1
|
Tesmer AL, Li X, Bracey E, Schmandt C, Polania R, Peleg-Raibstein D, Burdakov D. Orexin neurons mediate temptation-resistant voluntary exercise. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:1774-1782. [PMID: 39107488 PMCID: PMC11374669 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01696-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 09/06/2024]
Abstract
Despite the well-known health benefits of physical activity, many people underexercise; what drives the prioritization of exercise over alternative options is unclear. We developed a task that enabled us to study how mice freely and rapidly alternate between wheel running and other voluntary activities, such as eating palatable food. When multiple alternatives were available, mice chose to spend a substantial amount of time wheel running without any extrinsic reward and maintained this behavior even when palatable food was added as an option. Causal manipulations and correlative analyses of appetitive and consummatory processes revealed this preference for wheel running to be instantiated by hypothalamic hypocretin/orexin neurons (HONs). The effect of HON manipulations on wheel running and eating was strongly context-dependent, being the largest in the scenario where both options were available. Overall, these data suggest that HON activity enables an eat-run arbitration that results in choosing exercise over food.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander L Tesmer
- Neurobehavioural Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Xinyang Li
- Neurobehavioural Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Eva Bracey
- Neurobehavioural Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Cyra Schmandt
- Neurobehavioural Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Rafael Polania
- Neurobehavioural Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Daria Peleg-Raibstein
- Neurobehavioural Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland.
| | - Denis Burdakov
- Neurobehavioural Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ha J, Kwon GE, Son Y, Jang SA, Cho SY, Park SJ, Kim H, Lee J, Lee J, Seo D, Lee M, Lee DY, Choi MH, Kim E. Cholesterol profiling reveals 7β-hydroxycholesterol as a pathologically relevant peripheral biomarker of Alzheimer's disease. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2024; 78:473-481. [PMID: 38923201 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.13706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
AIM Cholesterol homeostasis is associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Despite the multitude of cholesterol metabolites, little is known about which metabolites are directly involved in AD pathogenesis and can serve as its potential biomarkers. METHODS To identify "hit" metabolites, steroid profiling was conducted in mice with different age, diet, and genotype and also in humans with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and AD using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Then, using one of the "hit" molecules (7β-hydroxycholesterol; OHC), molecular and histopathological experiment and behavioral testing were conducted in normal mice following its intracranial stereotaxic injection to see whether this molecule drives AD pathogenesis and causes cognitive impairment. RESULTS The serum levels of several metabolites, including 7β-OHC, were increased by aging in the 3xTg-AD unlike normal mice. Consistently, the levels of 7β-OHC were increased in the hairs of patients with AD and were correlated with clinical severity. We found that 7β-OHC directly affects AD-related pathophysiology; intrahippocampal injection of 7β-OHC induced astrocyte and microglial cell activation, increased the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1β, IL-6), and enhanced amyloidogenic pathway. Mice treated with 7β-OHC also exhibited deficits in memory and frontal/executive functions assessed by object recognition and 5-choice serial reaction time task, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that 7β-OHC could serve as a convenient, peripheral biomarker of AD. As directly involved in AD pathogenesis, 7β-OHC assay may help actualize personalized medicine in a way to identify an at-risk subgroup as a candidate population for statin-based AD treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Junghee Ha
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Go Eun Kwon
- Molecular Recognition Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yumi Son
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Soo Ah Jang
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - So Yeon Cho
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Soo Jin Park
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Food and Bioconvergence, Research Institute for Agricultural and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunjeong Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Metabolism-Dementia Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jimin Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Juseok Lee
- Department of Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Dongryul Seo
- Department of Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Myeongjee Lee
- Biostatistics Collaboration Unit, Department of Biomedical Systems Informatics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Do Yup Lee
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Food and Bioconvergence, Research Institute for Agricultural and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Man Ho Choi
- Molecular Recognition Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eosu Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Metabolism-Dementia Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lewis-Sanders D, Bullich S, Olvera MJ, Vo J, Hwang YS, Mizrachi E, Stern SA. Conditioned overconsumption is dependent on reinforcer type in lean, but not obese, mice. Appetite 2024; 198:107355. [PMID: 38621593 PMCID: PMC11308659 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Associative learning can drive many different types of behaviors, including food consumption. Previous studies have shown that cues paired with food delivery while mice are hungry will lead to increased consumption in the presence of those cues at later times. We previously showed that overconsumption can be driven in male mice by contextual cues, using chow pellets. Here we extended our findings by examining other parameters that may influence the outcome of context-conditioned overconsumption training. We found that the task worked equally well in males and females, and that palatable substances such as high-fat diet and Ensure chocolate milkshake supported learning and induced overconsumption. Surprisingly, mice did not overconsume when sucrose was used as the reinforcer during training, suggesting that nutritional content is a critical factor. Interestingly, we also observed that diet-induced obese mice did not learn the task. Overall, we find that context-conditioned overconsumption can be studied in lean male and female mice, and with multiple reinforcer types.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Darielle Lewis-Sanders
