ODI on externalizing behavior was observed (n = 47, p = .047). CONCLUSION Our study showed that the preconception period contributes to in utero NAcc development, and that NAcc microstructure modulates individual susceptibility to preconception maternal stress in relation to externalizing problems. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY In the S-PRESTO population-based cohort study conducted in Singapore with 351 women and their children, higher levels of maternal perceived stress within the year before pregnancy were associated with increased dendritic complexity within offsprings' nucleus accumbens, indicative of a more advanced developmental profile. Variations in right nucleus accumbens microstructure significantly modulated the association between maternal perceived stress at preconception and externalizing behaviors in early childhood. Study findings suggest that maternal stress in the preconception period accelerates in-utero nucleus accumbens development, leading to differential risk to externalizing problems in later childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi Yu Chan
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xi Zhen Low
- National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Zhen Ming Ngoh
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Zi Yan Ong
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Michelle Z L Kee
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Pei Huang
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Anne Rifkin-Graboi
- National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yap-Seng Chong
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore, Singapore; National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore; National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Helen Chen
- KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Duke-National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kok Hian Tan
- KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Duke-National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jerry K Y Chan
- KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Duke-National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Marielle V Fortier
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore, Singapore; KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Duke-National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Peter D Gluckman
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore, Singapore; Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Juan H Zhou
- National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Michael J Meaney
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore, Singapore; National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Ai Peng Tan
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), Singapore, Singapore; National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore; National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
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Alcalá-Vida R, Barco A. Keep calm and carry H3K27me1 off. Neuron 2024; 112:2829-2832. [PMID: 39236677 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 09/07/2024]
Abstract
In this issue of Neuron, Torres-Berrío et al.1 show that stress-susceptible mice exhibit elevated H3K27me1 levels in nucleus accumbens neurons due to the action of the SUZ12 VEFS domain, strengthening the link between specific epigenetic changes and long-lasting stress-induced social, emotional, and cognitive alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Alcalá-Vida
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Av. Santiago Ramón y Cajal s/n. Sant Joan d'Alacant, 03550 Alicante, Spain
| | - Angel Barco
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Av. Santiago Ramón y Cajal s/n. Sant Joan d'Alacant, 03550 Alicante, Spain.
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Mercante F, Micioni Di Bonaventura E, Pucci M, Botticelli L, Cifani C, D'Addario C, Micioni Di Bonaventura MV. Repeated binge-like eating episodes in female rats alter adenosine A 2A and dopamine D2 receptor genes regulation in the brain reward system. Int J Eat Disord 2024; 57:1433-1446. [PMID: 38650547 DOI: 10.1002/eat.24216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Binge-eating disorder is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent binge-eating episodes, during which individuals consume excessive amounts of highly palatable food (HPF) in a short time. This study investigates the intricate relationship between repeated binge-eating episode and the transcriptional regulation of two key genes, adenosine A2A receptor (A2AAR) and dopamine D2 receptor (D2R), in selected brain regions of rats. METHOD Binge-like eating behavior on HPF was induced through the combination of food restrictions and frustration stress (15 min exposure to HPF without access to it) in female rats, compared to control rats subjected to only restriction or only stress or none of these two conditions. After chronic binge-eating episodes, nucleic acids were extracted from different brain regions, and gene expression levels were assessed through real-time quantitative PCR. The methylation pattern on genes' promoters was investigated using pyrosequencing. RESULTS The analysis revealed A2AAR upregulation in the amygdala and in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), and D2R downregulation in the nucleus accumbens in binge-eating rats. Concurrently, site-specific DNA methylation alterations at gene promoters were identified in the VTA for A2AAR and in the amygdala and caudate putamen for D2R. DISCUSSION The alterations on A2AAR and D2R genes regulation highlight the significance of epigenetic mechanisms in the etiology of binge-eating behavior, and underscore the potential for targeted therapeutic interventions, to prevent the development of this maladaptive feeding behavior. These findings provide valuable insights for future research in the field of eating disorders. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE Using an animal model with face, construct, and predictive validity, in which cycles of food restriction and frustration stress evoke binge-eating behavior, we highlight the significance of epigenetic mechanisms on adenosine A2A receptor (A2AAR) and dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) genes regulation. They could represent new potential targets for the pharmacological management of eating disorders characterized by this maladaptive feeding behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Mercante
- Department of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
| | | | - Mariangela Pucci
- Department of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Luca Botticelli
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | - Carlo Cifani
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | - Claudio D'Addario
- Department of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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O'Connor AM, Hagenauer MH, Thew Forrester LC, Maras PM, Arakawa K, Hebda-Bauer EK, Khalil H, Richardson ER, Rob FI, Sannah Y, Watson SJ, Akil H. Adolescent environmental enrichment induces social resilience and alters neural gene expression in a selectively bred rodent model with anxious phenotype. Neurobiol Stress 2024; 31:100651. [PMID: 38933284 PMCID: PMC11201356 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Stress is a major influence on mental health status; the ways that individuals respond to or copes with stressors determine whether they are negatively affected in the future. Stress responses are established by an interplay between genetics, environment, and life experiences. Psychosocial stress is particularly impactful during adolescence, a critical period for the development of mood disorders. In this study we compared two established, selectively-bred Sprague Dawley rat lines, the "internalizing" bred Low Responder (bLR) line versus the "externalizing" bred High Responder (bHR) line, to investigate how genetic temperament and adolescent environment impact future responses to social interactions and psychosocial stress, and how these determinants of stress response interact. Male bLR and bHR rats were exposed to social and environmental enrichment in adolescence prior to experiencing social defeat and were then assessed for social interaction and anxiety-like behavior. Adolescent enrichment caused rats to display more social interaction, as well as nominally less social avoidance, less submission during defeat, and resilience to the effects of social stress on corticosterone, in a manner that seemed more notable in bLRs. For bHRs, enrichment also caused greater aggression during a neutral social encounter and nominally during defeat, and decreased anxiety-like behavior. To explore the neurobiology underlying the development of social resilience in the anxious phenotype bLRs, RNA-seq was conducted on the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens, two brain regions that mediate stress regulation and social behavior. Gene sets previously associated with stress, social behavior, aggression and exploratory activity were enriched with differential expression in both regions, with a particularly large effect on gene sets that regulate social behaviors. Our findings provide further evidence that adolescent enrichment can serve as an inoculating experience against future stressors. The ability to induce social resilience in a usually anxious line of animals by manipulating their environment has translational implications, as it underscores the feasibility of intervention strategies targeted at genetically vulnerable adolescent populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Megan Hastings Hagenauer
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 48109
| | - Liam Cannon Thew Forrester
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 48109
| | - Pamela M. Maras
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 48109
| | - Keiko Arakawa
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 48109
| | - Elaine K. Hebda-Bauer
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 48109
| | - Huzefa Khalil
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 48109
| | - Evelyn R. Richardson
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 48109
| | - Farizah I. Rob
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 48109
| | - Yusra Sannah
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 48109
| | - Stanley J. Watson
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 48109
| | - Huda Akil
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 48109
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5
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Visocky V, Turner CJ, Lowrie MH, Alibro A, Messanvi F, Chudasama Y. Noradrenergic modulation of stress induced catecholamine release: Opposing influence of FG7142 and yohimbine. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.09.593389. [PMID: 38766011 PMCID: PMC11100835 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.09.593389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Background Life stress modulates decision making, particularly in the face of risk, in some cases prompting vulnerable populations to make suboptimal, life-altering choices. In the brain, stress is known to alter the extracellular release of catecholamines in structures such as basolateral amygdala (BLA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc), but the relationship between catecholamines and decision-making behavior under stress has not been systemically explored. Methods We developed an operant touchscreen decision-making task for rats comprising elements of loss aversion and risk seeking behavior. Rats were first injected systemically with an adrenergicα 2 A -receptor agonist (guanfacine) and antagonist (yohimbine), as well as a partial inverse GABAA agonist, FG 7142, known to induce anxiety and stress related physiological responses in a variety of species, including humans. We then used fiber photometry to monitor NE in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), and DA activity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) while animals engaged in decision-making and following systemic injections of FG 7142 and yohimbine. Results Neither yohimbine nor guanfacine had any impact on decision making strategy but altered motivational state with yohimbine making the animal almost insensitive to the reward outcome. The pharmacological induction of stress with FG 7142 biased the rats' decisions towards safety, but this bias shifted toward risk when co-treated with yohimbine. In the BLA and NAc, the FG 7142 altered catecholamine release, with systemic yohimbine producing opposing effects on NE and DA release. Conclusions Stress induced changes in catecholamine release in the BLA and NAc can directly influence loss sensitivity, decisions and motivation, which can be modulated by theα 2 A adrenoreceptor antagonist, yohimbine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Visocky
- Section on Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Carleigh J Turner
- Section on Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Matthew H Lowrie
- Section on Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Anthony Alibro
- Section on Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Fany Messanvi
- Section on Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Yogita Chudasama
- Section on Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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6
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O'Connor AM, Hagenauer MH, Forrester LCT, Maras PM, Arakawa K, Hebda-Bauer EK, Khalil H, Richardson ER, Rob FI, Sannah Y, Watson SJ, Akil H. Adolescent environmental enrichment induces social resilience and alters neural gene expression in a selectively bred rodent model with anxious phenotype. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.03.560702. [PMID: 38645129 PMCID: PMC11030238 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.03.560702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Stress is a major influence on mental health status; the ways that individuals respond to or copes with stressors determine whether they are negatively affected in the future. Stress responses are established by an interplay between genetics, environment, and life experiences. Psychosocial stress is particularly impactful during adolescence, a critical period for the development of mood disorders. In this study we compared two established, selectively-bred Sprague Dawley rat lines, the "internalizing" bred Low Responder (bLR) line versus the "externalizing" bred High Responder (bHR) line, to investigate how genetic temperament and adolescent environment impact future responses to social interactions and psychosocial stress, and how these determinants of stress response interact. Male bLR and bHR rats were exposed to social and environmental enrichment in adolescence prior to experiencing social defeat and were then assessed for social interaction and anxiety-like behavior. Adolescent enrichment caused rats to display more social interaction, as well as nominally less social avoidance, less submission during defeat, and resilience to the effects of social stress on corticosterone, in a manner that seemed more notable in bLRs. For bHRs, enrichment also caused greater aggression during a neutral social encounter and nominally during defeat, and decreased anxiety-like behavior. To explore the neurobiology underlying the development of social resilience in the anxious phenotype bLRs, RNA-seq was conducted on the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens, two brain regions that mediate stress regulation and social behavior. Gene sets previously associated with stress, social behavior, aggression and exploratory activity were enriched with differential expression in both regions, with a particularly large effect on gene sets that regulate social behaviors. Our findings provide further evidence that adolescent enrichment can serve as an inoculating experience against future stressors. The ability to induce social resilience in a usually anxious line of animals by manipulating their environment has translational implications, as it underscores the feasibility of intervention strategies targeted at genetically vulnerable adolescent populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Huda Akil
- Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Hendry E, McCallister B, Elman DJ, Freeman R, Borsook D, Elman I. Validity of mental and physical stress models. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 158:105566. [PMID: 38307304 PMCID: PMC11082879 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105566] [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: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Different stress models are employed to enhance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and explore potential interventions. However, the utility of these models remains a critical concern, as their validities may be limited by the complexity of stress processes. Literature review revealed that both mental and physical stress models possess reasonable construct and criterion validities, respectively reflected in psychometrically assessed stress ratings and in activation of the sympathoadrenal system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The findings are less robust, though, in the pharmacological perturbations' domain, including such agents as adenosine or dobutamine. Likewise, stress models' convergent- and discriminant validity vary depending on the stressors' nature. Stress models share similarities, but also have important differences regarding their validities. Specific traits defined by the nature of the stressor stimulus should be taken into consideration when selecting stress models. Doing so can personalize prevention and treatment of stress-related antecedents, its acute processing, and chronic sequelae. Further work is warranted to refine stress models' validity and customize them so they commensurate diverse populations and circumstances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Hendry
- Center for Autonomic and Peripheral Nerve Disorders, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brady McCallister
- Center for Autonomic and Peripheral Nerve Disorders, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dan J Elman
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Roy Freeman
- Center for Autonomic and Peripheral Nerve Disorders, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David Borsook
- Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Department of Anesthesiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Igor Elman
- Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA
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8
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Reyes-Lizaola S, Luna-Zarate U, Tendilla-Beltrán H, Morales-Medina JC, Flores G. Structural and biochemical alterations in dendritic spines as key mechanisms for severe mental illnesses. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2024; 129:110876. [PMID: 37863171 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Severe mental illnesses (SMI) collectively affect approximately 20% of the global population, as estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite having diverse etiologies, clinical symptoms, and pharmacotherapies, these diseases share a common pathophysiological characteristic: the misconnection of brain areas involved in reality perception, executive control, and cognition, including the corticolimbic system. Dendritic spines play a crucial role in excitatory neurotransmission within the central nervous system. These small structures exhibit remarkable plasticity, regulated by factors such as neurotransmitter tone, neurotrophic factors, and innate immunity-related molecules, and other mechanisms - all of which are associated with the pathophysiology of SMI. However, studying dendritic spine mechanisms in both healthy and pathological conditions in patients is fraught with technical limitations. This is where animal models related to these diseases become indispensable. They have played a pivotal role in elucidating the significance of dendritic spines in SMI. In this review, the information regarding the potential role of dendritic spines in SMI was summarized, drawing from clinical and animal model reports. Also, the implications of targeting dendritic spine-related molecules for SMI treatment were explored. Specifically, our focus is on major depressive disorder and the neurodevelopmental disorders schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. Abundant clinical and basic research has studied the functional and structural plasticity of dendritic spines in these diseases, along with potential pharmacological targets that modulate the dynamics of these structures. These targets may be associated with the clinical efficacy of the pharmacotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Reyes-Lizaola
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Licenciatura en Medicina, Universidad Popular del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP), Puebla, Mexico
| | - Ulises Luna-Zarate
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Licenciatura en Medicina, Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP), Puebla, Mexico
| | - Hiram Tendilla-Beltrán
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), Puebla, Mexico
| | - Julio César Morales-Medina
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Gonzalo Flores
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), Puebla, Mexico.
