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Alhadidi QM, Bahader GA, Arvola O, Kitchen P, Shah ZA, Salman MM. Astrocytes in functional recovery following central nervous system injuries. J Physiol 2024; 602:3069-3096. [PMID: 37702572 DOI: 10.1113/jp284197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes are increasingly recognised as partaking in complex homeostatic mechanisms critical for regulating neuronal plasticity following central nervous system (CNS) insults. Ischaemic stroke and traumatic brain injury are associated with high rates of disability and mortality. Depending on the context and type of injury, reactive astrocytes respond with diverse morphological, proliferative and functional changes collectively known as astrogliosis, which results in both pathogenic and protective effects. There is a large body of research on the negative consequences of astrogliosis following brain injuries. There is also growing interest in how astrogliosis might in some contexts be protective and help to limit the spread of the injury. However, little is known about how astrocytes contribute to the chronic functional recovery phase following traumatic and ischaemic brain insults. In this review, we explore the protective functions of astrocytes in various aspects of secondary brain injury such as oedema, inflammation and blood-brain barrier dysfunction. We also discuss the current knowledge on astrocyte contribution to tissue regeneration, including angiogenesis, neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, dendrogenesis and axogenesis. Finally, we discuss diverse astrocyte-related factors that, if selectively targeted, could form the basis of astrocyte-targeted therapeutic strategies to better address currently untreatable CNS disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qasim M Alhadidi
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pharmacy, Al-Yarmok University College, Diyala, Iraq
| | - Ghaith A Bahader
- Department of Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Oiva Arvola
- Division of Anaesthesiology, Jorvi Hospital, Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Philip Kitchen
- College of Health and Life Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK
| | - Zahoor A Shah
- Department of Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Mootaz M Salman
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Kavli Institute for NanoScience Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Vázquez-Durán DL, Ortega A, Rodríguez A. Amino Acid Transporters Proteins Involved in the Glutamate-Glutamine Cycle and Their Alterations in Murine Models of Alzheimer's Disease. Mol Neurobiol 2024:10.1007/s12035-024-03966-3. [PMID: 38273046 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-024-03966-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
The brain's ability to integrate external stimuli and generate responses is highly complex. While these mechanisms are not completely understood, current evidence suggests that alterations in cellular metabolism and microenvironment are involved in some dysfunctions as complex as Alzheimer's disease. This pathology courses with defects in the establishment of chemical synapses, which is dependent on the production and supply of neurotransmitters like glutamate and its recycling through the glutamate-glutamine cycle. Alterations in the expression and function of the amino acid transporters proteins involved in this cycle have recently been reported in different stages of Alzheimer's disease. Most of these data come from patients in advanced stages of the disease or post-mortem, due to the ethical and technical limitations of human studies. Therefore, genetically modified mouse models have been an excellent tool to analyze metabolic and even behavioral parameters that are very similar to those that develop in Alzheimer's disease, even at presymptomatic stages. Hence, this paper analyzes the role of glutamate metabolism and its intercellular trafficking in excitatory synapses from different approaches using transgenic mouse models; such an analysis will contribute to our present understanding of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Arturo Ortega
- Departamento de Toxicología, Cinvestav- IPN, Mexico City, México
| | - Angelina Rodríguez
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Santiago de Querétaro, México.
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Gruol DL. The Neuroimmune System and the Cerebellum. CEREBELLUM (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2023:10.1007/s12311-023-01624-3. [PMID: 37950146 DOI: 10.1007/s12311-023-01624-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The recognition that there is an innate immune system of the brain, referred to as the neuroimmune system, that preforms many functions comparable to that of the peripheral immune system is a relatively new concept and much is yet to be learned. The main cellular components of the neuroimmune system are the glial cells of the brain, primarily microglia and astrocytes. These cell types preform many functions through secretion of signaling factors initially known as immune factors but referred to as neuroimmune factors when produced by cells of the brain. The immune functions of glial cells play critical roles in the healthy brain to maintain homeostasis that is essential for normal brain function, to establish cytoarchitecture of the brain during development, and, in pathological conditions, to minimize the detrimental effects of disease and injury and promote repair of brain structure and function. However, dysregulation of this system can occur resulting in actions that exacerbate or perpetuate the detrimental effects of disease or injury. The neuroimmune system extends throughout all brain regions, but attention to the cerebellar system has lagged that of other brain regions and information is limited on this topic. This article is meant to provide a brief introduction to the cellular and molecular components of the brain immune system, its functions, and what is known about its role in the cerebellum. The majority of this information comes from studies of animal models and pathological conditions, where upregulation of the system facilitates investigation of its actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donna L Gruol
- Neuroscience Department, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.
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Miguel-Hidalgo JJ. Neuroprotective astroglial response to neural damage and its relevance to affective disorders. EXPLORATION OF NEUROPROTECTIVE THERAPY 2023; 3:328-345. [PMID: 37920189 PMCID: PMC10622120 DOI: 10.37349/ent.2023.00054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Astrocytes not only support neuronal function with essential roles in synaptic neurotransmission, action potential propagation, metabolic support, or neuroplastic and developmental adaptations. They also respond to damage or dysfunction in surrounding neurons and oligodendrocytes by releasing neurotrophic factors and other molecules that increase the survival of the supported cells or contribute to mechanisms of structural and molecular restoration. The neuroprotective responsiveness of astrocytes is based on their ability to sense signals of degeneration, metabolic jeopardy and structural damage, and on their aptitude to locally deliver specific molecules to remedy threats to the molecular and structural features of their cellular partners. To the extent that neuronal and other glial cell disturbances are known to occur in affective disorders, astrocyte responsiveness to those disturbances may help to better understand the roles astrocytes play in affective disorders. The astrocytic sensing apparatus supporting those responses involves receptors for neurotransmitters, purines, cell adhesion molecules and growth factors. Astrocytes also share with the immune system the capacity of responding to cytokines released upon neuronal damage. In addition, in responses to specific signals astrocytes release unique factors such as clusterin or humanin that have been shown to exert potent neuroprotective effects. Astrocytes integrate the signals above to further deliver structural lipids, removing toxic metabolites, stabilizing the osmotic environment, normalizing neurotransmitters, providing anti-oxidant protection, facilitating synaptogenesis and acting as barriers to contain varied deleterious signals, some of which have been described in brain regions relevant to affective disorders and related animal models. Since various of the injurious signals that activate astrocytes have been implicated in different aspects of the etiopathology of affective disorders, particularly in relation to the diagnosis of depression, potentiating the corresponding astrocyte neuroprotective responses may provide additional opportunities to improve or complement available pharmacological and behavioral therapies for affective disorders.
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Li Y, Que M, Wang X, Zhan G, Zhou Z, Luo X, Li S. Exploring Astrocyte-Mediated Mechanisms in Sleep Disorders and Comorbidity. Biomedicines 2023; 11:2476. [PMID: 37760916 PMCID: PMC10525869 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11092476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes, the most abundant cells in the brain, are integral to sleep regulation. In the context of a healthy neural environment, these glial cells exert a profound influence on the sleep-wake cycle, modulating both rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep phases. However, emerging literature underscores perturbations in astrocytic function as potential etiological factors in sleep disorders, either as protopathy or comorbidity. As known, sleep disorders significantly increase the risk of neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, metabolic, or psychiatric diseases. Meanwhile, sleep disorders are commonly screened as comorbidities in various neurodegenerative diseases, epilepsy, and others. Building on existing research that examines the role of astrocytes in sleep disorders, this review aims to elucidate the potential mechanisms by which astrocytes influence sleep regulation and contribute to sleep disorders in the varied settings of brain diseases. The review emphasizes the significance of astrocyte-mediated mechanisms in sleep disorders and their associated comorbidities, highlighting the need for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujuan Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Geriatric Anesthesia and Perioperative Brain Health, Wuhan Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Anesthesia, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China; (Y.L.); (M.Q.); (X.W.); (G.Z.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Mengxin Que
- Department of Anesthesiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Geriatric Anesthesia and Perioperative Brain Health, Wuhan Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Anesthesia, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China; (Y.L.); (M.Q.); (X.W.); (G.Z.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Xuan Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Geriatric Anesthesia and Perioperative Brain Health, Wuhan Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Anesthesia, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China; (Y.L.); (M.Q.); (X.W.); (G.Z.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Gaofeng Zhan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Geriatric Anesthesia and Perioperative Brain Health, Wuhan Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Anesthesia, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China; (Y.L.); (M.Q.); (X.W.); (G.Z.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Zhiqiang Zhou
- Department of Anesthesiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Geriatric Anesthesia and Perioperative Brain Health, Wuhan Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Anesthesia, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China; (Y.L.); (M.Q.); (X.W.); (G.Z.); (Z.Z.)
| | - Xiaoxiao Luo
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Shiyong Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Geriatric Anesthesia and Perioperative Brain Health, Wuhan Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Anesthesia, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China; (Y.L.); (M.Q.); (X.W.); (G.Z.); (Z.Z.)