- Laboratory for Integrative Neural Circuits and Behavior, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA
| | - Sebastien Bullich
- Laboratory for Integrative Neural Circuits and Behavior, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA
| | - Maria-Jose Olvera
- Laboratory for Integrative Neural Circuits and Behavior, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA
| | - John Vo
- Laboratory for Integrative Neural Circuits and Behavior, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA
| | - Yang-Sun Hwang
- Laboratory for Integrative Neural Circuits and Behavior, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA
| | - Elisa Mizrachi
- Laboratory for Integrative Neural Circuits and Behavior, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA
| | - Sarah A Stern
- Laboratory for Integrative Neural Circuits and Behavior, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Cho SY, Kim EW, Park SJ, Phillips BU, Jeong J, Kim H, Heath CJ, Kim D, Jang Y, López-Cruz L, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ, Lee DY, Kim E. Reconsidering repurposing: long-term metformin treatment impairs cognition in Alzheimer's model mice. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:34. [PMID: 38238285 PMCID: PMC10796941 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02755-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Metformin, a primary anti-diabetic medication, has been anticipated to provide benefits for Alzheimer's disease (AD), also known as "type 3 diabetes". Nevertheless, some studies have demonstrated that metformin may trigger AD pathology and even elevate AD risk in humans. Despite this, limited research has elucidated the behavioral outcomes of metformin treatment, which would hold significant translational value. Thus, we aimed to perform thorough behavioral research on the prolonged administration of metformin to mice: We administered metformin (300 mg/kg/day) to transgenic 3xTg-AD and non-transgenic (NT) C57BL/6 mice over 1 and 2 years, respectively, and evaluated their behaviors across multiple domains via touchscreen operant chambers, including motivation, attention, memory, visual discrimination, and cognitive flexibility. We found metformin enhanced attention, inhibitory control, and associative learning in younger NT mice (≤16 months). However, chronic treatment led to impairments in memory retention and discrimination learning at older age. Furthermore, metformin caused learning and memory impairment and increased levels of AMPKα1-subunit, β-amyloid oligomers, plaques, phosphorylated tau, and GSK3β expression in AD mice. No changes in potential confounding factors on cognition, including levels of motivation, locomotion, appetite, body weight, blood glucose, and serum vitamin B12, were observed in metformin-treated AD mice. We also identified an enhanced amyloidogenic pathway in db/db mice, as well as in Neuro2a-APP695 cells and a decrease in synaptic markers, such as PSD-95 and synaptophysin in primary neurons, upon metformin treatment. Our findings collectively suggest that the repurposing of metformin should be carefully reconsidered when this drug is used for individuals with AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- So Yeon Cho
- Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Metabolism-Dementia Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Woo Kim
- Graduate School of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Department of Nursing, Seoyeong University, Gwangju, 61268, Republic of Korea
| | - Soo Jin Park
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
- Research Institute for Agricultural and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Benjamin U Phillips
- Department of Psychology, The University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Jihyeon Jeong
- Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Metabolism-Dementia Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunjeong Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Metabolism-Dementia Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Christopher J Heath
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Daehwan Kim
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Yurim Jang
- Interdisciplinary Program in Agricultural Genomics, Center for Food and Bioconvergence, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Laura López-Cruz
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, N6A 5K8, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, N6A 5K8, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Do Yup Lee
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
- Research Institute for Agricultural and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
- Interdisciplinary Program in Agricultural Genomics, Center for Food and Bioconvergence, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Eosu Kim
- Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
- Metabolism-Dementia Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
- Graduate School of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Lewis-Sanders D, Bullich S, Olvera MJ, Vo J, Hwang YS, Stern SA. Conditioned overconsumption is dependent on reinforcer type in lean, but not obese, mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.12.31.573797. [PMID: 38260511 PMCID: PMC10802361 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.31.573797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Associative learning can drive many different types of behaviors, including food consumption. Previous studies have shown that cues paired with food delivery while mice are hungry will lead increased consumption in the presence of those cues at later times. We previously showed that overconsumption can be driven in male mice by contextual cues, using chow pellets. Here we extended our findings by examining other parameters that may influence the outcome of context-conditioned overconsumption training. We found that the task worked equally well in males and females, and that palatable substances such as high-fat diet and Ensure chocolate milkshake supported learning and induced overconsumption. Surprisingly, mice did not overconsume when sucrose was used as the reinforcer during training, suggesting that nutritional content is a critical factor. Interestingly, we also observed that diet-induced obese mice did not learn the task. Overall, we find that context-conditioned overconsumption can be studied in lean males and female mice, and with multiple reinforcer types.