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Cisler JM, Dunsmoor JE, Fonzo GA, Nemeroff CB. Latent-state and model-based learning in PTSD. Trends Neurosci 2024; 47:150-162. [PMID: 38212163 PMCID: PMC10923154 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2023.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by altered emotional and behavioral responding following a traumatic event. In this article, we review the concepts of latent-state and model-based learning (i.e., learning and inferring abstract task representations) and discuss their relevance for clinical and neuroscience models of PTSD. Recent data demonstrate evidence for brain and behavioral biases in these learning processes in PTSD. These new data potentially recast excessive fear towards trauma cues as a problem in learning and updating abstract task representations, as opposed to traditional conceptualizations focused on stimulus-specific learning. Biases in latent-state and model-based learning may also be a common mechanism targeted in common therapies for PTSD. We highlight key knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to further elaborate how latent-state learning and its associated neurocircuitry mechanisms function in PTSD and how to optimize treatments to target these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh M Cisler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Gregory A Fonzo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Charles B Nemeroff
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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10
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Palamarchuk IS, Slavich GM, Vaillancourt T, Rajji TK. Stress-related cellular pathophysiology as a crosstalk risk factor for neurocognitive and psychiatric disorders. BMC Neurosci 2023; 24:65. [PMID: 38087196 PMCID: PMC10714507 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-023-00831-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In this narrative review, we examine biological processes linking psychological stress and cognition, with a focus on how psychological stress can activate multiple neurobiological mechanisms that drive cognitive decline and behavioral change. First, we describe the general neurobiology of the stress response to define neurocognitive stress reactivity. Second, we review aspects of epigenetic regulation, synaptic transmission, sex hormones, photoperiodic plasticity, and psychoneuroimmunological processes that can contribute to cognitive decline and neuropsychiatric conditions. Third, we explain mechanistic processes linking the stress response and neuropathology. Fourth, we discuss molecular nuances such as an interplay between kinases and proteins, as well as differential role of sex hormones, that can increase vulnerability to cognitive and emotional dysregulation following stress. Finally, we explicate several testable hypotheses for stress, neurocognitive, and neuropsychiatric research. Together, this work highlights how stress processes alter neurophysiology on multiple levels to increase individuals' risk for neurocognitive and psychiatric disorders, and points toward novel therapeutic targets for mitigating these effects. The resulting models can thus advance dementia and mental health research, and translational neuroscience, with an eye toward clinical application in cognitive and behavioral neurology, and psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iryna S Palamarchuk
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 1001 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J1H4, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Division of Neurology, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Toronto Dementia Research Alliance, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - George M Slavich
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tracy Vaillancourt
- Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Tarek K Rajji
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 1001 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J1H4, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Toronto Dementia Research Alliance, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Rudolph M, Kopruszinski C, Wu C, Navratilova E, Schwedt TJ, Dodick DW, Porreca F, Anderson T. Identification of brain areas in mice with peak neural activity across the acute and persistent phases of post-traumatic headache. Cephalalgia 2023; 43:3331024231217469. [PMID: 38016977 PMCID: PMC11149587 DOI: 10.1177/03331024231217469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Post-traumatic headache is very common after a mild traumatic brain injury. Post-traumatic headache may persist for months to years after an injury in a substantial proportion of people. The pathophysiology underlying post-traumatic headache remains unknown but is likely distinct from other headache disorders. Identification of brain areas activated in acute and persistent phases of post-traumatic headache can provide insights into the underlying circuits mediating headache pain. We used an animal model of mild traumatic brain injury-induced post-traumatic headache and c-fos immunohistochemistry to identify brain regions with peak activity levels across the acute and persistent phases of post-traumatic headache. METHODS Male and female C57BL/6 J mice were briefly anesthetized and subjected to a sham procedure or a weight drop closed-head mild traumatic brain injury . Cutaneous allodynia was assessed in the periorbital and hindpaw regions using von Frey filaments. Immunohistochemical c-fos based neural activity mapping was then performed on sections from whole brain across the development of post-traumatic headache (i.e. peak of the acute phase at 2 days post- mild traumatic brain injury), start of the persistent phase (i.e. >14 days post-mild traumatic brain injury) or after provocation with stress (bright light). Brain areas with consistent and peak levels of c-fos expression across mild traumatic brain injury induced post-traumatic headache were identified and included for further analysis. RESULTS Following mild traumatic brain injury, periorbital and hindpaw allodynia was observed in both male and female mice. This allodynia was transient and subsided within the first 14 days post-mild traumatic brain injury and is representative of acute post-traumatic headache. After this acute post-traumatic headache phase, exposure of mild traumatic brain injury mice to a bright light stress reinstated periorbital and hindpaw allodynia for several hours - indicative of the development of persistent post-traumatic headache. Acute post-traumatic headache was coincident with an increase in neuronal c-fos labeling in the spinal nucleus of the trigeminal caudalis, primary somatosensory cortex, and the nucleus accumbens. Neuronal activation returned to baseline levels by the persistent post-traumatic headache phase in the spinal nucleus of the trigeminal caudalis and primary somatosensory cortex but remained elevated in the nucleus accumbens. In the persistent post-traumatic headache phase, coincident with allodynia observed following bright light stress, we observed bright light stress-induced c-fos neural activation in the spinal nucleus of the trigeminal caudalis, primary somatosensory cortex, and nucleus accumbens. CONCLUSION Examination of mild traumatic brain injury-induced changes in peak c-fos expression revealed brain regions with significantly increased neural activity across the acute and persistent phases of post-traumatic headache. Our findings suggest mild traumatic brain injury-induced post-traumatic headache produces neural activation along pain relevant pathways at time-points matching post-traumatic headache-like pain behaviors. These observations suggest that the spinal nucleus of the trigeminal caudalis, primary somatosensory cortex, and nucleus accumbens may contribute to both the induction and maintenance of post-traumatic headache.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Rudolph
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| | - Caroline Kopruszinski
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Chen Wu
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| | - Edita Navratilova
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, USA
| | | | - David W Dodick
- Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
- Atria Academy of Science and Medicine, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Frank Porreca
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Trent Anderson
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
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12
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Kondev V, Najeed M, Loomba N, Brown J, Winder DG, Grueter BA, Patel S. Synaptic and cellular endocannabinoid signaling mechanisms regulate stress-induced plasticity of nucleus accumbens somatostatin neurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2300585120. [PMID: 37590414 PMCID: PMC10450650 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2300585120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Interneuron populations within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) orchestrate excitatory-inhibitory balance, undergo experience-dependent plasticity, and gate-motivated behavior, all biobehavioral processes heavily modulated by endogenous cannabinoid (eCB) signaling. While eCBs are well known to regulate synaptic plasticity onto NAc medium spiny neurons and modulate NAc function at the behavioral level, how eCBs regulate NAc interneuron function is less well understood. Here, we show that eCB signaling differentially regulates glutamatergic and feedforward GABAergic transmission onto NAc somatostatin-expressing interneurons (NAcSOM+) in an input-specific manner, while simultaneously increasing postsynaptic excitability of NAcSOM+ neurons, ultimately biasing toward vHPC (ventral hippocampal), and away from BLA (basolateral amygdalalar), activation of NAcSOM+ neurons. We further demonstrate that NAcSOM+ are activated by stress in vivo and undergo stress-dependent plasticity, evident as a global increase in intrinsic excitability and an increase in excitation-inhibition balance specifically at vHPC, but not BLA, inputs onto NAcSOM+ neurons. Importantly, both forms of stress-induced plasticity are dependent on eCB signaling at cannabinoid type 1 receptors. These findings reveal eCB-dependent mechanisms that sculpt afferent input and excitability of NAcSOM+ neurons and demonstrate a key role for eCB signaling in stress-induced plasticity of NAcSOM+-associated circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Kondev
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN37232
| | | | - Niharika Loomba
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN37232
| | - Jordan Brown
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN37232
| | - Danny G. Winder
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN37232
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN27323
| | - Brad A. Grueter
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN27323
- Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN37232
| | - Sachin Patel
- Northwestern Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL60611
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Aten S, Du Y, Taylor O, Dye C, Collins K, Thomas M, Kiyoshi C, Zhou M. Chronic Stress Impairs the Structure and Function of Astrocyte Networks in an Animal Model of Depression. Neurochem Res 2023; 48:1191-1210. [PMID: 35796915 PMCID: PMC9823156 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-022-03663-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Now astrocytes appear to be the key contributors to the pathophysiology of major depression. Evidence in rodents shows that chronic stress is associated with a decreased expression of astrocytic GFAP-immunoreactivity within the cortex in addition to changes in the complexity and length of astrocyte processes. Furthermore, postmortem brains of individuals with depression have revealed a decrease in astrocyte density. Notably, astrocytes are extensively coupled to one another through gap junctions to form a network, or syncytium, and we have previously demonstrated that syncytial isopotentiality is a mechanism by which astrocytes function as an efficient system with respect to brain homeostasis. Interestingly, the question of how astrocyte network function changes following chronic stress is yet to be elucidated. Here, we sought to examine the effects of chronic stress on network-level astrocyte (dys)function. Using a transgenic aldh1l1-eGFP astrocyte reporter mouse, a six-week unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) paradigm as a rodent model of major depression, and immunohistochemical approaches, we show that the morphology of individual astrocytes is altered by chronic stress exposure. Additionally, in astrocyte syncytial isopotentiality measurement, we found that UCMS impairs the syncytial coupling strength of astrocytes within the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex-two brain regions that have been implicated in the regulation of mood. Together, these findings reveal that chronic stress leads to astrocyte atrophy and impaired gap junction coupling, raising the prospect that both individual and network-level astrocyte functionality are important in the etiology of major depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney Aten
- Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Graves Hall, Rm 4066C, 333 W. 10th Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
- Department of Neurology, Division of Sleep Medicine, and Program in Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yixing Du
- Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Graves Hall, Rm 4066C, 333 W. 10th Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Olivia Taylor
- Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Graves Hall, Rm 4066C, 333 W. 10th Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Courtney Dye
- Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Graves Hall, Rm 4066C, 333 W. 10th Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Kelsey Collins
- Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Graves Hall, Rm 4066C, 333 W. 10th Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Matthew Thomas
- Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Graves Hall, Rm 4066C, 333 W. 10th Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Conrad Kiyoshi
- Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Graves Hall, Rm 4066C, 333 W. 10th Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
- Northern Marianas College, Saipan, MP, USA
| | - Min Zhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Graves Hall, Rm 4066C, 333 W. 10th Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
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VanderZwaag J, Halvorson T, Dolhan K, Šimončičová E, Ben-Azu B, Tremblay MÈ. The Missing Piece? A Case for Microglia's Prominent Role in the Therapeutic Action of Anesthetics, Ketamine, and Psychedelics. Neurochem Res 2023; 48:1129-1166. [PMID: 36327017 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-022-03772-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
There is much excitement surrounding recent research of promising, mechanistically novel psychotherapeutics - psychedelic, anesthetic, and dissociative agents - as they have demonstrated surprising efficacy in treating central nervous system (CNS) disorders, such as mood disorders and addiction. However, the mechanisms by which these drugs provide such profound psychological benefits are still to be fully elucidated. Microglia, the CNS's resident innate immune cells, are emerging as a cellular target for psychiatric disorders because of their critical role in regulating neuroplasticity and the inflammatory environment of the brain. The following paper is a review of recent literature surrounding these neuropharmacological therapies and their demonstrated or hypothesized interactions with microglia. Through investigating the mechanism of action of psychedelics, such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide, ketamine, and propofol, we demonstrate a largely under-investigated role for microglia in much of the emerging research surrounding these pharmacological agents. Among others, we detail sigma-1 receptors, serotonergic and γ-aminobutyric acid signalling, and tryptophan metabolism as pathways through which these agents modulate microglial phagocytic activity and inflammatory mediator release, inducing their therapeutic effects. The current review includes a discussion on future directions in the field of microglial pharmacology and covers bidirectional implications of microglia and these novel pharmacological agents in aging and age-related disease, glial cell heterogeneity, and state-of-the-art methodologies in microglial research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared VanderZwaag
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Torin Halvorson
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kira Dolhan
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Eva Šimončičová
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Benneth Ben-Azu
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria
| | - Marie-Ève Tremblay
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
- Département de médecine moléculaire, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada.