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Wang J, Deng X, Jiang J, Yao Z, Ju Y, Luo Y. Evaluation of electroacupuncture as a non-pharmacological therapy for astrocytic structural aberrations and behavioral deficits in a post-ischemic depression model in mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1239024. [PMID: 37700911 PMCID: PMC10493307 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1239024] [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: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Ascending clinical evidence supports that electroacupuncture (EA) is effective in treating post-ischemic depression (PID), but little is known about how it works at the cellular level. Astrocytes are exquisitely sensitive to their extracellular environment, and under stressful conditions, they may experience aberrant structural remodeling that can potentially cause neuroplastic disturbances and contribute to subsequent changes in mood or behavior. Objectives This study aimed to investigate the effect of EA on behavioral deficits associated with PID in mice and verify the hypothesis that astrocytic morphology may be involved in this impact. Methods We established a PID animal model induced by transient bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO, 20 min) and chronic restraint stress (CRS, 21 days). EA treatment (GV20 + ST36) was performed for 3 weeks, from Monday to Friday each week. Depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors and sociability were evaluated using SPT, FST, EPM, and SIT. Immunohistochemistry combined with Sholl and cell morphological analysis was utilized to assess the process morphology of GFAP+ astrocytes in mood-related regions. The potential relationship between morphological changes in astrocytes and behavioral output was detected by correlation analysis. Results Behavioral assays demonstrated that EA treatment induced an overall reduction in behavioral deficits, as measured by the behavioral Z-score. Sholl and morphological analyses revealed that EA prevented the decline in cell complexity of astrocytes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the CA1 region of the hippocampus, where astrocytes displayed evident deramification and atrophy of the branches. Eventually, the correlation analysis showed there was a relationship between behavioral emotionality and morphological changes. Conclusion Our findings imply that EA prevents both behavioral deficits and structural abnormalities in astrocytes in the PID model. The strong correlation between behavioral Z-scores and the observed morphological changes confirms the notion that the weakening of astrocytic processes may play a crucial role in depressive symptoms, and astrocytes could be a potential target of EA in the treatment of PID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwen Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Laboratory Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xin Deng
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jin Jiang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Laboratory Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhengyu Yao
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Laboratory Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yaxin Ju
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Laboratory Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yong Luo
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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Lullau APM, Haga EMW, Ronold EH, Dwyer GE. Antidepressant mechanisms of ketamine: a review of actions with relevance to treatment-resistance and neuroprogression. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1223145. [PMID: 37614344 PMCID: PMC10442706 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1223145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Concurrent with recent insights into the neuroprogressive nature of depression, ketamine shows promise in interfering with several neuroprogressive factors, and has been suggested to reverse neuropathological patterns seen in depression. These insights come at a time of great need for novel approaches, as prevalence is rising and current treatment options remain inadequate for a large number of people. The rapidly growing literature on ketamine's antidepressant potential has yielded multiple proposed mechanisms of action, many of which have implications for recently elucidated aspects of depressive pathology. This review aims to provide the reader with an understanding of neuroprogressive aspects of depressive pathology and how ketamine is suggested to act on it. Literature was identified through PubMed and Google Scholar, and the reference lists of retrieved articles. When reviewing the evidence of depressive pathology, a picture emerges of four elements interacting with each other to facilitate progressive worsening, namely stress, inflammation, neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration. Ketamine acts on all of these levels of pathology, with rapid and potent reductions of depressive symptoms. Converging evidence suggests that ketamine works to increase stress resilience and reverse stress-induced dysfunction, modulate systemic inflammation and neuroinflammation, attenuate neurotoxic processes and glial dysfunction, and facilitate synaptogenesis rather than neurodegeneration. Still, much remains to be revealed about ketamine's antidepressant mechanisms of action, and research is lacking on the durability of effect. The findings discussed herein calls for more longitudinal approaches when determining efficacy and its relation to neuroprogressive factors, and could provide relevant considerations for clinical implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- August P. M. Lullau
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Emily M. W. Haga
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Eivind H. Ronold
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Gerard E. Dwyer
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- NORMENT Centre of Excellence, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
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Drew VJ, Park M, Kim T. GABA-Positive Astrogliosis in Sleep-Promoting Areas Associated with Sleep Disturbance in 5XFAD Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:9695. [PMID: 37298646 PMCID: PMC10253883 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119695] [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: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Sleep disturbances, a debilitating symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD), are associated with neuropathological changes. However, the relationship between these disturbances and regional neuron and astrocyte pathologies remains unclear. This study examined whether sleep disturbances in AD result from pathological changes in sleep-promoting brain areas. Male 5XFAD mice underwent electroencephalography (EEG) recordings at 3, 6, and 10 months, followed by an immunohistochemical analysis of three brain regions associated with sleep promotion. The findings showed that 5XFAD mice demonstrated reduced duration and bout counts of nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep by 6 months and reduced duration and bout counts of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep by 10 months. Additionally, peak theta EEG power frequency during REM sleep decreased by 10 months. Sleep disturbances correlated with the total number of GFAP-positive astrocytes and the ratio of GFAP- and GABA-positive astrocytes across all three sleep-associated regions corresponding to their roles in sleep promotion. The presence of GABRD in sleep-promoting neurons indicated their susceptibility to inhibition by extrasynaptic GABA. This study reveals that neurotoxic reactive astrogliosis in NREM and REM sleep-promoting areas is linked to sleep disturbances in 5XFAD mice, which suggests a potential target for the treatment of sleep disorders in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tae Kim
- Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 61005, Republic of Korea; (V.J.D.); (M.P.)
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Verkhratsky A, Pivoriūnas A. Astroglia support, regulate and reinforce brain barriers. Neurobiol Dis 2023; 179:106054. [PMID: 36842485 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Nervous system is segregated from the body by the complex system of barriers. The CNS is protected by (i) the blood-brain and blood-spinal cord barrier between the intracerebral and intraspinal blood vessels and the brain parenchyma; (ii) the arachnoid blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier; (iii) the blood-cerebrospinal barrier of circumventricular organs made by tanycytes and (iv) the choroid plexus blood-CSF barrier formed by choroid ependymocytes. In the peripheral nervous system the nerve-blood barrier is secured by tight junctions between specialised glial cells known as perineural cells. In the CNS astroglia contribute to all barriers through the glia limitans, which represent the parenchymal portion of the barrier system. Astroglia through secretion of various paracrine factors regulate the permeability of endothelial vascular barrier; in pathology damage or asthenia of astrocytes may compromise brain barriers integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexei Verkhratsky
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, State Research Institute Centre for Innovative Medicine, LT-01102 Vilnius, Lithuania; Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK; Achucarro Centre for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48011 Bilbao, Spain; Department of Forensic Analytical Toxicology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
| | - Augustas Pivoriūnas
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, State Research Institute Centre for Innovative Medicine, LT-01102 Vilnius, Lithuania.
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Villablanca C, Vidal R, Gonzalez-Billault C. Are cytoskeleton changes observed in astrocytes functionally linked to aging? Brain Res Bull 2023; 196:59-67. [PMID: 36935053 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.03.007] [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: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023]
Abstract
Astrocytes are active participants in the performance of the Central Nervous System (CNS) in both health and disease. During aging, astrocytes are susceptible to reactive astrogliosis, a molecular state characterized by functional changes in response to pathological situations, and cellular senescence, characterized by loss of cell division, apoptosis resistance, and gain of proinflammatory functions. This results in two different states of astrocytes, which can produce proinflammatory phenotypes with harmful consequences in chronic conditions. Reactive astrocytes and senescent astrocytes share morpho-functional features that are dependent on the organization of the cytoskeleton. However, such changes in the cytoskeleton have yet to receive the necessary attention to explain their role in the alterations of astrocytes that are associated with aging and pathologies. In this review, we summarize all the available findings that connect changes in the cytoskeleton of the astrocytes with aging. In addition, we discuss future avenues that we believe will guide such a novel topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristopher Villablanca
- Laboratory of Cell and Neuronal Dynamics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Center for Integrative Biology, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile; Geroscience Center for Brain Health and Metabolism (GERO), Santiago, Chile
| | - René Vidal
- Laboratory of Cell and Neuronal Dynamics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Center for Integrative Biology, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile; Geroscience Center for Brain Health and Metabolism (GERO), Santiago, Chile
| | - Christian Gonzalez-Billault
- Laboratory of Cell and Neuronal Dynamics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Geroscience Center for Brain Health and Metabolism (GERO), Santiago, Chile; Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Institute for Nutrition and Food Technologies, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
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Astrocytes in the pathophysiology of neuroinfection. Essays Biochem 2023; 67:131-145. [PMID: 36562155 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20220082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Key homeostasis providing cells in the central nervous system (CNS) are astrocytes, which belong to the class of cells known as atroglia, a highly heterogeneous type of neuroglia and a prominent element of the brain defence. Diseases evolve due to altered homeostatic state, associated with pathology-induced astroglia remodelling represented by reactive astrocytes, astroglial atrophy and astrodegeneration. These features are hallmarks of most infectious insults, mediated by bacteria, protozoa and viruses; they are also prominent in the systemic infection. The COVID-19 pandemic revived the focus into neurotropic viruses such as SARS-CoV2 (Coronaviridae) but also the Flaviviridae viruses including tick-borne encephalitis (TBEV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) causing the epidemic in South America prior to COVID-19. Astrocytes provide a key response to neurotropic infections in the CNS. Astrocytes form a parenchymal part of the blood-brain barrier, the site of virus entry into the CNS. Astrocytes exhibit aerobic glycolysis, a form of metabolism characteristic of highly morphologically plastic cells, like cancer cells, hence a suitable milieu for multiplication of infectious agent, including viral particles. However, why the protection afforded by astrocytes fails in some circumstances is an open question to be studied in the future.