Collapse
|
6
|
Karlsson RM, Cameron HA. Assessing reward preference using operant behavior in male and female mice. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0291419. [PMID: 37699025 PMCID: PMC10497155 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Many different solid food pellets are available as reinforcers for rodents in operant behavior tests. Different reward formulations have not been compared, so it is unclear whether mice show strong preferences for different rewards and whether such preferences are consistent within or across sex and background strain. Here we show that mice have strong preferences for two balanced diet food rewards over sucrose pellets, and preference for one balanced diet pellet formulation over another, in a simultaneous choice test using a low effort fixed ratio operant test. All mice, of both sexes and both CD1 and C57 background strains, showed the same strong preferences among these three types of reinforcers. In contrast, flavorings added to the reward pellets had relatively small and more variable effects on preference. The preference for balanced diet pellets over sucrose pellets was seen also in the total numbers of rewards consumed in low effort tests with food pellets or only sucrose pellets available. However, progressive ratio testing showed that mice worked harder for sucrose pellets than for the preferred balanced diet pellets. These findings indicate that reinforcers with similar and very different preference profiles are readily available and that testing with different rewards can produce different, and sometimes unexpected, results.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rose-Marie Karlsson
- Section on Neuroplasticity, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Heather A. Cameron
- Section on Neuroplasticity, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Chandrasekaran J, Jacquez B, Wilson J, Brigman JL. Reinforcer value moderates the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on learning and reversal. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1147536. [PMID: 37179543 PMCID: PMC10166816 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1147536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are the leading cause of preventable developmental disability and are commonly characterized by alterations in executive function. Reversal learning tasks are reliable, cross-species methods for testing a frequently impaired aspect of executive control, behavioral flexibility. Pre-clinical studies commonly require the use of reinforcers to motivate animals to learn and perform the task. While there are several reinforcers available, the most commonly employed are solid (food pellets) and liquid (sweetened milk) rewards. Previous studies have examined the effects of different solid rewards or liquid dietary content on learning in instrumental responding and found that rodents on liquid reward with higher caloric content performed better with increased response and task acquisition rate. The influence of reinforcer type on reversal learning and how this interacts with developmental insults such as prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has not been explored. Methods We tested whether reinforcer type during learning or reversal would impact an established deficit in PAE mice. Results We found that all male and female mice on liquid reward, regardless of prenatal exposure were better motivated to learn task behaviors during pre-training. Consistent with previous findings, both male and female PAE mice and Saccharine control mice were able to learn the initial stimulus reward associations irrespective of the reinforcer type. During the initial reversal phase, male PAE mice that received pellet rewards exhibited maladaptive perseverative responding whereas male mice that received liquid rewards performed comparable to their control counterparts. Female PAE mice that received either reinforcer types did not exhibit any deficits on behavioral flexibility. Female saccharine control mice that received liquid, but not pellet, rewards showed increased perseverative responding during the early reversal phase. Discussion These data suggest that reinforcer type can have a major impact on motivation, and therefore performance, during reversal learning. Highly motivating rewards may mask behavioral deficits seen with more moderately sought rewards and gestational exposure to the non-caloric sweetener, saccharine, can impact behavior motivated by those reinforcers in a sex-dependent manner.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jayapriya Chandrasekaran
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Belkis Jacquez
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, United States
- New Mexico Alcohol Research Center, UNM Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Jennifer Wilson
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Jonathan L. Brigman
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, United States
- New Mexico Alcohol Research Center, UNM Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Cotter KM, Bancroft GL, Haas HA, Shi R, Clarkson AN, Croxall ME, Stowe AM, Yun S, Eisch AJ. Use of an Automated Mouse Touchscreen Platform for Quantification of Cognitive Deficits After Central Nervous System Injury. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2616:279-326. [PMID: 36715942 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2926-0_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Analyzing cognitive performance is an important aspect of assessing physiological deficits after stroke or other central nervous system (CNS) injuries in both humans and in basic science animal models. Cognitive testing on an automated touchscreen operant platform began in humans but is now increasingly popular in preclinical studies as it enables testing in many cognitive domains in a highly reproducible way while minimizing stress to the laboratory animal. Here, we describe the step-by-step setup and application of four operant touchscreen tests used on adult mice. In brief, mice are trained to touch a graphical image on a lit screen and initiate subsequent trials for a reward. Following initial training, mice can be tested on tasks that probe performance in many cognitive domains and thus infer the integrity of brain circuits and regions. There are already many outstanding published protocols on touchscreen cognitive testing. This chapter is designed to add to the literature in two specific ways. First, this chapter provides in a single location practical, behind-the-scenes tips for setup and testing of mice in four touchscreen tasks that are useful to assess in CNS injury models: Paired Associates Learning (PAL), a task of episodic, associative (object-location) memory; Location Discrimination Reversal (LDR), a test for mnemonic discrimination (also called behavioral pattern separation) and cognitive flexibility; Autoshaping (AUTO), a test of Pavlovian or classical conditioning; and Extinction (EXT), tasks of stimulus-response and response inhibition, respectively. Second, this chapter summarizes issues to consider when performing touchscreen tests in mouse models of CNS injury. Quantifying gross and fine aspects of cognitive function is essential to improved treatment for brain dysfunction after stroke or CNS injury as well as other brain diseases, and touchscreen testing provides a sensitive, reliable, and robust way to achieve this.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M Cotter