- Axe Neurosciences, Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada.
- Neurology and Neurosurgery Department, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- Centre for Advanced Materials and Related Technology (CAMTEC), University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
- Institute for Aging and Lifelong Health, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
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15
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Tamman AJF, Jiang L, Averill CL, Mason GF, Averill LA, Abdallah CG. Biological embedding of early trauma: the role of higher prefrontal synaptic strength. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2023; 14:2246338. [PMID: 37642398 PMCID: PMC10467533 DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2023.2246338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Early trauma predicts poor psychological and physical health. Glutamatergic synaptic processes offer one avenue for understanding this relationship, given glutamate's abundance and involvement in reward and stress sensitivity, emotion, and learning. Trauma-induced glutamatergic excitotoxicity may alter neuroplasticity and approach/avoidance tendencies, increasing risk for psychiatric disorders. Studies examine upstream or downstream effects instead of glutamatergic synaptic processes in vivo, limiting understanding of how trauma affects the brain.Objective: In a pilot study using a previously published data set, we examine associations between early trauma and a proposed measure of synaptic strength in vivo in one of the largest human samples to undergo Carbon-13 (13C MRS) magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Participants were 18 healthy controls and 16 patients with PTSD (male and female).Method: Energy per cycle (EPC), which represents the ratio of neuronal oxidative energy production to glutamate neurotransmitter cycling, was generated as a putative measure of glutamatergic synaptic strength.Results: Results revealed that early trauma was positively correlated with EPC in individuals with PTSD, but not in healthy controls. Increased synaptic strength was associated with reduced behavioural inhibition, and EPC showed stronger associations between reward responsivity and early trauma for those with higher EPC.Conclusion: In the largest known human sample to undergo 13C MRS, we show that early trauma is positively correlated with EPC, a direct measure of synaptic strength. Our study findings have implications for pharmacological treatments thought to impact synaptic plasticity, such as ketamine and psilocybin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J. F. Tamman
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Christopher L. Averill
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA
- US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD – Clinical Neurosciences Division, West Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Lynnette A. Averill
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA
- US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD – Clinical Neurosciences Division, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Chadi G. Abdallah
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA
- US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD – Clinical Neurosciences Division, West Haven, CT, USA
- Baylor College of Medicine, Core for Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CAMRI), Houston, TX, USA
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16
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Conditioned Inhibition of Amphetamine Sensitization. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 192:107636. [PMID: 35597434 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Repeated intermittent exposure to psychostimulants, such as amphetamine, leads to a progressive enhancement of the drug's ability to increase both behavioral and brain neurochemical responses. The expression of these enhancements, known as sensitization, can be regulated by Pavlovian conditioned stimuli. Cues that are associated with drug experience can facilitate sensitization so that it only occurs in the presence of these stimuli (context-specific sensitization). In contrast, cues that are explicitly related to the absence of drugs (conditioned inhibitors) can prevent the expression of sensitization. We hypothesized that disrupting conditioned inhibition would enable amphetamine sensitization in new contexts. Using male Sprague Dawley rats and a two-context amphetamine conditioning procedure, we found that extinguishing amphetamine experience in one environment led to the loss of conditioned inhibition in a separate context. Thus, amphetamine-induced sensitized locomotion, as well as both enhanced dopamine and glutamate neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens, were observed in a context where the drug was never experienced before. A similar loss of contextual control of sensitization was seen after using baclofen/muscimol microinjections to transiently inhibit the medial prefrontal cortex, basolateral amygdala, or ventral subiculum of the hippocampus. In other words, compared to control infusions, these intracranial injections of GABA-receptor agonists were able to block conditioned inhibitors from preventing the expression of sensitized locomotion. Together, these findings reveal the importance of conditioned inhibitors for regulating addiction-like behavior. The results suggest that dopaminergic and glutamatergic brain circuitry controls the context-specific expression of amphetamine sensitization.
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17
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Avalos MP, Guzman AS, Rigoni D, Gorostiza EA, Sanchez MA, Mongi-Bragato B, Garcia-Keller C, Perassi EM, Virgolini MB, Peralta Ramos JM, Iribarren P, Calfa GD, Bollati FA, Cancela LM. Minocycline prevents chronic restraint stress-induced vulnerability to developing cocaine self-administration and associated glutamatergic mechanisms: a potential role of microglia. Brain Behav Immun 2022; 101:359-376. [PMID: 35065197 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2022.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Stressful experience-induced cocaine-related behaviors are associated with a significant impairment of glutamatergic mechanisms in the Nucleus Accumbens core (NAcore). The hallmarks of disrupted glutamate homeostasis following restraint stress are the enduring imbalance of glutamate efflux after a cocaine stimulus and increased basal concentrations of extracellular glutamate attributed to GLT-1 downregulation in the NAcore. Glutamate transmission is tightly linked to microglia functioning. However, the role of microglia in the biological basis of stress-induced addictive behaviors is still unknown. By using minocycline, a potent inhibitor of microglia activation with anti-inflammatory properties, we determined whether microglia could aid chronic restraint stress (CRS)-induced glutamate homeostasis disruption in the NAcore, underpinning stress-induced cocaine self-administration. In this study, adult male rats were restrained for 2 h/day for seven days (day 1-7). From day 16 until completing the experimental protocol, animals received a vehicle or minocycline treatment (30 mg/Kg/12h i.p.). On day 21, animals were assigned to microscopic, biochemical, neurochemical or behavioral studies. We confirm that the CRS-induced facilitation of cocaine self-administration is associated with enduring GLT-1 downregulation, an increase of basal extracellular glutamate and postsynaptic structural plasticity in the NAcore. These alterations were strongly related to the CRS-induced reactive microglia and increased TNF-α mRNA and protein expression, since by administering minocycline, the impaired glutamate homeostasis and the facilitation of cocaine self-administration were prevented. Our findings are the first to demonstrate that minocycline suppresses the CRS-induced facilitation of cocaine self-administration and glutamate homeostasis disruption in the NAcore. A role of microglia is proposed for the development of glutamatergic mechanisms underpinning stress-induced vulnerability to cocaine addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Paula Avalos
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba (IFEC-CONICET), Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5000HUA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Andrea Susana Guzman
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba (IFEC-CONICET), Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5000HUA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Daiana Rigoni
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba (IFEC-CONICET), Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5000HUA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Ezequiel Axel Gorostiza
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba (IFEC-CONICET), Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5000HUA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Marianela Adela Sanchez
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba (IFEC-CONICET), Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5000HUA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Bethania Mongi-Bragato
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba (IFEC-CONICET), Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5000HUA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Constanza Garcia-Keller
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba (IFEC-CONICET), Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5000HUA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Eduardo Marcelo Perassi
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Fisicoquímica de Córdoba (INFIQC-CONICET), Departamento de Química Teórica y Computacional, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5000HUA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Miriam Beatriz Virgolini
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba (IFEC-CONICET), Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5000HUA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Javier María Peralta Ramos
- Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología (CIBICI-CONICET), Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5000HUA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Pablo Iribarren
- Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología (CIBICI-CONICET), Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5000HUA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Gastón Diego Calfa
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba (IFEC-CONICET), Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5000HUA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Flavia Andrea Bollati
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba (IFEC-CONICET), Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5000HUA, Córdoba, Argentina.
| | - Liliana Marina Cancela
- Instituto de Farmacología Experimental de Córdoba (IFEC-CONICET), Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5000HUA, Córdoba, Argentina.