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Healey KL, Bell A, Scofield MD, Swartzwelder H. Adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure reduces astrocyte-synaptic proximity in the adult medial prefrontal cortex in rats: Reversal by gabapentin. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 4:100047. [PMID: 36643603 PMCID: PMC9836051 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2022.100047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol consumption in adolescence causes multiple acute negative changes in neural and behavioral function that persist well into adulthood and possibly throughout life. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and dorsal hippocampus are critical for executive function and memory and are especially vulnerable to adolescent ethanol exposure. We have reported that astrocytes, particularly in the mPFC, change both in morphology and synaptic proximity during adolescence. Moreover, adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure produces enduring effects on both astrocyte function and synaptic proximity in the adult hippocampal formation, and the latter effect was reversed by the clinically used agent gabapentin (Neurontin), an anticonvulsant and analgesic that is an inhibitor of the VGCC α2δ1 subunit. These findings underscore the importance of investigating AIE effects on astrocytes in the mPFC, a region that undergoes marked changes in structure and connectivity during adolescence. Using astrocyte-specific viral labeling and immunohistochemistry, mPFC astrocytic morphology and colocalization with AMPA-(α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid) glutamate receptor 1 (GluA1), an AMPA receptor subunit and established neuronal marker of excitatory synapses, were assessed to quantify the proximity of astrocyte processes with glutamatergic synaptic puncta. AIE exposure significantly reduced astrocyte-synaptic proximity in adulthood, an effect that was reversed by sub-chronic gabapentin treatment in adulthood. There was no effect of AIE on astrocytic glutamate homeostasis machinery or neuronal synaptic proteins in the mPFC. These findings indicate a possible glial-neuronal mechanism underlying the effects of AIE on frontal lobe-mediated behaviors and suggest a specific therapeutic approach for the amelioration of those effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kati L. Healey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C. 27710, United States of America,Corresponding author. (K.L. Healey)
| | - Amelia Bell
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C. 27710, United States of America
| | - Michael D. Scofield
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C. 29425, United States of America
| | - H.S. Swartzwelder
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C. 27710, United States of America
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Zhang X, Wolfinger A, Wu X, Alnafisah R, Imami A, Hamoud AR, Lundh A, Parpura V, McCullumsmith RE, Shukla R, O’Donovan SM. Gene Enrichment Analysis of Astrocyte Subtypes in Psychiatric Disorders and Psychotropic Medication Datasets. Cells 2022; 11:3315. [PMID: 36291180 PMCID: PMC9600295 DOI: 10.3390/cells11203315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes have many important functions in the brain, but their roles in psychiatric disorders and their responses to psychotropic medications are still being elucidated. Here, we used gene enrichment analysis to assess the relationships between different astrocyte subtypes, psychiatric diseases, and psychotropic medications (antipsychotics, antidepressants and mood stabilizers). We also carried out qPCR analyses and "look-up" studies to assess the chronic effects of these drugs on astrocyte marker gene expression. Our bioinformatic analysis identified gene enrichment of different astrocyte subtypes in psychiatric disorders. The highest level of enrichment was found in schizophrenia, supporting a role for astrocytes in this disorder. We also found differential enrichment of astrocyte subtypes associated with specific biological processes, highlighting the complex responses of astrocytes under pathological conditions. Enrichment of protein phosphorylation in astrocytes and disease was confirmed by biochemical analysis. Analysis of LINCS chemical perturbagen gene signatures also found that kinase inhibitors were highly discordant with astrocyte-SCZ associated gene signatures. However, we found that common gene enrichment of different psychotropic medications and astrocyte subtypes was limited. These results were confirmed by "look-up" studies and qPCR analysis, which also reported little effect of psychotropic medications on common astrocyte marker gene expression, suggesting that astrocytes are not a primary target of these medications. Conversely, antipsychotic medication does affect astrocyte gene marker expression in postmortem schizophrenia brain tissue, supporting specific astrocyte responses in different pathological conditions. Overall, this study provides a unique view of astrocyte subtypes and the effect of medications on astrocytes in disease, which will contribute to our understanding of their role in psychiatric disorders and offers insights into targeting astrocytes therapeutically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolu Zhang
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Alyssa Wolfinger
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Xiaojun Wu
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Rawan Alnafisah
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Ali Imami
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Abdul-rizaq Hamoud
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Anna Lundh
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Vladimir Parpura
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Robert E. McCullumsmith
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
- Promedica Neurosciences Institute, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
| | - Rammohan Shukla
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
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14
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Efstathiou V, Stefanou MI, Demetriou M, Siafakas N, Makris M, Tsivgoulis G, Zoumpourlis V, Kympouropoulos S, Tsoporis J, Spandidos D, Smyrnis N, Rizos E. Long COVID and neuropsychiatric manifestations (Review). Exp Ther Med 2022; 23:363. [PMID: 35493431 PMCID: PMC9019760 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2022.11290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
There is accumulating evidence in the literature indicating that a number of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may experience a range of neuropsychiatric symptoms, persisting or even presenting following the resolution of acute COVID-19. Among the neuropsychiatric manifestations more frequently associated with ‘long COVID’ are depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disturbances, fatigue and cognitive deficits, that can potentially be debilitating and negatively affect patients' wellbeing, albeit in the majority of cases symptoms tend to improve over time. Despite variations in results obtained from studies using different methodological approaches to define ‘long COVID’ syndrome, the most widely accepted factors associated with a higher risk of developing neuropsychiatric manifestations include the severity of foregoing COVID-19, the female sex, the presence of comorbidities, a history of mental health disease and an elevation in the levels of inflammatory markers, albeit further research is required to establish causal associations. To date, the pathophysiological mechanisms implicated in neuropsychiatric manifestations of ‘long COVID’ remain only partially elucidated, while the role of the indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as social isolation and uncertainty concerning social, financial and health recovery post-COVID, have also been highlighted. Given the alarming effects of ‘long-COVID’, interdisciplinary cooperation for the early identification of patients who are at a high risk of persistent neuropsychiatric presentations, beyond COVID-19 recovery, is crucial to ensure that appropriate integrated physical and mental health support is provided, with the aim of mitigating the risks of long-term disability at a societal and individual level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasiliki Efstathiou
- Second Department of Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ‘Attikon’ University General Hospital, Athens 12462, Greece
| | - Maria-Ioanna Stefanou
- Second Department of Neurology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ‘Attikon’ University General Hospital, Athens 12462, Greece
| | - Marina Demetriou
- Second Department of Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ‘Attikon’ University General Hospital, Athens 12462, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Siafakas
- Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ‘Attikon’ University General Hospital, Athens 12462, Greece
| | - Michael Makris
- Allergy Unit, Second Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ‘Attikon’ University General Hospital, Athens 12462, Greece
| | - Georgios Tsivgoulis
- Second Department of Neurology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ‘Attikon’ University General Hospital, Athens 12462, Greece
| | - Vassilios Zoumpourlis
- Biomedical Applications Unit, Institute of Chemical Biology, National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF), Athens 11635, Greece
| | - Stylianos Kympouropoulos
- Second Department of Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ‘Attikon’ University General Hospital, Athens 12462, Greece
| | - James Tsoporis
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, Canada
| | - Demetrios Spandidos
- Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion 71003, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Smyrnis
- Second Department of Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ‘Attikon’ University General Hospital, Athens 12462, Greece
| | - Emmanouil Rizos
- Second Department of Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ‘Attikon’ University General Hospital, Athens 12462, Greece
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15
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Albizzati E, Florio E, Miramondi F, Sormonta I, Landsberger N, Frasca A. Identification of Region-Specific Cytoskeletal and Molecular Alterations in Astrocytes of Mecp2 Deficient Animals. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:823060. [PMID: 35242007 PMCID: PMC8886113 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.823060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that represents the most common genetic cause of severe intellectual disability in females. Most patients carry mutations in the X-linked MECP2 gene, coding for the methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2), originally isolated as an epigenetic transcriptional factor able to bind methylated DNA and repress transcription. Recent data implicated a role for glia in RTT, showing that astrocytes express Mecp2 and that its deficiency affects their ability to support neuronal maturation by non-cell autonomous mechanisms. To date, some molecular, structural and functional alterations have been attributed to Mecp2 null astrocytes, but how they evolve over time and whether they follow a spatial heterogeneity are two aspects which deserve further investigations. In this study, we assessed cytoskeletal features of astrocytes in Mecp2 deficient brains by analyzing their arbor complexity and processes in reconstructed GFAP+ cells at different ages, corresponding to peculiar stages of the disorder, and in different cerebral regions (motor and somatosensory cortices and CA1 layer of hippocampus). Our findings demonstrate the presence of defects in Mecp2 null astrocytes that worsen along disease progression and strictly depend on the brain area, highlighting motor and somatosensory cortices as the most affected regions. Of relevance, astrocyte cytoskeleton is impaired also in the somatosensory cortex of symptomatic heterozygous animals, with Mecp2 + astrocytes showing slightly more pronounced defects with respect to the Mecp2 null cells, emphasizing the importance of non-cell autonomous effects. We reported a temporal correlation between the progressive thinning of layer I and the atrophy of astrocytes, suggesting that their cytoskeletal dysfunctions might contribute to cortical defects. Considering the reciprocal link between morphology and function in astrocytes, we analyzed the effect of Mecp2 deficiency on the expression of selected astrocyte-enriched genes, which describe typical astrocytic features. qRT-PCR data corroborated our results, reporting an overall decrement of gene expression, which is area and age-dependent. In conclusion, our data show that Mecp2 deficiency causes structural and molecular alterations in astrocytes, which progress along with the severity of symptoms and diversely occur in the different cerebral regions, highlighting the importance of considering heterogeneity when studying astrocytes in RTT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Albizzati
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Florio
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Miramondi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Irene Sormonta
- Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Landsberger
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Angelisa Frasca
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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16
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Bugiani M, Plug BC, Man JHK, Breur M, van der Knaap MS. Heterogeneity of white matter astrocytes in the human brain. Acta Neuropathol 2022; 143:159-177. [PMID: 34878591 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-021-02391-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Astrocytes regulate central nervous system development, maintain its homeostasis and orchestrate repair upon injury. Emerging evidence support functional specialization of astroglia, both between and within brain regions. Different subtypes of gray matter astrocytes have been identified, yet molecular and functional diversity of white matter astrocytes remains largely unexplored. Nonetheless, their important and diverse roles in maintaining white matter integrity and function are well recognized. Compelling evidence indicate that impairment of normal astrocytic function and their response to injury contribute to a wide variety of diseases, including white matter disorders. In this review, we highlight our current understanding of astrocyte heterogeneity in the white matter of the mammalian brain and how an interplay between developmental origins and local environmental cues contribute to astroglial diversification. In addition, we discuss whether, and if so, how, heterogeneous astrocytes could contribute to white matter function in health and disease and focus on the sparse human research data available. We highlight four leukodystrophies primarily due to astrocytic dysfunction, the so-called astrocytopathies. Insight into the role of astroglial heterogeneity in both healthy and diseased white matter may provide new avenues for therapies aimed at promoting repair and restoring normal white matter function.