- Department of Neurology, Department of Neuroscience, The University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | | | | | - Raymon Shi
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Andrew N Clarkson
- Department of Anatomy, Brain Health Research Centre and Brain Research New Zealand, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | | | - Ann M Stowe
- Department of Neurology, Department of Neuroscience, The University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Sanghee Yun
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA. .,Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Amelia J Eisch
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA. .,Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Sahu PK, Montenegro C, Lambert CT, Oprea A, Deimeke M, Rennie V, Smeltz S, Benowicz TJ, Patel D, Phillmore LS, Sturdy CB. Effect of feed-time duration on discrimination of vocalizations in a go/no-go operant paradigm. Behav Processes 2022; 203:104777. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
|
10
|
Cunningham J, Sheppard L, Listik E, Wang Q. Self-Paced Five-Choice Serial Reaction Time-Task for Mouse Behavioral Testing. Bio Protoc 2022. [DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
|
11
|
Choy KHC, Luo JK, Wannan CMJ, Laskaris L, Merritt A, Syeda WT, Sexton PM, Christopoulos A, Pantelis C, Nithianantharajah J. Cognitive behavioral markers of neurodevelopmental trajectories in rodents. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:556. [PMID: 34718322 PMCID: PMC8557208 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01662-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Between adolescence and adulthood, the brain critically undergoes maturation and refinement of synaptic and neural circuits that shape cognitive processing. Adolescence also represents a vulnerable period for the onset of symptoms in neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders. Despite the wide use of rodent models to unravel neurobiological mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders, there is a surprising paucity of rigorous studies focusing on normal cognitive-developmental trajectories in such models. Here, we sought to behaviorally capture maturational changes in cognitive trajectories during adolescence and into adulthood in male and female mice using distinct behavioral paradigms. C57 BL/6J mice (4.5, 6, and 12 weeks of age) were assessed on three behavioral paradigms: drug-induced locomotor hyperactivity, prepulse inhibition, and a novel validated version of a visuospatial paired-associate learning touchscreen task. We show that the normal maturational trajectories of behavioral performance on these paradigms are dissociable. Responses in drug-induced locomotor hyperactivity and prepulse inhibition both displayed a 'U-shaped' developmental trajectory; lower during mid-adolescence relative to early adolescence and adulthood. In contrast, visuospatial learning and memory, memory retention, and response times indicative of motivational processing progressively improved with age. Our study offers a framework to investigate how insults at different developmental stages might perturb normal trajectories in cognitive development. We provide a brain maturational approach to understand resilience factors of brain plasticity in the face of adversity and to examine pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions directed at ameliorating or rescuing perturbed trajectories in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- K. H. Christopher Choy
- grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC Australia
| | - Jiaqi K. Luo
- grid.418025.a0000 0004 0606 5526The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, VIC Australia ,grid.1008.90000 0001 2179 088XDepartment of Florey Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Australia
| | - Cassandra M. J. Wannan
- grid.1008.90000 0001 2179 088XMelbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Australia
| | - Liliana Laskaris
- grid.1008.90000 0001 2179 088XMelbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Australia
| | - Antonia Merritt
- grid.1008.90000 0001 2179 088XMelbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Australia
| | - Warda T. Syeda
- grid.1008.90000 0001 2179 088XMelbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Australia
| | - Patrick M. Sexton
- grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC Australia ,grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857ARC Centre for Cryo-electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC Australia
| | - Arthur Christopoulos
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. .,ARC Centre for Cryo-electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Christos Pantelis
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. .,Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Jess Nithianantharajah
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. .,Department of Florey Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Lopez-Cruz L, Bussey TJ, Saksida LM, Heath CJ. Using touchscreen-delivered cognitive assessments to address the principles of the 3Rs in behavioral sciences. Lab Anim (NY) 2021; 50:174-184. [PMID: 34140683 DOI: 10.1038/s41684-021-00791-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Despite considerable advances in both in silico and in vitro approaches, in vivo studies that involve animal model systems remain necessary in many research disciplines. Neuroscience is one such area, with studies often requiring access to a complete nervous system capable of dynamically selecting between and then executing a full range of cognitive and behavioral outputs in response to a given stimulus or other manipulation. The involvement of animals in research studies is an issue of active public debate and concern and is therefore carefully regulated. Such regulations are based on the principles of the 3Rs of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement. In the sub-specialty of behavioral neuroscience, Full/Absolute Replacement remains a major challenge, as the complete ex vivo recapitulation of a system as complex and dynamic as the nervous system has yet to be achieved. However, a number of very positive developments have occurred in this area with respect to Relative Replacement and to both Refinement and Reduction. In this review, we discuss the Refinement- and Reduction-related benefits yielded by the introduction of touchscreen-based behavioral assessment apparatus. We also discuss how data generated by a specific panel of behavioral tasks developed for this platform might substantially enhance monitoring of laboratory animal welfare and provide robust, quantitative comparisons of husbandry techniques to define and ensure maintenance of best practice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Lopez-Cruz
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. .,School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christopher J Heath