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Harry GJ, McBride S, Witchey SK, Mhaouty-Kodja S, Trembleau A, Bridge M, Bencsik A. Roadbumps at the Crossroads of Integrating Behavioral and In Vitro Approaches for Neurotoxicity Assessment. FRONTIERS IN TOXICOLOGY 2022; 4:812863. [PMID: 35295216 PMCID: PMC8915899 DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2022.812863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
With the appreciation that behavior represents the integration and complexity of the nervous system, neurobehavioral phenotyping and assessment has seen a renaissance over the last couple of decades, resulting in a robust database on rodent performance within various testing paradigms, possible associations with human disorders, and therapeutic interventions. The interchange of data across behavior and other test modalities and multiple model systems has advanced our understanding of fundamental biology and mechanisms associated with normal functions and alterations in the nervous system. While there is a demonstrated value and power of neurobehavioral assessments for examining alterations due to genetic manipulations, maternal factors, early development environment, the applied use of behavior to assess environmental neurotoxicity continues to come under question as to whether behavior represents a sensitive endpoint for assessment. Why is rodent behavior a sensitive tool to the neuroscientist and yet, not when used in pre-clinical or chemical neurotoxicity studies? Applying new paradigms and evidence on the biological basis of behavior to neurobehavioral testing requires expertise and refinement of how such experiments are conducted to minimize variability and maximize information. This review presents relevant issues of methods used to conduct such test, sources of variability, experimental design, data analysis, interpretation, and reporting. It presents beneficial and critical limitations as they translate to the in vivo environment and considers the need to integrate across disciplines for the best value. It proposes that a refinement of behavioral assessments and understanding of subtle pronounced differences will facilitate the integration of data obtained across multiple approaches and to address issues of translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. Jean Harry
- Neurotoxicology Group, Molecular Toxicology Branch, Division National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Sandra McBride
- Social & Scientific Systems, Inc., a DLH Holdings Company, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Shannah K. Witchey
- Division National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Sakina Mhaouty-Kodja
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INSERM, Neuroscience Paris Seine – Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France
| | - Alain Trembleau
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR8246, Inserm U1130, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (IBPS), Neuroscience Paris Seine (NPS), Paris, France
| | - Matthew Bridge
- Social & Scientific Systems, Inc., a DLH Holdings Company, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Anna Bencsik
- Anses Laboratoire de Lyon, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES), Université de Lyon 1, Lyon, France
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19
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Guxens M, Lubczynska MJ, Perez-Crespo L, Muetzel RL, El Marroun H, Basagana X, Hoek G, Tiemeier H. Associations of Air Pollution on the Brain in Children: A Brain Imaging Study. Res Rep Health Eff Inst 2022; 2022:1-61. [PMID: 36106707 PMCID: PMC9476146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Epidemiological studies are highlighting the negative effects of the exposure to air pollution on children's neurodevelopment. However, most studies assessed children's neurodevelopment using neuropsychological tests or questionnaires. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to precisely measure global and region-specific brain development would provide details of brain morphology and connectivity. This would help us understand the observed cognitive and behavioral changes related to air pollution exposure. Moreover, most studies assessed only a few air pollutants. This project investigates whether air pollution exposure to many pollutants during pregnancy and childhood is associated with the morphology and connectivity of the brain in school-age children and pre-adolescents. Methods We used data from the Generation R Study, a population-based birth cohort set up in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 2002-2006 (n = 9,610). We used land-use regression (LUR) models to estimate the levels of 14 air pollutants at participant's homes during pregnancy and childhood: nitrogen oxides (NOx), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm (PM10) or ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), PM between 10 μm and 2.5 μm (PMCOARSE), absorbance of the PM2.5 fraction - a measure of soot (PM2.5absorbance), the composition of PM2.5 such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organic carbon (OC), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), silicon (Si), zinc (Zn), and the oxidative potential of PM2.5 evaluated using two acellular methods: dithiothreitol (OPDTT) and electron spin resonance (OPESR). We performed MRI measurements of structural morphology (i.e., brain volumes, cortical thickness, and cortical surface area) using T1-weighted images in 6- to 10-year-old school-age children and 9- to 12-year-old pre-adolescents, structural connectivity (i.e., white matter microstructure) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in pre-adolescents, and functional connectivity (i.e., connectivity score between brain areas) using resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) in pre-adolescents. We assessed cognitive function using the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment test (NEPSY-II) in school-age children. For each outcome, we ran regression analysis adjusted for several socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics. We performed single-pollutant analyses followed by multipollutant analyses using the deletion/substitution/addition (DSA) approach. Results The project has air pollution and brain MRI data for 783 school-age children and 3,857 pre-adolescents. First, exposure to air pollution during pregnancy or childhood was not associated with global brain volumes (e.g., total brain, cortical gray matter, and cortical white matter) in school-age children or pre-adolescents. However, higher pregnancy or childhood exposure to several air pollutants was associated with a smaller corpus callosum and hippocampus, and a larger amygdala, nucleus accumbens, and cerebellum in pre-adolescents, but not in school-age children. Second, higher exposure to several air pollutants during pregnancy was associated with a thinner cortex in various regions of the brain in both school-age children and pre-adolescents. Higher exposure to air pollution during childhood was also associated with a thinner cortex in a single region in pre-adolescents. A thinner cortex in two regions mediated the association between higher exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and an impaired inhibitory control in school-age children. Third, higher exposure to air pollution during childhood was associated with smaller cortical surface areas in various regions of the brain except in a region where we observed a larger cortical surface area in pre-adolescents. In relation to brain structural connectivity, higher exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and childhood was associated with an alteration in white matter microstructure in pre-adolescents. In relation to brain functional connectivity, a higher exposure to air pollution, mainly during pregnancy and early childhood, was associated with a higher brain functional connectivity among several brain regions in pre-adolescents. Overall, we identified several air pollutants associated with brain structural morphology, structural connectivity, and functional connectivity, such as NOx, NO2, PM of various size fractions (i.e., PM10, PMCOARSE, and PM2.5), PM2.5absorbance, PAHs, OC, three elemental components of PM2.5 (i.e., Cu, Si, Zn), and the oxidative potential of PM2.5. Conclusions The results of this project suggest that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and childhood play an adverse role in brain development. We observed this relationship even at levels of exposure that were below the European Union legislations. We acknowledge that identifying the independent effects of specific pollutants was particularly challenging. Most of our conclusions generally refer to traffic-related air pollutants. However, we did identify pollutants specifically originating from brake linings, tire wear, and tailpipe emissions from diesel combustion. The current direction toward innovative solutions for cleaner energy vehicles is a step in the right direction. However, our findings indicate that these measures might not be completely adequate to mitigate health problems attributable to traffic-related air pollution, as we also observed associations with markers of brake linings and tire wear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Guxens
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Malgorzata J Lubczynska
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Laura Perez-Crespo
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ryan L Muetzel
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Hanan El Marroun
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Xavier Basagana
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gerard Hoek
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | - Henning Tiemeier
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
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20
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Kemp GM, Altimimi HF, Nho Y, Heir R, Klyczek A, Stellwagen D. Sustained TNF signaling is required for the synaptic and anxiety-like behavioral response to acute stress. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:4474-4484. [PMID: 36104437 PMCID: PMC9734040 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01737-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Acute stress triggers plasticity of forebrain synapses as well as behavioral changes. Here we reveal that Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNF) is a required downstream mediator of the stress response in mice, necessary for stress-induced synaptic potentiation in the ventral hippocampus and for an increase in anxiety-like behaviour. Acute stress is sufficient to activate microglia, triggering the long-term release of TNF. Critically, on-going TNF signaling specifically in the ventral hippocampus is necessary to sustain both the stress-induced synaptic and behavioral changes, as these could be reversed hours after induction by antagonizing TNF signaling. This demonstrates that TNF maintains the synaptic and behavioral stress response in vivo, making TNF a potential novel therapeutic target for stress disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina M. Kemp
- grid.63984.300000 0000 9064 4811Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montréal, QC Canada
| | - Haider F. Altimimi
- grid.63984.300000 0000 9064 4811Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montréal, QC Canada
| | - Yoonmi Nho
- grid.63984.300000 0000 9064 4811Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montréal, QC Canada
| | - Renu Heir
- grid.63984.300000 0000 9064 4811Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montréal, QC Canada
| | - Adam Klyczek
- grid.63984.300000 0000 9064 4811Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montréal, QC Canada
| | - David Stellwagen
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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21
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Deutschmann AU, Kirkland JM, Briand LA. Adolescent social isolation induced alterations in nucleus accumbens glutamate signalling. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13077. [PMID: 34278652 PMCID: PMC9206853 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to adversity during early childhood and adolescence increases an individual's vulnerability to developing substance use disorder. Despite the knowledge of this vulnerability, the mechanisms underlying it are still poorly understood. Excitatory afferents to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) mediate responses to both stressful and rewarding stimuli. Understanding how adolescent social isolation alters these afferents could inform the development of targeted interventions both before and after drug use. Here, we used social isolation rearing as a model of early life adversity which we have previously demonstrated increases vulnerability to cocaine addiction-like behaviour. The current study examined the effect of social isolation rearing on presynaptic glutamatergic transmission in NAc medium spiny neurons in both male and female mice. We show that social isolation rearing alters presynaptic plasticity in the NAc by decreasing the paired-pulse ratio and the size of the readily releasable pool of glutamate. Optogenetically activating the glutamatergic input from the ventral hippocampus to the NAc is sufficient to recapitulate the decreases in paired-pulse ratio and readily releasable pool size seen following electrical stimulation of all NAc afferents. Further, optogenetically inhibiting the ventral hippocampal afferent during electrical stimulation eliminates the effect of early life adversity on the paired-pulse ratio or readily releasable pool size. In summary, we demonstrate that social isolation rearing leads to alterations in glutamate transmission driven by projections from the ventral hippocampus. These data suggest that targeting the circuit from the ventral hippocampus to the nucleus accumbens could provide a means to reverse stress-induced plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lisa A. Briand
- Department of Psychology, Temple University,Neuroscience Program, Temple University
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22
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Green C, Stolicyn A, Harris MA, Shen X, Romaniuk L, Barbu MC, Hawkins EL, Wardlaw JM, Steele JD, Waiter GD, Sandu AL, Campbell A, Porteous DJ, Seckl JR, Lawrie SM, Reynolds RM, Cavanagh J, McIntosh AM, Whalley HC. Hair glucocorticoids are associated with childhood adversity, depressive symptoms and reduced global and lobar grey matter in Generation Scotland. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:523. [PMID: 34642301 PMCID: PMC8511057 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01644-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation has been commonly reported in major depressive disorder (MDD), but with considerable heterogeneity of results; potentially due to the predominant use of acute measures of an inherently variable/phasic system. Chronic longer-term measures of HPA-axis activity have yet to be systematically examined in MDD, particularly in relation to brain phenotypes, and in the context of early-life/contemporaneous stress. Here, we utilise a temporally stable measure of cumulative HPA-axis function (hair glucocorticoids) to investigate associations between cortisol, cortisone and total glucocorticoids with concurrent measures of (i) lifetime-MDD case/control status and current symptom severity, (ii) early/current-life stress and (iii) structural neuroimaging phenotypes, in N = 993 individuals from Generation Scotland (mean age = 59.1 yrs). Increased levels of hair cortisol were significantly associated with reduced global and lobar brain volumes with reductions in the frontal, temporal and cingulate regions (βrange = -0.057 to -0.104, all PFDR < 0.05). Increased levels of hair cortisone were significantly associated with MDD (lifetime-MDD status, current symptoms, and severity; βrange = 0.071 to 0.115, all PFDR = < 0.05), with early-life adversity (β = 0.083, P = 0.017), and with reduced global and regional brain volumes (global: β = -0.059, P = 0.043; nucleus accumbens: β = -0.075, PFDR = 0.044). Associations with total glucocorticoids followed a similar pattern to the cortisol findings. In this large community-based sample, elevated glucocorticoids were significantly associated with MDD, with early, but not later-life stress, and with reduced global and regional brain phenotypes. These findings provide important foundations for future mechanistic studies to formally explore causal relationships between early adversity, chronic rather than acute measures of glucocorticoids, and neurobiological associations relevant to the aetiology of MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Green