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17
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Machado-Santos AR, Loureiro-Campos E, Patrício P, Araújo B, Alves ND, Mateus-Pinheiro A, Correia JS, Morais M, Bessa JM, Sousa N, Rodrigues AJ, Oliveira JF, Pinto L. Beyond New Neurons in the Adult Hippocampus: Imipramine Acts as a Pro-Astrogliogenic Factor and Rescues Cognitive Impairments Induced by Stress Exposure. Cells 2022; 11:cells11030390. [PMID: 35159199 PMCID: PMC8834148 DOI: 10.3390/cells11030390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Depression is a prevalent, socially burdensome disease. Different studies have demonstrated the important role of astrocytes in the pathophysiology of depression as modulators of neurotransmission and neurovascular coupling. This is evidenced by astrocyte impairments observed in brains of depressed patients and the appearance of depressive-like behaviors upon astrocytic dysfunctions in animal models. However, little is known about the importance of de novo generated astrocytes in the mammalian brain and in particular its possible involvement in the precipitation of depression and in the therapeutic actions of current antidepressants (ADs). Therefore, we studied the modulation of astrocytes and adult astrogliogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) of rats exposed to an unpredictable chronic mild stress (uCMS) protocol, untreated and treated for two weeks with antidepressants—fluoxetine and imipramine. Our results show that adult astrogliogenesis in the DG is modulated by stress and imipramine. This study reveals that distinct classes of ADs impact differently in the astrogliogenic process, showing different cellular mechanisms relevant to the recovery from behavioral deficits induced by chronic stress exposure. As such, in addition to those resident, the newborn astrocytes in the hippocampal DG might also be promising therapeutic targets for future therapies in the neuropsychiatric field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana R Machado-Santos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Eduardo Loureiro-Campos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Patrício
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Bruna Araújo
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Dinis Alves
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - António Mateus-Pinheiro
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Joana Sofia Correia
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Mónica Morais
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - João M Bessa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana J Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - João Filipe Oliveira
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
- IPCA-EST-2Ai, Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave, Applied Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Campus of IPCA, 4750-810 Barcelos, Portugal
| | - Luísa Pinto
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
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18
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Miguel-Hidalgo JJ. Astroglia in the Vulnerability and Maintenance of Alcohol Use Disorders. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 26:255-279. [PMID: 34888838 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-77375-5_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Changes induced in the morphology and the multiplicity of functional roles played by astrocytes in brain regions critical to the establishment and maintenance of alcohol abuse suggest that they make an important contribution to the vulnerability to alcohol use disorders. The understanding of the relevant mechanisms accounting for that contribution is complicated by the fact that alcohol itself acts directly on astrocytes altering their metabolism, gene expression, and plasticity, so that the ultimate result is a complex interaction of various cellular pathways, including intracellular calcium regulation, neuroimmune responses, and regulation of neurotransmitter and gliotransmitter release and uptake. The recent years have seen a steady increase in the characterization of several of the relevant mechanisms, but much remains to be done for a full understanding of the astrocytes' contribution to the vulnerability to alcohol dependence and abuse and for using that knowledge in designing effective therapies for AUDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Javier Miguel-Hidalgo
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA.
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19
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Abstract
In the twentieth century, neuropsychiatric disorders have been perceived solely from a neurone-centric point of view, which considers neurones as the key cellular elements of pathological processes. This dogma has been challenged thanks to the better comprehension of the brain functioning, which, even if far from being complete, has revealed the complexity of interactions that exist between neurones and neuroglia. Glial cells represent a highly heterogeneous population of cells of neural (astroglia and oligodendroglia) and non-neural (microglia) origin populating the central nervous system. The variety of glia reflects the innumerable functions that glial cells perform to support functions of the nervous system. Aberrant execution of glial functions contributes to the development of neuropsychiatric pathologies. Arguably, all types of glial cells are implicated in the neuropathology; however, astrocytes have received particular attention in recent years because of their pleiotropic functions that make them decisive in maintaining cerebral homeostasis. This chapter describes the multiple roles of astrocytes in the healthy central nervous system and discusses the diversity of astroglial responses in neuropsychiatric disorders suggesting that targeting astrocytes may represent an effective therapeutic strategy.
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20
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Stenovec M, Li B, Verkhratsky A, Zorec R. Ketamine Action on Astrocytes Provides New Insights into Rapid Antidepressant Mechanisms. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 26:349-365. [PMID: 34888841 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-77375-5_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Ketamine, a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, exerts rapid, potent and long-lasting antidepressant effect already after a single administration of a low dose into depressed individuals. Apart from targeting neuronal NMDARs essential for synaptic transmission, ketamine also interacts with astrocytes, the principal homoeostatic cells of the central nervous system. The cellular mechanisms underlying astrocyte-based rapid antidepressant effect are incompletely understood. Here we overview recent data that describe ketamine-dependent changes in astrocyte cytosolic cAMP activity ([cAMP]i) and ketamine-induced modifications of stimulus-evoked Ca2+ signalling. The latter regulates exocytotic release of gliosignalling molecules and stabilizes the vesicle fusion pore in a narrow configuration that obstructs cargo discharge or vesicle membrane recycling. Ketamine also instigates rapid redistribution of cholesterol in the astrocyte plasmalemma that may alter flux of cholesterol to neurones, where it is required for changes in synaptic plasticity. Finally, ketamine attenuates mobility of vesicles carrying the inward rectifying potassium channel (Kir4.1) and reduces the surface density of Kir4.1 channels that control extracellular K+ concentration, which tunes the pattern of action potential firing in neurones of lateral habenula as demonstrated in a rat model of depression. Thus, diverse, but not mutually exclusive, mechanisms act synergistically to evoke changes in synaptic plasticity leading to sustained strengthening of excitatory synapses necessary for rapid antidepressant effect of ketamine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matjaž Stenovec
- Celica BIOMEDICAL, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology-Molecular Cell Physiology, Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Baoman Li
- Practical Teaching Centre, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.,Department of Poison Analysis, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Alexei Verkhratsky
- Celica BIOMEDICAL, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Robert Zorec
- Celica BIOMEDICAL, Ljubljana, Slovenia. .,Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology-Molecular Cell Physiology, Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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21
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Astroglial Serotonin Receptors as the Central Target of Classic Antidepressants. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 26:317-347. [PMID: 34888840 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-77375-5_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) presents multiple clinical phenotypes and has complex underlying pathological mechanisms. Existing theories cannot completely explain the pathophysiological mechanism(s) of MDD, while the pharmacology of current antidepressants is far from being fully understood. Astrocytes, the homeostatic and defensive cells of the central nervous system, contribute to shaping behaviors, and regulating mood and emotions. A detailed introduction on the role of astrocytes in depressive disorders is thus required, to which this chapter is dedicated. We also focus on the interactions between classic antidepressants and serotonin receptors, overview the role of astrocytes in the pharmacological mechanisms of various antidepressants, and present astrocytes as targets for the treatment of bipolar disorder. We provide a foundation of knowledge on the role of astrocytes in depressive disorders and astroglial 5-HT2B receptors as targets for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in vivo and in vitro.