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Effects of clonidine on progressive ratio schedule performance in Fmr1 knockout mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:1133-1140. [PMID: 33449137 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05760-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most prevalent genetic form of intellectual disability, is characterized by intellectual impairment, impaired sociability, aggression, self-injury, hyperactivity, and attention deficits. A consequence of the hyperactivity and attention deficits is that individuals with FXS are frequently diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and treated with medications approved for ADHD (e.g., the α2-agonist clonidine). The pharmacotherapy of FXS is often accompanied with behavioral therapies that rely on positive reinforcement and other operant principles. Despite the commonplace mixture of drug and behavioral therapy, little attention has been paid to the observation that clonidine or other psychotropic drugs may alter operant processes. OBJECTIVES In the present progressive ratio study, we used a knockout mouse model to test the effects of the fragile X genotype, the α2-agonist clonidine, and the fragile X genotype and clonidine together on operant processes in a positive reinforcement task. RESULTS We found that clonidine decreased the progressive ratio breakpoint, increased the length of post-reinforcement pauses, and slowed the run rate. None of these effects varied by genotype. The effect on breakpoint suggests that clonidine alters motivation, but analysis using mathematical principles of reinforcement (MPR) did not rule out motor parameters as a contributor. CONCLUSIONS Our findings show that clonidine alters operant behavior and serve as a caution for combining clonidine with behavioral therapies that rely on positive reinforcement. Further research using different murine behaviors (e.g., touchscreen tasks) or different animal models (e.g., knockout rats) is needed to explore the interaction between pharmaco- and behavioral therapy.
Collapse
|
14
|
Sullivan JA, Dumont JR, Memar S, Skirzewski M, Wan J, Mofrad MH, Ansari HZ, Li Y, Muller L, Prado VF, Prado MAM, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ. New frontiers in translational research: Touchscreens, open science, and the mouse translational research accelerator platform. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12705. [PMID: 33009724 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Many neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases and other brain disorders are accompanied by impairments in high-level cognitive functions including memory, attention, motivation, and decision-making. Despite several decades of extensive research, neuroscience is little closer to discovering new treatments. Key impediments include the absence of validated and robust cognitive assessment tools for facilitating translation from animal models to humans. In this review, we describe a state-of-the-art platform poised to overcome these impediments and improve the success of translational research, the Mouse Translational Research Accelerator Platform (MouseTRAP), which is centered on the touchscreen cognitive testing system for rodents. It integrates touchscreen-based tests of high-level cognitive assessment with state-of-the art neurotechnology to record and manipulate molecular and circuit level activity in vivo in animal models during human-relevant cognitive performance. The platform also is integrated with two Open Science platforms designed to facilitate knowledge and data-sharing practices within the rodent touchscreen community, touchscreencognition.org and mousebytes.ca. Touchscreencognition.org includes the Wall, showcasing touchscreen news and publications, the Forum, for community discussion, and Training, which includes courses, videos, SOPs, and symposia. To get started, interested researchers simply create user accounts. We describe the origins of the touchscreen testing system, the novel lines of research it has facilitated, and its increasingly widespread use in translational research, which is attributable in part to knowledge-sharing efforts over the past decade. We then identify the unique features of MouseTRAP that stand to potentially revolutionize translational research, and describe new initiatives to partner with similar platforms such as McGill's M3 platform (m3platform.org).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline A Sullivan
- Department of Philosophy, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Rotman Institute of Philosophy, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julie R Dumont
- BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sara Memar
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Miguel Skirzewski
- BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jinxia Wan
- Division of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China.,PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Maryam H Mofrad
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Applied Mathematics, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Yulong Li
- Division of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China.,PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Lyle Muller
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Applied Mathematics, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vania F Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marco A M Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Kim E, White MA, Phillips BU, Lopez-Cruz L, Kim H, Heath CJ, Lee JE, Saksida LM, Sreedharan J, Bussey TJ. Coexistence of perseveration and apathy in the TDP-43 Q331K knock-in mouse model of ALS-FTD. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:377. [PMID: 33149110 PMCID: PMC7643138 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-01078-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2019] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Perseveration and apathy are two of the most common behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSDs) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-frontotemporal dementia (ALS-FTD). Availability of a validated and behaviourally characterised animal model is crucial for translational research into BPSD in the FTD context. We behaviourally evaluated the male TDP-43Q331K mouse, an ALS-FTD model with a human-equivalent mutation (TDP-43Q331K) knocked into the endogenous Tardbp gene. We utilised a panel of behavioural tasks delivered using the rodent touchscreen apparatus, including progressive ratio (PR), extinction and visual discrimination/reversal learning (VDR) assays to examine motivation, response inhibition and cognitive flexibility, respectively. Relative to WT littermates, TDP-43Q331K mice exhibited increased responding under a PR schedule. While elevated PR responding is typically an indication of increased motivation for reward, a trial-by-trial response rate analysis revealed that TDP-43Q331K mice exhibited decreased maximal response rate and slower response decay rate, suggestive of reduced motivation and a perseverative behavioural phenotype, respectively. In the extinction assay, TDP-43Q331K mice displayed increased omissions during the early phase of each session, consistent with a deficit in activational motivation. Finally, the VDR task revealed cognitive inflexibility, manifesting as stimulus-bound perseveration. Together, our data indicate that male TDP-43Q331K mice exhibit a perseverative phenotype with some evidence of apathy-like behaviour, similar to BPSDs observed in human ALS-FTD patients. The TDP-43Q331K knock-in mouse therefore has features that recommend it as a useful platform to facilitate translational research into behavioural symptoms in the context of ALS-FTD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eosu Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Sciences, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Matthew A White