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Aleks Stolicyn
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Mathew A Harris
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Xueyi Shen
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Liana Romaniuk
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Miruna C Barbu
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Emma L Hawkins
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Joanna M Wardlaw
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - J Douglas Steele
- Division of Imaging Science and Technology, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Gordon D Waiter
- Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Anca-Larisa Sandu
- Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Archie Campbell
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - David J Porteous
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jonathan R Seckl
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Rebecca M Reynolds
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jonathan Cavanagh
- Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, College of Medical and Veterinary Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Andrew M McIntosh
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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23
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Vargas MV, Meyer R, Avanes AA, Rus M, Olson DE. Psychedelics and Other Psychoplastogens for Treating Mental Illness. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:727117. [PMID: 34671279 PMCID: PMC8520991 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.727117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychedelics have inspired new hope for treating brain disorders, as they seem to be unlike any treatments currently available. Not only do they produce sustained therapeutic effects following a single administration, they also appear to have broad therapeutic potential, demonstrating efficacy for treating depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, substance abuse disorder, and alcohol use disorder, among others. Psychedelics belong to a more general class of compounds known as psychoplastogens, which robustly promote structural and functional neural plasticity in key circuits relevant to brain health. Here we discuss the importance of structural plasticity in the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases, as well as the evidence demonstrating that psychedelics are among the most effective chemical modulators of neural plasticity studied to date. Furthermore, we provide a theoretical framework with the potential to explain why psychedelic compounds produce long-lasting therapeutic effects across a wide range of brain disorders. Despite their promise as broadly efficacious neurotherapeutics, there are several issues associated with psychedelic-based medicines that drastically limit their clinical scalability. We discuss these challenges and how they might be overcome through the development of non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogens. The clinical use of psychedelics and other psychoplastogenic compounds marks a paradigm shift in neuropsychiatry toward therapeutic approaches relying on the selective modulation of neural circuits with small molecule drugs. Psychoplastogen research brings us one step closer to actually curing mental illness by rectifying the underlying pathophysiology of disorders like depression, moving beyond simply treating disease symptoms. However, determining how to most effectively deploy psychoplastogenic medicines at scale will be an important consideration as the field moves forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxemiliano V. Vargas
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Retsina Meyer
- Delix Therapeutics, Inc., Concord, MA, United States
| | - Arabo A. Avanes
- Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Mark Rus
- Delix Therapeutics, Inc., Concord, MA, United States
| | - David E. Olson
- Delix Therapeutics, Inc., Concord, MA, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Sacramento, Sacramento, CA, United States
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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Binge-like Alcohol Exposure in Adolescence: Behavioural, Neuroendocrine and Molecular Evidence of Abnormal Neuroplasticity… and Return. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9091161. [PMID: 34572345 PMCID: PMC8470908 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9091161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Binge alcohol consumption among adolescents affects the developing neural networks underpinning reward and stress processing in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). This study explores in rats the long-lasting effects of early intermittent exposure to intoxicating alcohol levels at adolescence, on: (1) the response to natural positive stimuli and inescapable stress; (2) stress-axis functionality; and (3) dopaminergic and glutamatergic neuroadaptation in the NAc. We also assess the potential effects of the non-intoxicating phytocannabinoid cannabidiol, to counteract (or reverse) the development of detrimental consequences of binge-like alcohol exposure. Our results show that adolescent binge-like alcohol exposure alters the sensitivity to positive stimuli, exerts social and novelty-triggered anxiety-like behaviour, and passive stress-coping during early and prolonged withdrawal. In addition, serum corticosterone and hypothalamic and NAc corticotropin-releasing hormone levels progressively increase during withdrawal. Besides, NAc tyrosine hydroxylase levels increase at late withdrawal, while the expression of dopamine transporter, D1 and D2 receptors is dynamically altered during binge and withdrawal. Furthermore, the expression of markers of excitatory postsynaptic signaling—PSD95; Homer-1 and -2 and the activity-regulated spine-morphing proteins Arc, LIM Kinase 1 and FOXP1—increase at late withdrawal. Notably, subchronic cannabidiol, during withdrawal, attenuates social- and novelty-induced aversion and passive stress-coping and rectifies the hyper-responsive stress axis and NAc dopamine and glutamate-related neuroplasticity. Overall, the exposure to binge-like alcohol levels in adolescent rats makes the NAc, during withdrawal, a locus minoris resistentiae as a result of perturbations in neuroplasticity and in stress-axis homeostasis. Cannabidiol holds a promising potential for increasing behavioural, neuroendocrine and molecular resilience against binge-like alcohol harmful effects.
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25
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Lubczyńska MJ, Muetzel RL, El Marroun H, Hoek G, Kooter IM, Thomson EM, Hillegers M, Vernooij MW, White T, Tiemeier H, Guxens M. Air pollution exposure during pregnancy and childhood and brain morphology in preadolescents. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 198:110446. [PMID: 33221303 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies investigating the relationship between exposure to air pollution and brain development using magnetic resonance images are emerging. However, most studies have focused only on prenatal exposures, and have included a limited selection of pollutants. Here, we aim to expand the current knowledge by studying pregnancy and childhood exposure to a wide selection of pollutants, and brain morphology in preadolescents. METHODS We used data from 3133 preadolescents from a birth cohort from Rotterdam, the Netherlands (enrollment: 2002-2006). Concentrations of nitrogen oxides, coarse, fine, and ultrafine particles, and composition of fine particles were estimated for participant's home addresses in pregnancy and childhood, using land use regression models. Structural brain images were obtained at age 9-12 years. We assessed the relationships of air pollution exposure, with brain volumes, and surface-based morphometric data, adjusting for socioeconomic and life-style characteristics, using single as well as multi-pollutant approach. RESULTS No associations were observed between air pollution exposures and global volumes of total brain, and cortical and subcortical grey matter. However, we found associations between higher pregnancy and childhood air pollution exposures with smaller corpus callosum, smaller hippocampus, larger amygdala, smaller nucleus accumbens, and larger cerebellum (e.g. -69.2mm3 hippocampal volume [95%CI -129.1 to -9.3] per 1ng/m3 increase in pregnancy exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). Higher pregnancy exposure to air pollution was associated with smaller cortical thickness while higher childhood exposure was associated with predominantly larger cortical surface area. CONCLUSION Higher pregnancy or childhood exposure to several air pollutants was associated with altered volume of several brain structures, as well as with cortical thickness and surface area. Associations showed some similarity to delayed maturation and effects of early-life stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Małgorzata J Lubczyńska
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
| | - Ryan L Muetzel
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Hanan El Marroun
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Gerard Hoek
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Ingeborg M Kooter
- Department of Circular Economy & Environment, Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Errol M Thomson
- Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Manon Hillegers
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Meike W Vernooij
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Tonya White
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Henning Tiemeier
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | - Mònica Guxens
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
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26
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Tan Y, Hang F, Liu ZW, Stoiljkovic M, Wu M, Tu Y, Han W, Lee AM, Kelley C, Hajós M, Lu L, de Lecea L, De Araujo I, Picciotto MR, Horvath TL, Gao XB. Impaired hypocretin/orexin system alters responses to salient stimuli in obese male mice. J Clin Invest 2021; 130:4985-4998. [PMID: 32516139 DOI: 10.1172/jci130889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain has evolved in an environment where food sources are scarce, and foraging for food is one of the major challenges for survival of the individual and species. Basic and clinical studies show that obesity or overnutrition leads to overwhelming changes in the brain in animals and humans. However, the exact mechanisms underlying the consequences of excessive energy intake are not well understood. Neurons expressing the neuropeptide hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt) in the lateral/perifonical hypothalamus (LH) are critical for homeostatic regulation, reward seeking, stress response, and cognitive functions. In this study, we examined adaptations in Hcrt cells regulating behavioral responses to salient stimuli in diet-induced obese mice. Our results demonstrated changes in primary cilia, synaptic transmission and plasticity, cellular responses to neurotransmitters necessary for reward seeking, and stress responses in Hcrt neurons from obese mice. Activities of neuronal networks in the LH and hippocampus were impaired as a result of decreased hypocretinergic function. The weakened Hcrt system decreased reward seeking while altering responses to acute stress (stress-coping strategy), which were reversed by selectively activating Hcrt cells with chemogenetics. Taken together, our data suggest that a deficiency in Hcrt signaling may be a common cause of behavioral changes (such as lowered arousal, weakened reward seeking, and altered stress response) in obese animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Tan
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Fu Hang
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Guangxi Reproductive Medical Research Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Zhong-Wu Liu
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Milan Stoiljkovic
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Mingxing Wu
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology, Second Affiliate Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yue Tu
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Preservation, Second Clinic Medical School, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wenfei Han
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Angela M Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Craig Kelley
- Joint Biomedical Engineering Program, SUNY Downstate and NYU Tandon, Brooklyn, New York, USA
| | - Mihály Hajós
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Lingeng Lu
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Luis de Lecea
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Ivan De Araujo
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Marina R Picciotto
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Tamas L Horvath
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Xiao-Bing Gao
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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Cooperative synaptic and intrinsic plasticity in a disynaptic limbic circuit drive stress-induced anhedonia and passive coping in mice. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:1860-1879. [PMID: 32161361 PMCID: PMC7735389 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-0686-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2019] [Revised: 01/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Stress promotes negative affective states, which include anhedonia and passive coping. While these features are in part mediated by neuroadaptations in brain reward circuitry, a comprehensive framework of how stress-induced negative affect may be encoded within key nodes of this circuit is lacking. Here, we show in a mouse model for stress-induced anhedonia and passive coping that these phenomena are associated with increased synaptic strength of ventral hippocampus (VH) excitatory synapses onto D1 medium spiny neurons (D1-MSNs) in the nucleus accumbens medial shell (NAcmSh), and with lateral hypothalamus (LH)-projecting D1-MSN hyperexcitability mediated by decreased inwardly rectifying potassium channel (IRK) function. Stress-induced negative affective states are prevented by depotentiation of VH to NAcmSh synapses, restoring Kir2.1 function in D1R-MSNs, or disrupting co-participation of these synaptic and intrinsic adaptations in D1-MSNs. In conclusion, our data provide strong evidence for a disynaptic pathway controlling maladaptive emotional behavior.