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22
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Verkhratsky A, Li B, Scuderi C, Parpura V. Principles of Astrogliopathology. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 26:55-73. [PMID: 34888830 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-77375-5_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The role of astrocytes in the nervous system pathology was early on embraced by neuroscientists at end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, only to be pushed aside by neurone-centric dogmas during most of the twentieth century. However, the last decade of the twentieth century and the twenty-first century have brought the astroglial "renaissance", which has put astroglial cells as key players in pathophysiology of most if not all disorders of the nervous system and has regarded astroglia as a fertile ground for therapeutic intervention.Astrocytic contribution to neuropathology can be primary, whereby cell-autonomous changes, such as mutations in gene encoding for glial fibrillary acidic protein, can drive the pathologic progression, in this example, Alexander disease. They can also be secondary, when astrocytes respond to a variety of insults to the nervous tissue. Regardless of their origin, being cell-autonomous or not, changes in astroglia that occur in pathology, that is, astrogliopathology, can be contemporary and arbitrary classified into four forms: (i) reactive astrogliosis, (ii) astrocytic atrophy with loss of function, (iii) pathological remodelling of astrocytes and (iv) astrodegeneration morphologically manifested as clasmatodendrosis. Inevitably, as with any other classification, this classification of astrogliopathology awaits its revision that shall be rooted in new discoveries and concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexei Verkhratsky
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
- Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.
| | - Baoman Li
- Practical Teaching Center, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Caterina Scuderi
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer", SAPIENZA University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Vladimir Parpura
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
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23
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Zhang X, Alnafisah RS, Hamoud ARA, Shukla R, Wen Z, McCullumsmith RE, O'Donovan SM. Role of Astrocytes in Major Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Neurochem Res 2021; 46:2715-2730. [PMID: 33411227 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-020-03212-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Astrocytes are the primary homeostatic cells of the central nervous system, essential for normal neuronal development and function, metabolism and response to injury and inflammation. Here, we review postmortem studies examining changes in astrocytes in subjects diagnosed with the neuropsychiatric disorders schizophrenia (SCZ), major depressive disorder (MDD), and bipolar disorder (BPD). We discuss the astrocyte-related changes described in the brain in these disorders and the potential effects of psychotropic medication on these findings. Finally, we describe emerging tools that can be used to study the role of astrocytes in neuropsychiatric illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolu Zhang
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Block Health Science Building, 3000 Arlington Avenue, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - Rawan S Alnafisah
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Block Health Science Building, 3000 Arlington Avenue, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - Abdul-Rizaq A Hamoud
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Block Health Science Building, 3000 Arlington Avenue, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - Rammohan Shukla
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Block Health Science Building, 3000 Arlington Avenue, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA
| | - Zhexing Wen
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Cell Biology, and Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Robert E McCullumsmith
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Block Health Science Building, 3000 Arlington Avenue, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA.,Neurosciences Institute, ProMedica, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Sinead M O'Donovan
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Block Health Science Building, 3000 Arlington Avenue, Toledo, OH, 43614, USA.
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24
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Steardo L, Steardo L, Verkhratsky A, Scuderi C. Post-COVID-19 neuropsychiatric syndrome: Is maladaptive glial recovery to blame? Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2021; 233:e13717. [PMID: 34264006 PMCID: PMC8420378 DOI: 10.1111/apha.13717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luca Steardo
- Psychiatric Unit Department of Health Sciences University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro Catanzaro Italy
| | - Luca Steardo
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer" SAPIENZA University of Rome Rome Italy
- Università Telematica Giustino Fortunato Benevento Italy
| | - Alexei Verkhratsky
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health The University of Manchester Manchester UK
- Achucarro Center for Neuroscience IKERBASQUE Bilbao Spain
| | - Caterina Scuderi
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer" SAPIENZA University of Rome Rome Italy
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25
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Pirnat S, Božić M, Dolanc D, Horvat A, Tavčar P, Vardjan N, Verkhratsky A, Zorec R, Stenovec M. Astrocyte arborization enhances Ca 2+ but not cAMP signaling plasticity. Glia 2021; 69:2899-2916. [PMID: 34406698 PMCID: PMC9290837 DOI: 10.1002/glia.24076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The plasticity of astrocytes is fundamental for their principal function, maintaining homeostasis of the central nervous system throughout life, and is associated with diverse exposomal challenges. Here, we used cultured astrocytes to investigate at subcellular level basic cell processes under controlled environmental conditions. We compared astroglial functional and signaling plasticity in standard serum‐containing growth medium, a condition mimicking pathologic conditions, and in medium without serum, favoring the acquisition of arborized morphology. Using opto−/electrophysiologic techniques, we examined cell viability, expression of astroglial markers, vesicle dynamics, and cytosolic Ca2+ and cAMP signaling. The results revealed altered vesicle dynamics in arborized astrocytes that was associated with increased resting [Ca2+]i and increased subcellular heterogeneity in [Ca2+]i, whereas [cAMP]i subcellular dynamics remained stable in both cultures, indicating that cAMP signaling is less prone to plastic remodeling than Ca2+ signaling, possibly also in in vivo contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samo Pirnat
- Laboratory of Cell Engineering, Celica BIOMEDICAL, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology-Molecular Cell Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathophysiology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Mićo Božić
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology-Molecular Cell Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathophysiology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Dorian Dolanc
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology-Molecular Cell Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathophysiology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Anemari Horvat
- Laboratory of Cell Engineering, Celica BIOMEDICAL, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology-Molecular Cell Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathophysiology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Petra Tavčar
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology-Molecular Cell Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathophysiology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nina Vardjan
- Laboratory of Cell Engineering, Celica BIOMEDICAL, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology-Molecular Cell Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathophysiology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Alexei Verkhratsky
- Laboratory of Cell Engineering, Celica BIOMEDICAL, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Robert Zorec
- Laboratory of Cell Engineering, Celica BIOMEDICAL, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology-Molecular Cell Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathophysiology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Matjaž Stenovec
- Laboratory of Cell Engineering, Celica BIOMEDICAL, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology-Molecular Cell Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathophysiology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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26
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Ketamine Alters Functional Plasticity of Astroglia: An Implication for Antidepressant Effect. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11060573. [PMID: 34204579 PMCID: PMC8234122 DOI: 10.3390/life11060573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Ketamine, a non-competitive N–methyl–d–aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, exerts a rapid, potent and long-lasting antidepressant effect, although the cellular and molecular mechanisms of this action are yet to be clarified. In addition to targeting neuronal NMDARs fundamental for synaptic transmission, ketamine also affects the function of astrocytes, the key homeostatic cells of the central nervous system that contribute to pathophysiology of major depressive disorder. Here, I review studies revealing that (sub)anesthetic doses of ketamine elevate intracellular cAMP concentration ([cAMP]i) in astrocytes, attenuate stimulus-evoked astrocyte calcium signaling, which regulates exocytotic secretion of gliosignaling molecules, and stabilize the vesicle fusion pore in a narrow configuration, possibly hindering cargo discharge or vesicle recycling. Next, I discuss how ketamine affects astrocyte capacity to control extracellular K+ by reducing vesicular delivery of the inward rectifying potassium channel (Kir4.1) to the plasmalemma that reduces the surface density of Kir4.1. Modified astroglial K+ buffering impacts upon neuronal firing pattern as demonstrated in lateral habenula in a rat model of depression. Finally, I highlight the discovery that ketamine rapidly redistributes cholesterol in the astrocyte plasmalemma, which may alter the flux of cholesterol to neurons. This structural modification may further modulate a host of processes that synergistically contribute to ketamine’s rapid antidepressant action.