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Benjamin U Phillips
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Laura Lopez-Cruz
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - Hyunjeong Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Sciences, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Anatomy, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Christopher J Heath
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - Jong Eun Lee
- Department of Anatomy, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Molecular Medicine Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Jemeen Sreedharan
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Molecular Medicine Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
- The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Lee JH, Cho SY, Kim E. Translational cognitive neuroscience of dementia with touchscreen operant chambers. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12664. [PMID: 32374080 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Translational cognitive neuroscience of dementia involves mainly two areas: the validation of newly developed dementia animal models and the preclinical assessment of novel drug candidates in such model animals. To validate new animal models, a multidomain panel (battery) approach is essential in that dementia is, by definition, not merely a memory disorder but rather a multidomain cognitive/behavior disorder: animal modeling with a certain type of dementia would develop cognitive impairments in multiple (two at minimum) domains in a specific order according to unique spreading patterns of its neuropathology. In new drug development, the availability of highly sensitive tools assessing animal cognition is crucial to the detection of cognitive decline at the earliest stage of the disease, which may be an optimal time point to test a drug candidate. Using interspecies translatable (analogous) cognitive tasks would also be necessary to successfully predict the efficacy of drug candidates in subsequent clinical trials. Currently, this translational prediction is seriously limited given discrepancies in behavioral assessment methods between animals and humans in the preclinical and clinical trials, respectively. Since neurodegenerative diseases are often accompanied by not only cognitive but also affective and movement disorders, simultaneous assessment of task-relevant locomotor behavior and motivation is also important to rule out the effects of potential confounders. The touchscreen operant platform may satisfy these needs by offering several advantages over conventional methodology. In this review, we discuss the touchscreen operant chamber system and highlight some of its qualities as a promising and desirable tool for translational research of dementia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ji Han Lee
- Department of Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - So Yeon Cho
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eosu Kim
- Department of Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Beraldo FH, Palmer D, Memar S, Wasserman DI, Lee WJV, Liang S, Creighton SD, Kolisnyk B, Cowan MF, Mels J, Masood TS, Fodor C, Al-Onaizi MA, Bartha R, Gee T, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ, Strother SS, Prado VF, Winters BD, Prado MA. MouseBytes, an open-access high-throughput pipeline and database for rodent touchscreen-based cognitive assessment. eLife 2019; 8:49630. [PMID: 31825307 PMCID: PMC6934379 DOI: 10.7554/elife.49630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Open Science has changed research by making data accessible and shareable, contributing to replicability to accelerate and disseminate knowledge. However, for rodent cognitive studies the availability of tools to share and disseminate data is scarce. Automated touchscreen-based tests enable systematic cognitive assessment with easily standardised outputs that can facilitate data dissemination. Here we present an integration of touchscreen cognitive testing with an open-access database public repository (mousebytes.ca), as well as a Web platform for knowledge dissemination (https://touchscreencognition.org). We complement these resources with the largest dataset of age-dependent high-level cognitive assessment of mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, expanding knowledge of affected cognitive domains from male and female mice of three strains. We envision that these new platforms will enhance sharing of protocols, data availability and transparency, allowing meta-analysis and reuse of mouse cognitive data to increase the replicability/reproducibility of datasets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Flavio H Beraldo
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daniel Palmer
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
| | - Sara Memar
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - David I Wasserman
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
| | - Wai-Jane V Lee
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Shuai Liang
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Hospital, Toronto, Canada
| | - Samantha D Creighton
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
| | - Benjamin Kolisnyk
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Matthew F Cowan
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Justin Mels
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Talal S Masood
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Chris Fodor
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mohammed A Al-Onaizi
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robert Bartha
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Medical Biophysics, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Tom Gee
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Hospital, Toronto, Canada
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stephen S Strother
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Hospital, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Vania F Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Boyer D Winters
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
| | - Marco Am Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Shepherd A, May C, Churilov L, Adlard PA, Hannan AJ, Burrows EL. Evaluation of attention in APP/PS1 mice shows impulsive and compulsive behaviours. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2019; 20:e12594. [PMID: 31177612 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
While Alzheimer's disease (AD) is traditionally associated with deficits in episodic memory, early changes in other cognitive domains, such as attention, have been gaining interest. In line with clinical observations, some animal models of AD have been shown to develop attentional deficits, but this is not consistent across all models. The APPswe/PS1ΔE9 (APP/PS1) mouse is one of the most commonly used AD models and attention has not yet been scrutinised in this model. We set out to assess attention using the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5CSRTT) early in the progression of cognitive symptoms in APP/PS1 mice, using clinically translatable touchscreen chambers. APP/PS1 mice showed no attentional changes across 5CSRTT training or any probes from 9 to 11 months of age. Interestingly, APP/PS1 mice showed increased impulsive and compulsive responding when task difficulty was high. This suggests that while the APP/PS1 mouse model may not be a good model of attentional changes in AD, it may be useful to study the early changes in impulsive and compulsive behaviour that have been identified in patient studies. As these changes have not previously been reported without attentional deficits in the clinic, the APP/PS1 mouse model may provide a unique opportunity to study these specific behavioural changes seen in AD, including their mechanistic underpinnings and therapeutic implications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amy Shepherd