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28
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Smith KE, Pollak SD. Early life stress and development: potential mechanisms for adverse outcomes. J Neurodev Disord 2020; 12:34. [PMID: 33327939 PMCID: PMC7745388 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-020-09337-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic and/or extreme stress in early life, often referred to as early adversity, childhood trauma, or early life stress, has been associated with a wide range of adverse effects on development. However, while early life stress has been linked to negative effects on a number of neural systems, the specific mechanisms through which early life stress influences development and individual differences in children's outcomes are still not well understood. MAIN TEXT The current paper reviews the existing literature on the neurobiological effects of early life stress and their ties to children's psychological and behavioral development. CONCLUSIONS Early life stress has persistent and pervasive effects on prefrontal-hypothalamic-amygdala and dopaminergic circuits that are at least partially mediated by alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function. However, to date, this research has primarily utilized methods of assessment that focus solely on children's event exposures. Incorporating assessment of factors that influence children's interpretation of stressors, along with stressful events, has the potential to provide further insight into the mechanisms contributing to individual differences in neurodevelopmental effects of early life stress. This can aid in further elucidating specific mechanisms through which these neurobiological changes influence development and contribute to risk for psychopathology and health disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E Smith
- Department of Psychology and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 S Highland Blvd, Rm 399, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
| | - Seth D Pollak
- Department of Psychology and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 S Highland Blvd, Rm 399, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
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Kuniishi H, Yamada D, Wada K, Yamada M, Sekiguchi M. Stress induces insertion of calcium-permeable AMPA receptors in the OFC-BLA synapse and modulates emotional behaviours in mice. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:154. [PMID: 32424318 PMCID: PMC7235080 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-0837-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress increases the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as major depression. Exposure to stress has been reported to induce various neuronal changes, such as alterations in synaptic transmission and structure. However, a causal link between stress-induced neural circuit alterations and changes in emotional behaviours is not well understood. In the present study, we focused on a projection pathway from the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) to the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) as a crucial circuit for negative emotions and examined the effect of stress on OFC-BLA excitatory synaptic transmission using optogenetic and whole-cell patch-clamp methods in mice. As a stress-inducing procedure, we used repeated tail-shock, which increased stress-related behaviours. We found greater α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA)/N-methyl-D-aspartate current ratios and insertion of calcium-permeable AMPA receptors (AMPARs) in the OFC-BLA synapse after stress. These stress-induced synaptic and behavioural changes were reduced by a blockade of protein kinase A, which plays a principal role in stress-induced targeting of AMPARs into the synaptic membrane. To examine a possible causal relationship between alterations in synaptic transmission in the OFC-BLA pathway and stress-related behaviour, we performed optogenetic activation or chemogenetic inactivation of OFC-BLA transmission in mice. We found that optogenetic activation and chemogenetic inactivation of OFC-BLA transmission increased and decreased stress-related behaviour, respectively. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that stress altered the postsynaptic properties of the OFC-BLA pathway. These synaptic changes might be one of the underlying mechanisms of stress-induced behavioural alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Kuniishi
- grid.419280.60000 0004 1763 8916Department of Degenerative Neurological Diseases, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo Japan ,grid.419280.60000 0004 1763 8916Department of Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo Japan
| | - Daisuke Yamada
- grid.419280.60000 0004 1763 8916Department of Degenerative Neurological Diseases, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo Japan
| | - Keiji Wada
- grid.419280.60000 0004 1763 8916Department of Degenerative Neurological Diseases, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo Japan
| | - Mitsuhiko Yamada
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Masayuki Sekiguchi
- Department of Degenerative Neurological Diseases, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.
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Qiao H, Yang S, Xu C, Ma XM, An SC. Involvement of D2 receptor in the NAc in chronic unpredictable stress-induced depression-like behaviors. Stress 2020; 23:318-327. [PMID: 31556781 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2019.1673361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
D2 receptors (D2Rs) located in both pre- and postsynaptic membranes of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) are involved in the stress response and associated behaviors. The role of D2Rs in chronic unpredictable stress (CUS)-induced depression-like behaviors is not clear. Quinpirole (a D2R agonist) and eticlopride (a D2R antagonist) were stereotactically delivered into the NAc before Sprague Dawley rats underwent CUS. CUS-induced depression-like behaviors were accompanied by a significant decrease in both the dopamine (DA) level and D2R expression in the NAc. Eticlopride reversed CUS-induced depression-like behavior and rescued the DA levels in the NAc, and microinjection of DA into the NAc of CUS individuals had the same effect as eticlopride. By contrast, delivery of quinpirole into the NAc of control animals induced depression-like behaviors accompanied by a decrease in the DA level in the NAc. These results show that DA plays a key role in CUS-induced depression-like behaviors and the D2R exerts a presynaptic negative feedback on DA levels during CUS. Microinjection of quinpirole into the NAc also decreased the level of the kalirin-7 protein in the NAc of both control and stressed animals, while eticlopride increased its level in the NAc of rats. In agreement with these results, intraperitoneal injection of eticlopride in mice also caused an increase in both the kalirin-7 protein level in the NAc and spine density in MSNs, while quinpirole reduced them. These results suggest that regulation of kalirin-7 through D2R in the NAc is a general pathway in rats and mice, and is involved in CUS-induced depression-like behaviors. Kalirin-7 may be directly regulated through the D2R postsynaptic pathway or indirectly through the presynaptic pathway in the NAc. The interaction between D2R and kalirin-7 needs to be investigated further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Qiao
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Sha Yang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Chang Xu
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xin-Ming Ma
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Shu-Cheng An
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
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31
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Pérez-Esparza R, Kobayashi-Romero LF, García Mendoza AM, Lamas-Aguilar RM, Vargas Sosa M, Encarnación-Martínez M, González-Manríquez LA, Eternod-Rodríguez SA, Maltos-Gómez F, Vargas-Valencia KM, Fonseca Pérez-Amador A. Ketamina, un nuevo agente terapéutico para la depresión. REVISTA DE LA FACULTAD DE MEDICINA 2020. [DOI: 10.22201/fm.24484865e.2020.63.1.02] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Major depressive disorder affects about one in every 10 people in Mexico and is one of the first 5 causes of disability worldwide. Current treatment options are limited and only act upon some factors associated in its physiopathology. Moreover, the effects on depression are not immediate, which is a great limitation in obtaining a benefit over disability caused by this disorder and impedes a rapid action in the scenario of suicidality. Recently, ketamine (an anesthetic) has shown to have antidepressant properties by acting in the glutamate neurotransmission system (while no other current treatment acts on this level). It offers benefits in depressive symptoms in a matter of hours and has proven to be useful in patients that do not benefit from current therapeutic options. Recently, it has been approved for the treatment of depression. However, there are still many questions about its antidepressant mechanisms of action, safety, side effects, among others. Key words: Depression; antidepressants; ketamine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Pérez-Esparza
- Secretarìa de Salud (Ssa), Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía. Laboratorio de Investigación en Adicciones. Ciudad de México, México.; Secretarìa de Salud (Ssa), Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía. Departamento de Neuropsiquiatría. Ciudad de México, México
| | - Luis Fabián Kobayashi-Romero
- Secretarìa de Salud (Ssa), Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía. Laboratorio de Investigación en Adicciones. Ciudad de México, México
| | - Ana María García Mendoza
- Secretarìa de Salud (Ssa), Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía. Laboratorio de Investigación en Adicciones. Ciudad de México, México; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Facultad de Medicina, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Reyna Minerva Lamas-Aguilar
- Secretarìa de Salud (Ssa), Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía. Departamento de Neuropsiquiatría. Ciudad de México, México
| | - Melissa Vargas Sosa
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Facultad de Medicina. Ciudad de México, México
| | | | | | | | - Fernanda Maltos-Gómez
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Facultad de Medicina. Ciudad de México, México
| | | | - Alan Fonseca Pérez-Amador
- Secretarìa de Salud (Ssa), Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía. Laboratorio de Investigación en Adicciones. Ciudad de México, México
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32
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The molecular and cellular mechanisms of depression: a focus on reward circuitry. Mol Psychiatry 2019; 24:1798-1815. [PMID: 30967681 PMCID: PMC6785351 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0415-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Depression is a complex disorder that takes an enormous toll on individual health. As affected individuals display a wide variation in their clinical symptoms, the precise neural mechanisms underlying the development of depression remain elusive. Although it is impossible to phenocopy every symptom of human depression in rodents, the preclinical field has had great success in modeling some of the core affective and neurovegetative depressive symptoms, including social withdrawal, anhedonia, and weight loss. Adaptations in select cell populations may underlie these individual depressive symptoms and new tools have expanded our ability to monitor and manipulate specific cell types. This review outlines some of the most recent preclinical discoveries on the molecular and neurophysiological mechanisms in reward circuitry that underlie the expression of behavioral constructs relevant to depressive symptoms.
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33
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Peña CJ, Smith M, Ramakrishnan A, Cates HM, Bagot RC, Kronman HG, Patel B, Chang AB, Purushothaman I, Dudley J, Morishita H, Shen L, Nestler EJ. Early life stress alters transcriptomic patterning across reward circuitry in male and female mice. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5098. [PMID: 31704941 PMCID: PMC6841985 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13085-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Abuse, neglect, and other forms of early life stress (ELS) significantly increase risk for psychiatric disorders including depression. In this study, we show that ELS in a postnatal sensitive period increases sensitivity to adult stress in female mice, consistent with our earlier findings in male mice. We used RNA-sequencing in the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, and prefrontal cortex of male and female mice to show that adult stress is distinctly represented in the brain's transcriptome depending on ELS history. We identify: 1) biological pathways disrupted after ELS and associated with increased behavioral stress sensitivity, 2) putative transcriptional regulators of the effect of ELS on adult stress response, and 3) subsets of primed genes specifically associated with latent behavioral changes. We also provide transcriptomic evidence that ELS increases sensitivity to future stress through enhancement of known programs of cortical plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Jensen Peña
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
| | - Milo Smith
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Institute for Next Generation Healthcare, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Aarthi Ramakrishnan
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Hannah M Cates
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Rosemary C Bagot
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Hope G Kronman
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Bhakti Patel
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Austin B Chang
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | - Immanuel Purushothaman
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Joel Dudley
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Institute for Next Generation Healthcare, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Hirofumi Morishita
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Li Shen
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Eric J Nestler
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
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34
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A potential role for microglia in stress- and drug-induced plasticity in the nucleus accumbens: A mechanism for stress-induced vulnerability to substance use disorder. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 107:360-369. [PMID: 31550452 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Stress is an important risk factor for the development of substance use disorder (SUD). Exposure to both stress and drugs abuse lead to changes in synaptic plasticity and stress-induced alterations in synaptic plasticity may contribute to later vulnerability to SUD. Recent developmental neuroscience studies have identified microglia as regulators of synaptic plasticity. As both stress and drugs of abuse lead to microglial activation, we propose this as a potential mechanism underlying their ability to change synaptic plasticity. This review focuses on three components of synaptic plasticity: spine density, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor expression. Their roles in addiction, stress, and development will be reviewed, as well as possible mechanisms by which microglia could regulate their function. Potential links between stress, vulnerability to addiction, and microglial activity will be explored.