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27
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Virmani G, D'almeida P, Nandi A, Marathe S. Subfield-specific effects of chronic mild unpredictable stress on hippocampal astrocytes. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 54:5730-5746. [PMID: 33866634 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating neuropsychiatric illness affecting over 20% of the population worldwide. Despite its prevalence, our understanding of its pathophysiology is severely limited, thus hampering the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Recent advances have clearly established astrocytes as major players in the pathophysiology, and plausibly pathogenesis, of major depression. In particular, astrocyte density in the hippocampus is severely diminished in MDD patients and correlates strongly with the disease outcome. Moreover, astrocyte densities from different subfields of the hippocampus show varying trends in terms of their correlation to the disease outcome. Given the central role that hippocampus plays in the pathophysiology of depression and in the action of antidepressant drugs, changes in hippocampal astrocyte density and physiology may have a significant effect on behavioral symptoms of MDD. In this study, we used chronic mild unpredictable stress (CMUS) in mice, which induces a depressive-like state, and examined its effects on astrocytes from different subfields of the hippocampus. We used SOX9 and S100β immunostaining to estimate the number of astrocytes per square millimeter from various hippocampal subfields. Furthermore, using confocal images of fluorescently labeled glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-immunopositive hippocampal astrocytes, we quantified various morphology-related parameters and performed Sholl analysis. We found that CMUS exerts differential effects on astrocyte cell numbers, ramification, cell radius, surface area, and process width of hippocampal astrocytes from different hippocampal subfields. Taken together, our study reveals that chronic stress does not uniformly affect all hippocampal astrocytes; but exerts its effects differentially on different astrocytic subpopulations within the hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garima Virmani
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Priyal D'almeida
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Arnab Nandi
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Swananda Marathe
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
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28
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Tavčar P, Potokar M, Kolenc M, Korva M, Avšič-Županc T, Zorec R, Jorgačevski J. Neurotropic Viruses, Astrocytes, and COVID-19. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:662578. [PMID: 33897376 PMCID: PMC8062881 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.662578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
At the end of 2019, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was discovered in China, causing a new coronavirus disease, termed COVID-19 by the WHO on February 11, 2020. At the time of this paper (January 31, 2021), more than 100 million cases have been recorded, which have claimed over 2 million lives worldwide. The most important clinical presentation of COVID-19 is severe pneumonia; however, many patients present various neurological symptoms, ranging from loss of olfaction, nausea, dizziness, and headache to encephalopathy and stroke, with a high prevalence of inflammatory central nervous system (CNS) syndromes. SARS-CoV-2 may also target the respiratory center in the brainstem and cause silent hypoxemia. However, the neurotropic mechanism(s) by which SARS-CoV-2 affects the CNS remain(s) unclear. In this paper, we first address the involvement of astrocytes in COVID-19 and then elucidate the present knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 as a neurotropic virus as well as several other neurotropic flaviviruses (with a particular emphasis on the West Nile virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, and Zika virus) to highlight the neurotropic mechanisms that target astroglial cells in the CNS. These key homeostasis-providing cells in the CNS exhibit many functions that act as a favorable milieu for virus replication and possibly a favorable environment for SARS-CoV-2 as well. The role of astrocytes in COVID-19 pathology, related to aging and neurodegenerative disorders, and environmental factors, is discussed. Understanding these mechanisms is key to better understanding the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and for developing new strategies to mitigate the neurotropic manifestations of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Tavčar
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology–Molecular Cell Physiology, Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja Potokar
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology–Molecular Cell Physiology, Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Celica Biomedical, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marko Kolenc
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Miša Korva
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tatjana Avšič-Županc
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Robert Zorec
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology–Molecular Cell Physiology, Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Celica Biomedical, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jernej Jorgačevski
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology–Molecular Cell Physiology, Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Celica Biomedical, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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29
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Ultramicronized Palmitoylethanolamide (um-PEA): A New Possible Adjuvant Treatment in COVID-19 patients. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:ph14040336. [PMID: 33917573 PMCID: PMC8067485 DOI: 10.3390/ph14040336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused more than 100,000,000 cases of coronavirus infection in the world in just a year, of which there were 2 million deaths. Its clinical picture is characterized by pulmonary involvement that culminates, in the most severe cases, in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, COVID-19 affects other organs and systems, including cardiovascular, urinary, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. Currently, unique-drug therapy is not supported by international guidelines. In this context, it is important to resort to adjuvant therapies in combination with traditional pharmacological treatments. Among natural bioactive compounds, palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) seems to have potentially beneficial effects. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized an ongoing clinical trial with ultramicronized (um)-PEA as an add-on therapy in the treatment of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. In support of this hypothesis, in vitro and in vivo studies have highlighted the immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and pain-relieving effects of PEA, especially in its um form. The purpose of this review is to highlight the potential use of um-PEA as an adjuvant treatment in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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30
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The Association Between Antidepressant Effect of SSRIs and Astrocytes: Conceptual Overview and Meta-analysis of the Literature. Neurochem Res 2021; 46:2731-2745. [PMID: 33527219 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-020-03225-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Major depressive disorders (MDD) a worldwide psychiatric disease, is yet to be adequately controlled by therapies; while the mechanisms of action of antidepressants are yet to be fully characterised. In the last two decades, an increasing number of studies have demonstrated the role of astrocytes in the pathophysiology and therapy of MDD. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most widely used antidepressants. It is generally acknowledged that SSRIs increase serotonin levels in the central nervous system by inhibiting serotonin transporters, although the SSRIs action is not ideal. The SSRIs antidepressant effect develops with considerable delay; their efficacy is low and frequent relapses are common. Neither cellular nor molecular pharmacological mechanisms of SSRIs are fully characterised; in particular their action on astrocytes remain underappreciated. In this paper we overview potential therapeutic mechanisms of SSRIs associated with astroglia and report the results of meta-analysis of studies dedicated to MDD, SSRIs and astrocytes. In particular, we argue that fluoxetine, the representative SSRI, improves depressive-like behaviours in animals treated with chronic mild stress and reverses depression-associated decrease in astrocytic glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression. In addition, fluoxetine upregulates astrocytic mRNA expression of 5-hydroxytriptamin/serotonin2B receptors (5-HT2BR). In summary, we infer that SSRIs exert their anti-depressant effect by regulating several molecular and signalling pathways in astrocytes.
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31
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Hanani M, Verkhratsky A. Satellite Glial Cells and Astrocytes, a Comparative Review. Neurochem Res 2021; 46:2525-2537. [PMID: 33523395 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-021-03255-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Astroglia are neural cells, heterogeneous in form and function, which act as supportive elements of the central nervous system; astrocytes contribute to all aspects of neural functions in health and disease. Through their highly ramified processes, astrocytes form close physical contacts with synapses and blood vessels, and are integrated into functional syncytia by gap junctions. Astrocytes interact among themselves and with other cells types (e.g., neurons, microglia, blood vessel cells) by an elaborate repertoire of chemical messengers and receptors; astrocytes also influence neural plasticity and synaptic transmission through maintaining homeostasis of neurotransmitters, K+ buffering, synaptic isolation and control over synaptogenesis and synaptic elimination. Satellite glial cells (SGCs) are the most abundant glial cells in sensory ganglia, and are believed to play major roles in sensory functions, but so far research into SGCs attracted relatively little attention. In this review we compare SGCs to astrocytes with the purpose of using the vast knowledge on astrocytes to explore new aspects of SGCs. We survey the main properties of these two cells types and highlight similarities and differences between them. We conclude that despite the much greater diversity in morphology and signaling mechanisms of astrocytes, there are some parallels between them and SGCs. Both types serve as boundary cells, separating different compartments in the nervous system, but much more needs to be learned on this aspect of SGCs. Astrocytes and SGCs employ chemical messengers and calcium waves for intercellular signaling, but their significance is still poorly understood for both cell types. Both types undergo major changes under pathological conditions, which have a protective function, but an also contribute to disease, and chronic pain in particular. The knowledge obtained on astrocytes is likely to benefit future research on SGCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menachem Hanani
- Laboratory of Experimental Surgery, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Alexei Verkhratsky
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK.,Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, 48011, Bilbao, Spain
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32
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Petit JM, Eren-Koçak E, Karatas H, Magistretti P, Dalkara T. Brain glycogen metabolism: A possible link between sleep disturbances, headache and depression. Sleep Med Rev 2021; 59:101449. [PMID: 33618186 DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The functions of sleep and its links with neuropsychiatric diseases have long been questioned. Among the numerous hypotheses on sleep function, early studies proposed that sleep helps to replenish glycogen stores consumed during waking. Later studies found increased brain glycogen after sleep deprivation, leading to "glycogenetic" hypothesis, which states that there is a parallel increase in synthesis and utilization of glycogen during wakefulness, whereas decrease in the excitatory transmission creates an imbalance causing accumulation of glycogen during sleep. Glycogen is a vital energy reservoir to match the synaptic demand particularly for re-uptake of potassium and glutamate during intense glutamatergic transmission. Therefore, sleep deprivation-induced transcriptional changes may trigger migraine by reducing glycogen availability, which slows clearance of extracellular potassium and glutamate, hence, creates susceptibility to cortical spreading depolarization, the electrophysiological correlate of migraine aura. Interestingly, chronic stress accompanied by increased glucocorticoid levels and locus coeruleus activity and leading to mood disorders in which sleep disturbances are prevalent, also affects brain glycogen turnover via glucocorticoids, noradrenaline, serotonin and adenosine. These observations altogether suggest that inadequate astrocytic glycogen turnover may be one of the mechanisms linking migraine, mood disorders and sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- J-M Petit
- Lausanne University Hospital, Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Prilly, Switzerland.
| | - E Eren-Koçak
- Hacettepe University, Institute of Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry, and Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - H Karatas
- Hacettepe University, Institute of Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - P Magistretti
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia.
| | - T Dalkara
- Hacettepe University, Institute of Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry, Ankara, Turkey.
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33
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Augusto-Oliveira M, Arrifano GP, Takeda PY, Lopes-Araújo A, Santos-Sacramento L, Anthony DC, Verkhratsky A, Crespo-Lopez ME. Astroglia-specific contributions to the regulation of synapses, cognition and behaviour. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 118:331-357. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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34
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Steardo L, Steardo L, Verkhratsky A. Psychiatric face of COVID-19. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:261. [PMID: 32732883 PMCID: PMC7391235 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-00949-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) represents a severe multiorgan pathology which, besides cardio-respiratory manifestations, affects the function of the central nervous system (CNS). The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), similarly to other coronaviruses demonstrate neurotropism; the viral infection of the brain stem may complicate the course of the disease through damaging central cardio-respiratory control. The systemic inflammation as well as neuroinflammatory changes are associated with massive increase of the brain pro-inflammatory molecules, neuroglial reactivity, altered neurochemical landscape and pathological remodelling of neuronal networks. These organic changes, emerging in concert with environmental stress caused by experiences of intensive therapy wards, pandemic fears and social restrictions, promote neuropsychiatric pathologies including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder (BD), various psychoses, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. The neuropsychiatric sequelae of COVID-19 represent serious clinical challenge that has to be considered for future complex therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luca Steardo
- Sapienza University Rome, Rome, Italy.
- Fortunato University, Benevento, Italy.
| | - Alexei Verkhratsky
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK.
- Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, 48011, Bilbao, Spain.
- Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
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35
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Stenovec M, Li B, Verkhratsky A, Zorec R. Astrocytes in rapid ketamine antidepressant action. Neuropharmacology 2020; 173:108158. [PMID: 32464133 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Ketamine, a general anaesthetic and psychotomimetic drug, exerts rapid, potent and long-lasting antidepressant effect, albeit the cellular and molecular mechanisms of this action are yet to be discovered. Besides targeting neuronal NMDARs fundamental for synaptic transmission, ketamine affects the function of astroglia the key homeostatic cells of the central nervous system that contribute to pathophysiology of psychiatric diseases including depression. Here we review studies revealing that (sub)anaesthetic doses of ketamine elevate intracellular cAMP concentration ([cAMP]i) in astrocytes, attenuate stimulus-evoked astrocyte calcium signalling, which regulates exocytotic secretion of gliosignalling molecules, and stabilize the vesicle fusion pore in a narrow configuration possibly hindering cargo discharge or vesicle recycling. Next we discuss how ketamine affects astroglial capacity to control extracellular K+ by reducing cytoplasmic mobility of vesicles delivering the inward rectifying potassium channel (Kir4.1) to the plasmalemma. Modified astroglial K+ buffering impacts upon neuronal excitability as demonstrated in the lateral habenula rat model of depression. Finally, we highlight the recent discovery that ketamine rapidly redistributes cholesterol in the plasmalemma of astrocytes, but not in fibroblasts nor in neuronal cells. This alteration of membrane structure may modulate a host of processes that synergistically contribute to ketamine's rapid and prominent antidepressant action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matjaž Stenovec
- Celica BIOMEDICAL, Tehnološki Park 24, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology-Molecular Cell Physiology, Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Zaloška 4, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Baoman Li
- Practical Teaching Centre, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China; Department of Poison Analysis, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
| | - Alexei Verkhratsky
- Celica BIOMEDICAL, Tehnološki Park 24, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK; Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, 48011, Bilbao, Spain.
| | - Robert Zorec
- Celica BIOMEDICAL, Tehnološki Park 24, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology-Molecular Cell Physiology, Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Zaloška 4, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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36
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Miterauer B, Baer W. Disorders of human consciousness in the Tri-partite synapses. Med Hypotheses 2020; 136:109523. [PMID: 31927223 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Conscious Action Theory extends quantum theory to macroscopic phenomena and suggests physical correlates of consciousness occur at the intersection of external measurement signals and internally generated signals from memories that model the outside world. This physical theory predicts conscious phenomena happen at all scales and differ only by the size and complexity of material organizations involved. At the scale of the human "Brain" consciousness is predicted to happen where the processing loop of activity in the Glial network interfaces with the real world input-output processing loop of the Nuronal network. This happens at the Tripartite synapses creating an intersection plenum in biological systems that produces the experience of empty space and the objects it contains. Analysis of the transmitter-receptor strengths implementing the control and feedback between the Glial and Neuronal networks indicate imbalances can be directly related to schizophrenia, mania, epilepsy, and depression. This paper addresses three topics supporting the above mechanisms for normal consciousness functioning and its medical deviations. First we preset the architecture of a pan-psychic physical theory, which supports the hypothesis that tri-partite synapses are the location of human conscious experience. Second we discuss the inner workings of the Glial network to support long term memory and control functions corresponding to the inner feeling of the "I" self. Third, we consider the relation between psychiatric conditions and the balance states between the number of neuronal transmitters and astrocytic receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Miterauer
- University of Salzburg, Volitronics-Institute, Wals, Austria
| | - W Baer
- Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, USA
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37
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38
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Machado-Santos AR, Alves ND, Araújo B, Correia JS, Patrício P, Mateus-Pinheiro A, Loureiro-Campos E, Bessa JM, Sousa N, Pinto L. Astrocytic plasticity at the dorsal dentate gyrus on an animal model of recurrent depression. Neuroscience 2019; 454:94-104. [PMID: 31747562 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.10.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Astrocytes are now known to play crucial roles in the central nervous system, supporting and closely interacting with neurons and therefore able to modulate brain function. Both human postmortem studies in brain samples from patients diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and from animal models of depression reported numerical and morphological astrocytic changes specifically in the hippocampus. In particular, these studies revealed significant reductions in glial cell density denoted by a decreased number of S100B-positive cells and a decrease in GFAP expression in several brain regions including the hippocampus. To reveal plastic astrocytic changes in the context of recurrent depression, we longitudinally assessed dynamic astrocytic alterations (gene expression, cell densities and morphologic variations) in the hippocampal dentate gyrus under repeated exposure to unpredictable chronic mild stress (uCMS) and upon treatment with two antidepressants, fluoxetine and imipramine. Both antidepressants decreased astrocytic complexity immediately after stress exposure. Moreover, we show that astrocytic alterations, particularly an increased number of S100B-positive cells, are observed after recurrent stress exposure. Interestingly, these alterations were prevented at the long-term by either fluoxetine or imipramine treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana R Machado-Santos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
| | - Nuno D Alves
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
| | - Bruna Araújo
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
| | - Joana S Correia
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
| | - Patrícia Patrício
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
| | - António Mateus-Pinheiro
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
| | - Eduardo Loureiro-Campos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
| | - João M Bessa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
| | - Luísa Pinto
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
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Atkinson-Dell R, Mohamet L. Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Astroglia: A New Tool for Research Towards the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1175:383-405. [PMID: 31583596 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-9913-8_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Despite over a century of research into Alzheimer's disease (AD), progress in understanding the complex aetiology has been hindered, in part, by a lack of human, disease relevant, cellular models, reflected in an inability to translate results from animal studies to successful human therapies. Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, in which somatic cells are reprogrammed to pluripotent stem cells, creates an ideal physiologically relevant model as they maintain the genetic identity of the donor. These iPSCs can self-renew indefinitely in vitro and have the capacity to differentiate into any cell type, opening up new discovery and therapeutic opportunities. Despite a plethora of publications indicating the generation and utility of iPSC-derived neurones for disease modelling to date, in comparison only a limited number of studies have described generation of enriched astroglia from patients with early- or late-stage onset of AD. We recently reported that iPSC-astroglia derived from these patients are capable of mimicking a wide variety of deficits in homeostatic molecular cascades, intimately associated with AD, that are routinely observed in vivo. This review examines the opportunities and limitations of this innovative technology in the context of AD modelling and uses for preclinical discovery to improve our success for an efficacious therapeutic outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lisa Mohamet
- StrataStem Ltd., Suite 112, 4a Rylands Street, Warrington, WA1 1EN, UK.
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40
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Enache D, Pariante CM, Mondelli V. Markers of central inflammation in major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining cerebrospinal fluid, positron emission tomography and post-mortem brain tissue. Brain Behav Immun 2019; 81:24-40. [PMID: 31195092 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2019.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 306] [Impact Index Per Article: 61.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 06/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increased peripheral inflammation has been consistently reported in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, only few studies have explored markers of central (brain) inflammation in patients with MDD. The aim of this study is to systematically review in vivo and post-mortem markers of central inflammation, including studies examining cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), positron emission tomography, and post-mortem brain tissues in subjects suffering with MDD compared with controls. METHODS PubMed and Medline databases were searched up to December 2018. We included studies measuring cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytokines and chemokines, positron emission tomography (PET) studies; and post-mortem studies measuring cytokines, chemokines and cell-specific markers of microglia and astrocytes, all in MDD. A meta-analysis was performed only for CSF and PET studies, as studies on post-mortem markers of inflammation had different cell-specific markers and analysed different brain regions. RESULTS A total of 69 studies met the inclusion criteria. CSF levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were higher in patients with MDD compared with controls (standardised mean difference SMD 0.37, 95%CI: 0.17-0.57 and SMD 0.58, 95%CI 0.26-0.90, respectively). CSF levels of IL-6 were increased in suicide attempters regardless of their psychiatric diagnosis. Translocator protein, a PET marker of central inflammation, was elevated in the anterior cingulate cortex and temporal cortex of patients with MDD compared with controls (SMD 0.78, 95%CI: 0.41-1.16 and SMD 0.52, 95%CI: 0.19-0.85 respectively). Abnormalities in CSF and PET inflammatory markers were not correlated with those in peripheral blood. In post-mortem studies, two studies found increased markers of microglia in MDD brains, while four studies found no MDD related changes. Of the studies investigating expression of cell-specific marker for astrocytes, thirteen studies reported a decreased expression of astrocytes specific markers, two studies reported increased expression of astrocytes specific markers, and eleven studies did not detect any difference. Four out of six studies reported decreased markers of oligodendrocytes in the prefrontal cortex. Post-mortem brain levels of tumor necrosis alpha (TNF-α) were also found increased in MDD. CONCLUSIONS Our review suggests the presence of an increase in IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels in CSF and brain parenchyma, in the context of a possible increased microglia activity and reduction of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes markers in MDD. The reduced number of astrocytes may lead to compromised integrity of blood brain barrier with increased monocyte recruitment and infiltration, which is partly supported by post-mortem studies and by PET studies showing an increased TSPO expression in MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Enache
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, London, UK; Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Carmine M Pariante
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, London, UK; National Institute for Health Research Mental Health Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Valeria Mondelli
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, London, UK; National Institute for Health Research Mental Health Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, London, UK.