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Kenneth Myer Building, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Carlos May
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Kenneth Myer Building, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Leonid Churilov
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Paul A Adlard
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Kenneth Myer Building, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Anthony J Hannan
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Kenneth Myer Building, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Emma L Burrows
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Kenneth Myer Building, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Hailwood JM, Heath CJ, Phillips BU, Robbins TW, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ. Blockade of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors facilitates motivated behaviour and rescues a model of antipsychotic-induced amotivation. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:1068-1075. [PMID: 30478410 PMCID: PMC6397643 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0281-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Revised: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Disruptions to motivated behaviour are a highly prevalent and severe symptom in a number of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Current treatment options for these disorders have little or no effect upon motivational impairments. We assessed the contribution of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors to motivated behaviour in mice, as a novel pharmacological target for motivational impairments. Touchscreen progressive ratio (PR) performance was facilitated by the nonselective muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine as well as the more subtype-selective antagonists biperiden (M1) and tropicamide (M4). However, scopolamine and tropicamide also produced increases in non-specific activity levels, whereas biperiden did not. A series of control tests suggests the effects of the mAChR antagonists were sensitive to changes in reward value and not driven by changes in satiety, motor fatigue, appetite or perseveration. Subsequently, a sub-effective dose of biperiden was able to facilitate the effects of amphetamine upon PR performance, suggesting an ability to enhance dopaminergic function. Both biperiden and scopolamine were also able to reverse a haloperidol-induced deficit in PR performance, however only biperiden was able to rescue the deficit in effort-related choice (ERC) performance. Taken together, these data suggest that the M1 mAChR may be a novel target for the pharmacological enhancement of effort exertion and consequent rescue of motivational impairments. Conversely, M4 receptors may inadvertently modulate effort exertion through regulation of general locomotor activity levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan M. Hailwood
- 0000000121885934grid.5335.0Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK
| | - Christopher J. Heath
- 0000000096069301grid.10837.3dSchool of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA UK
| | - Benjamin U. Phillips
- 0000000121885934grid.5335.0Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK
| | - Trevor W. Robbins
- 0000000121885934grid.5335.0Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK
| | - Lisa M. Saksida
- 0000 0004 1936 8884grid.39381.30Molecular Medicine Research Group, Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON Canada ,0000 0004 1936 8884grid.39381.30The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON Canada
| | - Timothy J. Bussey
- 0000000121885934grid.5335.0Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK ,0000 0004 1936 8884grid.39381.30Molecular Medicine Research Group, Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON Canada ,0000 0004 1936 8884grid.39381.30The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON Canada
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Lim J, Kim E, Noh HJ, Kang S, Phillips BU, Kim DG, Bussey TJ, Saksida L, Heath CJ, Kim CH. Assessment of mGluR5 KO mice under conditions of low stress using a rodent touchscreen apparatus reveals impaired behavioural flexibility driven by perseverative responses. Mol Brain 2019; 12:37. [PMID: 30971312 PMCID: PMC6458840 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-019-0441-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic and pharmacological manipulations targeting metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) affect performance in behavioural paradigms that depend on cognitive flexibility. Many of these studies involved exposing mice to highly stressful conditions including electric foot shocks or water immersion and forced swimming. Because mGluR5 is also implicated in resilience and stress responses, however, apparent impairments in inhibitory learning may have been an artifact of manipulation-induced changes in affective state. To address this, we present here a characterization of cognitive flexibility in mGluR5 knockout (KO) mice conducted with a rodent touchscreen cognitive assessment apparatus in which the animals experience significantly less stress. Our results indicate a significant reversal learning impairment relative to wild-type (WT) controls in the two-choice Visual Discrimination-Reversal (VDR) paradigm. Upon further analysis, we found that this deficit is primarily driven by a prolonged period of perseveration in the early phase of reversal. We also observed a similar perseveration phenotype in the KO mice in the Extinction (EXT) paradigm. In addition, mGluR5 KO mice show higher breakpoints in the touchscreen Progressive Ratio (PR) and altered decision making in the Effort-related Choice (ERC) tasks. Interestingly, this impairment in PR is an additional manifestation of an increased propensity to perseverate on the emission of relatively simplistic behavioural outputs. Together, these findings suggest that under conditions of low stress, mGluR5 KO mice exhibit a pronounced perseverative phenotype that blunts cognitive flexibility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jisoo Lim
- Department of Pharmacology, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Eosu Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioural Science in Medicine, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Jong Noh
- Department of Pharmacology, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Shinwon Kang
- Department of Pharmacology, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Benjamin U Phillips
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Dong Goo Kim
- Department of Pharmacology, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.,Molecular Medicine Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Lisa Saksida
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.,Molecular Medicine Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Christopher J Heath
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK.