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35
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Abdallah CG, Averill LA, Akiki TJ, Raza M, Averill CL, Gomaa H, Adikey A, Krystal JH. The Neurobiology and Pharmacotherapy of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 2019; 59:171-189. [PMID: 30216745 PMCID: PMC6326888 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-010818-021701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
New approaches to the neurobiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are needed to address the reported crisis in PTSD drug development. These new approaches may require the field to move beyond a narrow fear-based perspective, as fear-based medications have not yet demonstrated compelling efficacy. Antidepressants, particularly recent rapid-acting antidepressants, exert complex effects on brain function and structure that build on novel aspects of the biology of PTSD, including a role for stress-related synaptic dysconnectivity in the neurobiology and treatment of PTSD. Here, we integrate this perspective within a broader framework-in other words, a dual pathology model of ( a) stress-related synaptic loss arising from amino acid-based pathology and ( b) stress-related synaptic gain related to monoamine-based pathology. Then, we summarize the standard and experimental (e.g., ketamine) pharmacotherapeutic options for PTSD and discuss their putative mechanism of action and clinical efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chadi G Abdallah
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut 06516, USA;
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA
| | - Lynnette A Averill
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut 06516, USA;
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA
| | - Teddy J Akiki
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut 06516, USA;
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA
| | - Mohsin Raza
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut 06516, USA;
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA
| | - Christopher L Averill
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut 06516, USA;
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA
| | - Hassaan Gomaa
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut 06516, USA;
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA
| | - Archana Adikey
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut 06516, USA;
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA
| | - John H Krystal
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut 06516, USA;
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA
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36
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LeGates TA, Kvarta MD, Thompson SM. Sex differences in antidepressant efficacy. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:140-154. [PMID: 30082889 PMCID: PMC6235879 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0156-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2018] [Revised: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences have been observed across many psychiatric diseases, especially mood disorders. For major depression, the most prevalent psychiatric disorder, females show a roughly two-fold greater risk as compared to males. Depression is sexually dimorphic with males and females exhibiting differences in clinical presentation, course, and response to antidepressant treatment. In this review, we first discuss sex differences observed in depressed patients, as well as animal models that reveal potential underlying mechanisms. We then discuss antidepressant treatments including their proposed mechanism of action and sex differences observed in treatment response. We include possible mechanisms underlying these sex differences with particular focus on synaptic transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara A. LeGates
- 0000 0001 2175 4264grid.411024.2Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
| | - Mark D. Kvarta
- 0000 0001 2175 4264grid.411024.2Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
| | - Scott M. Thompson
- 0000 0001 2175 4264grid.411024.2Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA ,0000 0001 2175 4264grid.411024.2Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
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37
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Greenwald MK. Anti-stress neuropharmacological mechanisms and targets for addiction treatment: A translational framework. Neurobiol Stress 2018; 9:84-104. [PMID: 30238023 PMCID: PMC6138948 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2018.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Revised: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress-related substance use is a major challenge for treating substance use disorders. This selective review focuses on emerging pharmacotherapies with potential for reducing stress-potentiated seeking and consumption of nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and opioids (i.e., key phenotypes for the most commonly abused substances). I evaluate neuropharmacological mechanisms in experimental models of drug-maintenance and relapse, which translate more readily to individuals presenting for treatment (who have initiated and progressed). An affective/motivational systems model (three dimensions: valence, arousal, control) is mapped onto a systems biology of addiction approach for addressing this problem. Based on quality of evidence to date, promising first-tier neurochemical receptor targets include: noradrenergic (α1 and β antagonist, α2 agonist), kappa-opioid antagonist, nociceptin antagonist, orexin-1 antagonist, and endocannabinoid modulation (e.g., cannabidiol, FAAH inhibition); second-tier candidates may include corticotropin releasing factor-1 antagonists, serotonergic agents (e.g., 5-HT reuptake inhibitors, 5-HT3 antagonists), glutamatergic agents (e.g., mGluR2/3 agonist/positive allosteric modulator, mGluR5 antagonist/negative allosteric modulator), GABA-promoters (e.g., pregabalin, tiagabine), vasopressin 1b antagonist, NK-1 antagonist, and PPAR-γ agonist (e.g., pioglitazone). To address affective/motivational mechanisms of stress-related substance use, it may be advisable to combine agents with actions at complementary targets for greater efficacy but systematic studies are lacking except for interactions with the noradrenergic system. I note clinically-relevant factors that could mediate/moderate the efficacy of anti-stress therapeutics and identify research gaps that should be pursued. Finally, progress in developing anti-stress medications will depend on use of reliable CNS biomarkers to validate exposure-response relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark K. Greenwald
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
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38
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Park JY, Park SY, Kwon H, Song Y, Yun B, Lee Y, Cho Y, Joo A, Han PL. A Group of Descending Glutamatergic Neurons Activated by Stress in Corticolimbic Regions Project to the Nucleus Accumbens. Exp Neurobiol 2018; 27:387-396. [PMID: 30429648 PMCID: PMC6221842 DOI: 10.5607/en.2018.27.5.387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Revised: 10/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is the major component of the ventral striatum that regulates stress-induced depression. The NAc receives dopaminergic inputs from the ventral tegmental area (VTA), and the role of VTA-NAc neurons in stress response has been recently characterized. The NAc also receives glutamatergic inputs from various forebrain structures including the prelimbic cortex (PL), basolateral amygdala (BLA), and ventral hippocampus (vHIP), whereas the role of those glutamatergic afferents in stress response remains underscored. In the present study, we investigated the extent to which descending glutamatergic neurons activated by stress in the PL, BLA, and vHIP project to the NAc. To specifically label the input neurons into the NAc, fluorescent-tagged cholera toxin subunit B (CTB), which can be used as a retrograde neuronal tracer, was injected into the NAc. After two weeks, the mice were placed under restraint for 1 h. Subsequent histological analyses indicated that CTB-positive cells were detected in 170~680 cells/mm2 in the PL, BLA, and vHIP, and those CTB-positive cells were mostly glutamatergic. In the PL, BLA, and vHIP regions analyzed, stress-induced c-Fos expression was found in 20~100 cells/mm2. Among the CTB-positive cells, 2.6% in the PL, 4.2% in the BLA, and 1.1% in the vHIP were co-labeled by c-Fos, whereas among c-Fos-positive cells, 7.7% in the PL, 19.8% in the BLA, and 8.5% in the vHIP were co-labeled with CTB. These results suggest that the NAc receives a significant but differing proportion of glutamatergic inputs from the PL, BLA, and vHIP in stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Young Park
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - So Young Park
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - Hyejin Kwon
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - Yumi Song
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - Boin Yun
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - Yubin Lee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - Yeryung Cho
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - Ahran Joo
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - Pyung-Lim Han
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea.,Department of Chemistry and Nano Science, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
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39
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Abdallah CG, Sanacora G, Duman RS, Krystal JH. The neurobiology of depression, ketamine and rapid-acting antidepressants: Is it glutamate inhibition or activation? Pharmacol Ther 2018; 190:148-158. [PMID: 29803629 PMCID: PMC6165688 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2018.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of the antidepressant effects of ketamine has opened a breakthrough opportunity to develop a truly novel class of safe, effective, and rapid-acting antidepressants (RAADs). In addition, the rapid and robust biological and behavioral effects of ketamine offered a unique opportunity to utilize the drug as a tool to thoroughly investigate the neurobiology of stress and depression in animals, and to develop sensitive and reproducible biomarkers in humans. The ketamine literature over the past two decades has considerably enriched our understanding of the mechanisms underlying chronic stress, depression, and RAADs. However, considering the complexity of the pharmacokinetics and in vivo pharmacodynamics of ketamine, several questions remain unanswered and, at times, even answered questions continue to be considered controversial or at least not fully understood. The current perspective paper summarizes our understanding of the neurobiology of depression, and the mechanisms of action of ketamine and other RAADs. The review focuses on the role of glutamate neurotransmission - reviewing the history of the "glutamate inhibition" and "glutamate activation" hypotheses, proposing a synaptic connectivity model of chronic stress pathology, and describing the mechanism of action of ketamine. It will also summarize the clinical efficacy findings of putative RAADs, present relevant human biomarker findings, and discuss current challenges and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chadi G Abdallah
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, USA; Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, USA.
| | - Gerard Sanacora
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, USA; Abraham Ribicoff Research Facilities, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, USA
| | - Ronald S Duman
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, USA; Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, USA; Abraham Ribicoff Research Facilities, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, USA
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, USA; Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, USA; Abraham Ribicoff Research Facilities, Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, USA
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40
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Dingess PM, Thakar A, Zhang Z, Flynn FW, Brown TE. High-Salt Exposure During Perinatal Development Enhances Stress Sensitivity. Dev Neurobiol 2018; 78:1131-1145. [PMID: 30136369 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Revised: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Excess consumption of dietary sodium during pregnancy has been shown to impair offspring cardiovascular function and enhance salt preference in adulthood, but little is known regarding the long-term impact of this nutritional surplus on offspring brain morphology and behavior. Using a combination of cellular and behavioral approaches, we examined the impact of maternal salt intake during the perinatal period on structural plasticity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) in weanling and adult offspring as well as reward- and stress-driven behaviors in adult offspring. We found that weanling rats born to 4% NaCl-fed dams exhibited an increase and decrease in thin spine density in the infralimbic PFC (IL-PFC) and prelimbic PFC (PL-PFC), respectively, as well as an increase in mushroom spine density in the NAc shell, compared to 1% NaCl-fed controls. Structural changes in the IL-PFC and NAc shell persisted into adulthood, the latter of which is a phenotype that has been observed in rats exposed to early life stress. There was no effect of maternal salt intake on reward-driven behaviors, including sucrose preference, conditioned place preference (CPP) for cocaine, and forced swim stress (FSS)-induced reinstatement of cocaine-induced CPP. However, rats born to high-salt fed dams spent less time swimming in the FSS and displayed heightened plasma CORT levels in response to the FSS compared to controls, suggesting that early salt exposure increases stress sensitivity. Overall, our results suggest that perinatal salt exposure evokes lasting impacts on offspring physiology and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paige M Dingess
- Neuroscience Program, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
| | - Amit Thakar
- Department of Zoology & Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
| | - Zhaojie Zhang
- Department of Zoology & Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
| | - Francis W Flynn
- Neuroscience Program, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming.,Department of Zoology & Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
| | - Travis E Brown
- Neuroscience Program, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming.,School of Pharmacy, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
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41
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Ostroumov A, Dani JA. Convergent Neuronal Plasticity and Metaplasticity Mechanisms of Stress, Nicotine, and Alcohol. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 2017; 58:547-566. [PMID: 28977763 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-010617-052735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Stress and tobacco smoking are risk factors for alcoholism, but the underlying neural mechanisms are not well understood. Although stress, nicotine, and alcohol have broad, individual effects in the brain, some of their actions converge onto the same mechanisms and circuits. Stress and nicotine augment alcohol-related behaviors, in part via modulation of alcohol-evoked neuronal plasticity and metaplasticity mechanisms. Stress modulates alcohol-evoked plasticity via the release of signaling molecules that influence synaptic transmission. Nicotine also activates some of the same signaling molecules, cells, and circuits, producing a convergence of both stress and nicotine onto common plasticity mechanisms that influence alcohol self-administration. We describe several forms of alcohol-induced plasticity, including classic Hebbian plasticity at glutamatergic synapses, and we highlight less appreciated forms, such as non-Hebbian and GABAergic synaptic plasticity. Risk factors such as stress and nicotine initiate lasting neural changes that modify subsequent alcohol-induced synaptic plasticity and increase the vulnerability to alcohol addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Ostroumov
- Department of Neuroscience, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School for Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA; ,
| | - John A Dani
- Department of Neuroscience, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School for Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA; ,
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42
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The Nucleus Accumbens and Ketamine Treatment in Major Depressive Disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology 2017; 42:1739-1746. [PMID: 28272497 PMCID: PMC5518908 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2017.49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Revised: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Animal models of depression repeatedly showed stress-induced nucleus accumbens (NAc) hypertrophy. Recently, ketamine was found to normalize this stress-induced NAc structural growth. Here, we investigated NAc structural abnormalities in major depressive disorder (MDD) in two cohorts. Cohort A included a cross-sectional sample of 34 MDD and 26 healthy control (HC) subjects, with high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to estimate NAc volumes. Proton MR spectroscopy (1H MRS) was used to divide MDD subjects into two subgroups: glutamate-based depression (GBD) and non-GBD. A separate longitudinal sample (cohort B) included 16 MDD patients who underwent MRI at baseline then 24 h following intravenous infusion of ketamine (0.5 mg/kg). In cohort A, we found larger left NAc volume in MDD compared to controls (Cohen's d=1.05), but no significant enlargement in the right NAc (d=0.44). Follow-up analyses revealed significant subgrouping effects on the left (d⩾1.48) and right NAc (d⩾0.95) with larger bilateral NAc in non-GBD compared to GBD and HC. NAc volumes were not different between GBD and HC. In cohort B, ketamine treatment reduced left NAc, but increased left hippocampal, volumes in patients achieving remission. The cross-sectional data provided the first evidence of enlarged NAc in patients with MDD. These NAc abnormalities were limited to patients with non-GBD. The pilot longitudinal data revealed a pattern of normalization of left NAc and hippocampal volumes particularly in patients who achieved remission following ketamine treatment, an intriguing preliminary finding that awaits replication.