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Verkhratsky A, Rodrigues JJ, Pivoriunas A, Zorec R, Semyanov A. Astroglial atrophy in Alzheimer’s disease. Pflugers Arch 2019; 471:1247-1261. [DOI: 10.1007/s00424-019-02310-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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42
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Astrocyte Specific Remodeling of Plasmalemmal Cholesterol Composition by Ketamine Indicates a New Mechanism of Antidepressant Action. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10957. [PMID: 31358895 PMCID: PMC6662760 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47459-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Ketamine is an antidepressant with rapid therapeutic onset and long-lasting effect, although the underlying mechanism(s) remain unknown. Using FRET-based nanosensors we found that ketamine increases [cAMP]i in astrocytes. Membrane capacitance recordings, however, reveal fundamentally distinct mechanisms of effects of ketamine and [cAMP]i on vesicular secretion: a rise in [cAMP]i facilitated, whereas ketamine inhibited exocytosis. By directly monitoring cholesterol-rich membrane domains with a fluorescently tagged cholesterol-specific membrane binding domain (D4) of toxin perfringolysin O, we demonstrated that ketamine induced cholesterol redistribution in the plasmalemma in astrocytes, but neither in fibroblasts nor in PC 12 cells. This novel mechanism posits that ketamine affects density and distribution of cholesterol in the astrocytic plasmalemma, consequently modulating a host of processes that may contribute to ketamine's rapid antidepressant action.
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Li T, Chen X, Zhang C, Zhang Y, Yao W. An update on reactive astrocytes in chronic pain. J Neuroinflammation 2019; 16:140. [PMID: 31288837 PMCID: PMC6615111 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-019-1524-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 184] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic pain is a critical clinical problem with an increasing prevalence. However, there are limited effective prevention measures and treatments for chronic pain. Astrocytes are the most abundant glial cells in the central nervous system and play important roles in both physiological and pathological conditions. Over the past few decades, a growing body of evidence indicates that astrocytes are involved in the regulation of chronic pain. Recently, reactive astrocytes were further classified into A1 astrocytes and A2 astrocytes according to their functions. After nerve injury, A1 astrocytes can secrete neurotoxins that induce rapid death of neurons and oligodendrocytes, whereas A2 astrocytes promote neuronal survival and tissue repair. These findings can well explain the dual effects of reactive astrocytes in central nervous injury and diseases. In this review, we will summarise the (1) changes in the morphology and function of astrocytes after noxious stimulation and nerve injury, (2) molecular regulators and signalling mechanisms involved in the activation of astrocytes and chronic pain, (3) the role of spinal and cortical astrocyte activation in chronic pain, and (4) the roles of different subtypes of reactive astrocytes (A1 and A2 phenotypes) in nerve injury that is associated with chronic pain. This review provides updated information on the role of astrocytes in the regulation of chronic pain. In particular, we discuss recent findings about A1 and A2 subtypes of reactive astrocytes and make several suggestions for potential therapeutic targets for chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Xuhui Chen
- Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Chuanhan Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Wenlong Yao
- Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
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Pham TH, Gardier AM. Fast-acting antidepressant activity of ketamine: highlights on brain serotonin, glutamate, and GABA neurotransmission in preclinical studies. Pharmacol Ther 2019; 199:58-90. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2019.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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45
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Verkhratsky A. Astroglial Calcium Signaling in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2019; 11:cshperspect.a035188. [PMID: 31110130 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a035188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Astrocytes are the homeostatic and protective cells of the central nervous system (CNS). In neurological diseases, astrocytes undergo complex changes, which are subclassified into (1) reactive astrogliosis, an evolutionary conserved defensive rearrangement of cellular phenotype aimed at neuroprotection; (2) pathological remodeling, when astrocytes acquire new features driving pathology; and (3) astrodegeneration, which is manifested by astroglial atrophy and loss of homeostatic functions. In aging brains as well as in the brains affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD), astrocytes acquire both atrophic and reactive phenotypes in a region- and disease-stage-dependent manner. Prevalence of atrophy overreactivity, observed in certain brain regions and in terminal stages of the disease, arguably facilitates the development of neurological deficits. Astrocytes exhibit ionic excitability mediated by changes in intracellular concentration of ions, most importantly of Ca2+ and Na+, with intracellular ion dynamics triggered by the activity of neural networks. AD astrocytes associated with senile plaques demonstrate Ca2+ hyperactivity in the form of aberrant Ca2+ oscillations and pathological long-range Ca2+ waves. Astroglial Ca2+ signaling originating from Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum is a key factor in initiating astrogliotic response; deficient Ca2+ signaling toolkits observed in entorhinal and prefrontal cortices of AD model animals may account for vulnerability of these regions to the pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexei Verkhratsky
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom.,Center for Basic and Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.,Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48011 Bilbao, Spain
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46
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Astroglia in Sepsis Associated Encephalopathy. Neurochem Res 2019; 45:83-99. [PMID: 30778837 PMCID: PMC7089215 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-019-02743-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Revised: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Cellular pathophysiology of sepsis associated encephalopathy (SAE) remains poorly characterised. Brain pathology in SAE, which is manifested by impaired perception, consciousness and cognition, results from multifactorial events, including high levels of systemic cytokines, microbial components and endotoxins, which all damage the brain barriers, instigate neuroinflammation and cause homeostatic failure. Astrocytes, being the principal homeostatic cells of the central nervous system contribute to the brain defence against infection. Forming multifunctional anatomical barriers, astroglial cells maintain brain-systemic interfaces and restrict the damage to the nervous tissue. Astrocytes detect, produce and integrate inflammatory signals between immune cells and cells of brain parenchyma, thus regulating brain immune response. In SAE astrocytes are present in both reactive and astrogliopathic states; balance between these states define evolution of pathology and neurological outcomes. In humans pathophysiology of SAE is complicated by frequent presence of comorbidities, as well as age-related remodelling of the brain tissue with senescence of astroglia; these confounding factors further impact upon SAE progression and neurological deficits.
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47
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Verkhratsky A, Chvátal A. NMDA Receptors in Astrocytes. Neurochem Res 2019; 45:122-133. [DOI: 10.1007/s11064-019-02750-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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48
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Tactile Stimulation on Adulthood Modifies the HPA Axis, Neurotrophic Factors, and GFAP Signaling Reverting Depression-Like Behavior in Female Rats. Mol Neurobiol 2019; 56:6239-6250. [PMID: 30741369 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-019-1522-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Depression is a common psychiatric disease which pharmacological treatment relieves symptoms, but still far from ideal. Tactile stimulation (TS) has shown beneficial influences in neuropsychiatric disorders, but the mechanism of action is not clear. Here, we evaluated the TS influence when applied on adult female rats previously exposed to a reserpine-induced depression-like animal model. Immediately after reserpine model (1 mg/kg/mL, 1×/day, for 3 days), female Wistar rats were submitted to TS (15 min, 3×/day, for 8 days) or not (unhandled). Imipramine (10 mg/kg/mL) was used as positive control. After behavioral assessments, animals were euthanized to collect plasma and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Behavioral observations in the forced swimming test, splash test, and sucrose preference confirmed the reserpine-induced depression-like behavior, which was reversed by TS. Our findings showed that reserpine increased plasma levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone, decreased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and tropomyosin receptor kinase B, and increased proBDNF immunoreactivity in the PFC, which were also reversed by TS. Moreover, TS reestablished glial fibrillary acidic protein and glucocorticoid receptor levels, decreased by reserpine in PFC, while glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor was increased by TS per se. Our outcomes are showing that TS applied in adulthood exerts a beneficial influence in depression-like behaviors, modulating the HPA axis and regulating neurotrophic factors more effectively than imipramine. Based on this, our proposal is that TS, in the long term, could be considered a new therapeutic strategy for neuropsychiatric disorders improvement in adult life, which may represent an interesting contribution to conventional pharmacological treatment.
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Verkhratsky A, Nedergaard M, Steardo L, Li B. Editorial: Sleep and Mood Disorders. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:981. [PMID: 32010001 PMCID: PMC6977539 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alexei Verkhratsky
- Laboratory Teaching Center, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.,Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Maiken Nedergaard
- Center for Basic and Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Luca Steardo
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Baoman Li
- Laboratory Teaching Center, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
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50
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Steardo L, de Filippis R, Carbone EA, Segura-Garcia C, Verkhratsky A, De Fazio P. Sleep Disturbance in Bipolar Disorder: Neuroglia and Circadian Rhythms. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:501. [PMID: 31379620 PMCID: PMC6656854 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The worldwide prevalence of sleep disorders is approximately 50%, with an even higher occurrence in a psychiatric population. Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe mental illness characterized by shifts in mood and activity. The BD syndrome also involves heterogeneous symptomatology, including cognitive dysfunctions and impairments of the autonomic nervous system. Sleep abnormalities are frequently associated with BD and are often a good predictor of a mood swing. Preservation of stable sleep-wake cycles is therefore a key to the maintenance of stability in BD, indicating the crucial role of circadian rhythms in this syndrome. The symptom most widespread in BD is insomnia, followed by excessive daytime sleepiness, nightmares, difficulty falling asleep or maintaining sleep, poor sleep quality, sleep talking, sleep walking, and obstructive sleep apnea. Alterations in the structure or duration of sleep are reported in all phases of BD. Understanding the role of neuroglia in BD and in various aspects of sleep is in nascent state. Contributions of the different types of glial cells to BD and sleep abnormalities are discussed in this paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Steardo
- Psychiatric Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University Magna Graecia, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Renato de Filippis
- Psychiatric Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University Magna Graecia, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Elvira Anna Carbone
- Psychiatric Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University Magna Graecia, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Cristina Segura-Garcia
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Alexei Verkhratsky
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Pasquale De Fazio
- Psychiatric Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University Magna Graecia, Catanzaro, Italy
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