| | - Chul Hoon Kim
- Department of Pharmacology, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea. .,Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, South Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Cadinu D, Grayson B, Podda G, Harte MK, Doostdar N, Neill JC. NMDA receptor antagonist rodent models for cognition in schizophrenia and identification of novel drug treatments, an update. Neuropharmacology 2018; 142:41-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.11.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Revised: 10/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
|
22
|
Daniels CW, Overby PF, Sanabria F. Between-session memory degradation accounts for within-session changes in fixed-interval performance. Behav Processes 2018; 153:31-39. [PMID: 29729953 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Revised: 04/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
A common assumption in the study of fixed-interval (FI) timing is that FI performance is largely stable within sessions, once it is stable between sessions. Within-session changes in FI performance were examined in published data (Daniels and Sanabria, 2017), wherein some rats were trained on a FI 30-s schedule of food reinforcement (FI30) and others on a FI 90-s schedule (FI90). Following stability, FI90 rats were pre-fed for five sessions. Response rates declined as a function of trial, due more to latency lengthening than to run-rate reduction. Latencies were best described by a dynamic gamma-exponential mixture distribution, in which latency lengthening was driven by the growth of the criterion pulse count for a response and not by a reduction in the speed of an endogenous clock. The speed of the clock was selectively sensitive to the length of the FI; the prevalence and length of exponentially-distributed latencies were selectively sensitive to pre-feeding. These findings reveal (a) that parameters governing FI latencies are selectively sensitive to a range of manipulations, (b) a potential degradation of the criterion pulse count between consecutive sessions, and (c) a subsequent recovery of the criterion pulse count within sessions.
Collapse
|
23
|
Hailwood JM, Heath CJ, Robbins TW, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ. Validation and optimisation of a touchscreen progressive ratio test of motivation in male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2018; 235:2739-2753. [PMID: 30008032 PMCID: PMC6132691 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-4969-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Across species, effort-related motivation can be assessed by testing behaviour under a progressive ratio (PR) schedule of reinforcement. However, to date, PR tasks for rodents have been available using traditional operant response systems only. OBJECTIVES Touchscreen operant response systems allow the assessment of behaviour in laboratory rodents, using tasks that share high face validity with the computerised assessments used in humans. Here, we sought to optimise a rat touchscreen variant of PR and validate it by assessing the effects of a number of manipulations known to affect PR performance in non-touchscreen paradigms. METHODS Separate groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained on PR schedules with either linear (PR4) or exponential (PREXP) schedules of reinforcement. PR performance was assessed in response to manipulations in reward outcome. Animals were tested under conditions of increased reward magnitude and following reward devaluation through a prefeeding procedure. Subsequently, the effects of systemic administration of the dopamine D2/D3 receptor antagonist raclopride and the psychostimulant d-amphetamine were examined as traditional pharmacological methods for manipulating motivation. RESULTS Rats reinforced under PR4 and PREXP schedules consistently showed differential patterns of response rates within sessions. Furthermore, both PR4 and PREXP schedules were sensitive to suppression by prefeeding or raclopride administration. Performance under both schedules was facilitated by increasing reward magnitude or d-amphetamine administration. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these findings mirror those observed in lever-based PR paradigms in rats. This study therefore demonstrates the successful validation of the rat touchscreen PR task. This will allow for the assessment of motivation in rats, within the same touchscreen apparatus used for the assessment of complex cognitive processes in this species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan M. Hailwood
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK
| | - Christopher J. Heath
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA UK
| | - Trevor W. Robbins
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK
| | - Lisa M. Saksida
- Molecular Medicine Research Group, Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON Canada ,The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON Canada
| | - Timothy J. Bussey
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK ,Molecular Medicine Research Group, Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON Canada ,The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON Canada
| |
Collapse
|