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43
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Scofield MD, Heinsbroek JA, Gipson CD, Kupchik YM, Spencer S, Smith ACW, Roberts-Wolfe D, Kalivas PW. The Nucleus Accumbens: Mechanisms of Addiction across Drug Classes Reflect the Importance of Glutamate Homeostasis. Pharmacol Rev 2017; 68:816-71. [PMID: 27363441 DOI: 10.1124/pr.116.012484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 372] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens is a major input structure of the basal ganglia and integrates information from cortical and limbic structures to mediate goal-directed behaviors. Chronic exposure to several classes of drugs of abuse disrupts plasticity in this region, allowing drug-associated cues to engender a pathologic motivation for drug seeking. A number of alterations in glutamatergic transmission occur within the nucleus accumbens after withdrawal from chronic drug exposure. These drug-induced neuroadaptations serve as the molecular basis for relapse vulnerability. In this review, we focus on the role that glutamate signal transduction in the nucleus accumbens plays in addiction-related behaviors. First, we explore the nucleus accumbens, including the cell types and neuronal populations present as well as afferent and efferent connections. Next we discuss rodent models of addiction and assess the viability of these models for testing candidate pharmacotherapies for the prevention of relapse. Then we provide a review of the literature describing how synaptic plasticity in the accumbens is altered after exposure to drugs of abuse and withdrawal and also how pharmacological manipulation of glutamate systems in the accumbens can inhibit drug seeking in the laboratory setting. Finally, we examine results from clinical trials in which pharmacotherapies designed to manipulate glutamate systems have been effective in treating relapse in human patients. Further elucidation of how drugs of abuse alter glutamatergic plasticity within the accumbens will be necessary for the development of new therapeutics for the treatment of addiction across all classes of addictive substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- M D Scofield
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina (M.D.S., J.A.H., S.S., D.R.-W., P.W.K.); Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona (C.D.G.); Department of Neuroscience, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel (Y.M.K.); and Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York (A.C.W.S.)
| | - J A Heinsbroek
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina (M.D.S., J.A.H., S.S., D.R.-W., P.W.K.); Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona (C.D.G.); Department of Neuroscience, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel (Y.M.K.); and Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York (A.C.W.S.)
| | - C D Gipson
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina (M.D.S., J.A.H., S.S., D.R.-W., P.W.K.); Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona (C.D.G.); Department of Neuroscience, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel (Y.M.K.); and Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York (A.C.W.S.)
| | - Y M Kupchik
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina (M.D.S., J.A.H., S.S., D.R.-W., P.W.K.); Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona (C.D.G.); Department of Neuroscience, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel (Y.M.K.); and Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York (A.C.W.S.)
| | - S Spencer
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina (M.D.S., J.A.H., S.S., D.R.-W., P.W.K.); Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona (C.D.G.); Department of Neuroscience, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel (Y.M.K.); and Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York (A.C.W.S.)
| | - A C W Smith
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina (M.D.S., J.A.H., S.S., D.R.-W., P.W.K.); Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona (C.D.G.); Department of Neuroscience, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel (Y.M.K.); and Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York (A.C.W.S.)
| | - D Roberts-Wolfe
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina (M.D.S., J.A.H., S.S., D.R.-W., P.W.K.); Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona (C.D.G.); Department of Neuroscience, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel (Y.M.K.); and Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York (A.C.W.S.)
| | - P W Kalivas
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina (M.D.S., J.A.H., S.S., D.R.-W., P.W.K.); Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona (C.D.G.); Department of Neuroscience, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel (Y.M.K.); and Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York (A.C.W.S.)
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44
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Brancato A, Bregman D, Ahn HF, Pfau ML, Menard C, Cannizzaro C, Russo SJ, Hodes GE. Sub-chronic variable stress induces sex-specific effects on glutamatergic synapses in the nucleus accumbens. Neuroscience 2017; 350:180-189. [PMID: 28323008 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Revised: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Men and women manifest different symptoms of depression and under current diagnostic criteria, depression is twice as prevalent in woman. However, little is known of the mechanisms contributing to these important sex differences. Sub-chronic variable stress (SCVS), a rodent model of depression, induces depression-like behaviors in female mice only, modeling clinical evidence of higher susceptibility to mood disorders in women. Accumulating evidence indicates that altered neuroplasticity of excitatory synapses in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key pathophysiological feature of susceptibility to social stress in males. Here we investigated the effects of SCVS on pre- and post-synaptic protein levels and morphology of glutamatergic synapses of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the NAc of female and male mice. Animals underwent six-day exposure to alternating stressors including shock, tail suspension and restraint. MSNs from the NAc were filled with a Lucifer yellow dye and spine density and type were examined using NeuronStudio. In a separate group of animals, immunofluorescence staining was performed for vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGLUT1) and vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2), in order to label cortical and subcortical glutamatergic terminals. Immunostaining for post-synaptic density 95 (PSD95) was employed to evaluate post-synaptic density. Females demonstrated circuit-specific pre-synaptic alterations in VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 containing synapses that may contribute to stress susceptibility in the absence of post-synaptic alterations in PSD95 puncta, spine density or type. These data indicate that susceptibility to stress in females is associated with changes in the frequency of distinct glutamatergic inputs to the NAc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Brancato
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother and Child Care, University of Palermo, Palermo 90127, Italy
| | - Dana Bregman
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - H Francisica Ahn
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Madeline L Pfau
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Caroline Menard
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Carla Cannizzaro
- Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother and Child Care, University of Palermo, Palermo 90127, Italy
| | - Scott J Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Virgina Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 20460, USA.
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45
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Kim S, Kwok S, Mayes LC, Potenza MN, Rutherford HJV, Strathearn L. Early adverse experience and substance addiction: dopamine, oxytocin, and glucocorticoid pathways. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2016; 1394:74-91. [PMID: 27508337 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2016] [Revised: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Substance addiction may follow a chronic, relapsing course and critically undermine the physical and psychological well-being of the affected individual and the social units of which the individual is a member. Despite the public health burden associated with substance addiction, treatment options remain suboptimal, with relapses often seen. The present review synthesizes growing insights from animal and human research to shed light upon developmental and neurobiological pathways that may increase susceptibility to addiction. We examine the dopamine system, the oxytocin system, and the glucocorticoid system, as they are particularly relevant to substance addiction. Our aim is to delineate how early adverse experience may induce long-lasting alterations in each of these systems at molecular, neuroendocrine, and behavioral levels and ultimately lead to heightened vulnerability to substance addiction. We further discuss how substance addiction in adulthood may increase the risk of suboptimal caregiving for the next generation, perpetuating the intergenerational cycle of early adverse experiences and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sohye Kim
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Attachment and Neurodevelopment Laboratory, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Stephanie Kwok
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Linda C Mayes
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Marc N Potenza
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.,Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASAColumbia), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.,Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | - Lane Strathearn
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Attachment and Neurodevelopment Laboratory, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
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46
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Hultman R, Mague SD, Li Q, Katz BM, Michel N, Lin L, Wang J, David LK, Blount C, Chandy R, Carlson D, Ulrich K, Carin L, Dunson D, Kumar S, Deisseroth K, Moore SD, Dzirasa K. Dysregulation of Prefrontal Cortex-Mediated Slow-Evolving Limbic Dynamics Drives Stress-Induced Emotional Pathology. Neuron 2016; 91:439-52. [PMID: 27346529 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.05.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2015] [Revised: 04/21/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Circuits distributed across cortico-limbic brain regions compose the networks that mediate emotional behavior. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) regulates ultraslow (<1 Hz) dynamics across these networks, and PFC dysfunction is implicated in stress-related illnesses including major depressive disorder (MDD). To uncover the mechanism whereby stress-induced changes in PFC circuitry alter emotional networks to yield pathology, we used a multi-disciplinary approach including in vivo recordings in mice and chronic social defeat stress. Our network model, inferred using machine learning, linked stress-induced behavioral pathology to the capacity of PFC to synchronize amygdala and VTA activity. Direct stimulation of PFC-amygdala circuitry with DREADDs normalized PFC-dependent limbic synchrony in stress-susceptible animals and restored normal behavior. In addition to providing insights into MDD mechanisms, our findings demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach that can be used to identify the large-scale network changes that underlie complex emotional pathologies and the specific network nodes that can be used to develop targeted interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rainbo Hultman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Stephen D Mague
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Qiang Li
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Brittany M Katz
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Nadine Michel
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Lizhen Lin
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Joyce Wang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Lisa K David
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Cameron Blount
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Rithi Chandy
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - David Carlson
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 22208, USA
| | - Kyle Ulrich
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 22208, USA
| | - Lawrence Carin
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 22208, USA
| | - David Dunson
- Department of Statistical Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 22208, USA
| | - Sunil Kumar
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Departments of Bioengineering and Psychiatry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Scott D Moore
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Kafui Dzirasa
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Center for Neuroengineering, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 22208, USA.
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47
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Mendoza ML, Anderson EM, Kourrich S, Eisch AJ. A NAc for Spinal Adjustments After Cocaine or Stress. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 79:872-4. [PMID: 27198520 PMCID: PMC5784216 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2016] [Accepted: 04/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew L Mendoza
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Ethan M Anderson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Saïd Kourrich
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Amelia J Eisch
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
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48
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Rahmani B, Ghasemi R, Dargahi L, Ahmadiani A, Haeri A. Neurosteroids; potential underpinning roles in maintaining homeostasis. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2016; 225:242-250. [PMID: 26432100 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.09.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2015] [Revised: 09/14/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The neuroactive steroids which are synthesized in the brain and nervous system are known as "Neurosteroids". These steroids have crucial functions such as contributing to the myelination and organization of the brain connectivity. Under the stressful circumstances, the concentrations of neurosteroid products such as allopregnanolone (ALLO) and allotetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone (THDOC) alter. It has been suggested that these stress-derived neurosteroids modulate the physiological response to stress. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis mediates the physiological adaptation following stress in order to maintain homeostasis. Although several regulatory pathways have been introduced, the exact role of neurosteroids in controlling HPA axis is not clear to date. In this review, we intend to discern specific pathways associated with regulation of HPA axis in which neuroactive steroids have the main role. In this respect, we propose pathways that may be initiated after neurosteroidogenesis in different brain subregions following acute stress which are potentially capable of activating or inhibiting the HPA axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Behrouz Rahmani
- Neuroscience Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Rasoul Ghasemi
- Department of Physiology and Neurophysiology Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Leila Dargahi
- NeuroBiology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abolhassan Ahmadiani
- Neuroscience Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Ali Haeri
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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49
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Neurophysiological and Neurochemical Mechanisms Underlying Depression Disorders and Search for New Directions of Treatment. NEUROPHYSIOLOGY+ 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s11062-015-9542-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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50
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Abstract
Drug withdrawal is often conceptualized as an aversive state that motivates drug-seeking and drug-taking behaviors in humans. Stress is more difficult to define, but is also frequently associated with aversive states. Here we describe evidence for the simple theory that drug withdrawal is a stress-like state, on the basis of common effects on behavioral, neurochemical, and molecular endpoints. We also describe data suggesting a more complex relationship between drug withdrawal and stress. As one example, we will highlight evidence that, depending on drug class, components of withdrawal can produce effects that have characteristics consistent with mood elevation. In addition, some stressors can act as positive reinforcers, defined as having the ability to increase the probability of a behavior that produces it. As such, accumulating evidence supports the general principles of opponent process theory, whereby processes that have an affective valence are followed in time by an opponent process that has the opposite valence. Throughout, we identify gaps in knowledge and propose future directions for research. A better understanding of the similarities, differences, and overlaps between drug withdrawal and stress will lead to the development of improved treatments for addiction, as well as for a vast array of neuropsychiatric conditions that are triggered or exacerbated by stress.
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