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Corder KM, Li Q, Cortes MA, Bartley AF, Davis TR, Dobrunz LE. Overexpression of neuropeptide Y decreases responsiveness to neuropeptide Y. Neuropeptides 2020; 79:101979. [PMID: 31708112 PMCID: PMC6960342 DOI: 10.1016/j.npep.2019.101979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2018] [Revised: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is an endogenous neuropeptide that is abundantly expressed in the central nervous system. NPY is involved in various neurological processes and neuropsychiatric disorders, including fear learning and anxiety disorders. Reduced levels of NPY are reported in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) patients, and NPY has been proposed as a potential therapeutic target for PTSD. It is therefore important to understand the effects of chronic enhancement of NPY on anxiety and fear learning. Previous studies have shown that acute elevation of NPY reduces anxiety, fear learning and locomotor activity. Models of chronic NPY overexpression have produced mixed results, possibly caused by ectopic NPY expression. NPY is expressed primarily by a subset of GABAergic interneurons, providing specific spatiotemporal release patterns. Administration of exogenous NPY throughout the brain, or overexpression in cells that do not normally release NPY, can have detrimental side effects, including memory impairment. In order to determine the effects of boosting NPY only in the cells that normally release it, we utilized a transgenic mouse line that overexpresses NPY only in NPY+ cells. We tested for effects on anxiety related behaviors in adolescent mice, an age with high incidence of anxiety disorders in humans. Surprisingly, we did not observe the expected reduction in anxiety-like behavior in NPY overexpression mice. There was no change in fear learning behavior, although there was a deficit in nest building. The effect of exogenous NPY on synaptic transmission in acute hippocampal slices was also diminished, indicating that the function of NPY receptors is impaired. Reduced NPY receptor function could contribute to the unexpected behavioral outcomes. We conclude that overexpression of NPY, even in cells that normally express it, can lead to reduced responsiveness of NPY receptors, potentially affecting the ability of NPY to function as a long-term therapeutic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelynn M Corder
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Neurobiology, 1825 University Blvd, SHEL 971, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America; University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Biology, 1670 University Blvd., VH G133B, Birmingham, AL 35233, United States of America
| | - Qin Li
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Neurobiology, 1825 University Blvd, SHEL 971, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America
| | - Mariana A Cortes
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Neurobiology, 1825 University Blvd, SHEL 971, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America
| | - Aundrea F Bartley
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Neurobiology, 1825 University Blvd, SHEL 971, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America
| | - Taylor R Davis
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Neurobiology, 1825 University Blvd, SHEL 971, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America
| | - Lynn E Dobrunz
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Neurobiology, 1825 University Blvd, SHEL 971, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America.
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Marchese E, Corvino V, Di Maria V, Furno A, Giannetti S, Cesari E, Lulli P, Michetti F, Geloso MC. The Neuroprotective Effects of 17β-Estradiol Pretreatment in a Model of Neonatal Hippocampal Injury Induced by Trimethyltin. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:385. [PMID: 30416427 PMCID: PMC6213803 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hippocampal dysfunction plays a central role in neurodevelopmental disorders, resulting in severe impairment of cognitive abilities, including memory and learning. On this basis, developmental studies represent an important tool both to understanding the cellular and molecular phenomena underlying early hippocampal damage and to study possible therapeutic interventions, that may modify the progression of neuronal death. Given the modulatory role played by 17β-estradiol (E2) on hippocampal functions and its neuroprotective properties, the present study investigates the effects of pretreatment with E2 in a model of neonatal hippocampal injury obtained by trimethyltin (TMT) administration, characterized by neuronal loss in CA1 and CA3 subfields and astroglial and microglial activation. At post-natal days (P)5 and P6 animals received E2 administration (0.2 mg/kg/die i.p.) or vehicle. At P7 they received a single dose of TMT (6.5 mg/kg i.p.) and were sacrificed 72 h (P10) or 7 days after TMT treatment (P14). Our findings indicate that pretreatment with E2 exerts a protective effect against hippocampal damage induced by TMT administration early in development, reducing the extent of neuronal death in the CA1 subfield, inducing the activation of genes involved in neuroprotection, lowering the neuroinflammatory response and restoring neuropeptide Y- and parvalbumin- expression, which is impaired in the early phases of TMT-induced damage. Our data support the efficacy of estrogen-based neuroprotective approaches to counteract early occurring hippocampal damage in the developing hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Marchese
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Corvino
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Di Maria
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.,Epilepsy Center, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Alfredo Furno
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Giannetti
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Eleonora Cesari
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.,Laboratory of Neuroembryology, Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Lulli
- Laboratorio di Biochimica Clinica e Biologia Molecolare, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Michetti
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.,Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia - IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Concetta Geloso
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
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Abstract
Contrary to popular belief, sex hormones act throughout the entire brain of both males and females via both genomic and nongenomic receptors. Many neural and behavioral functions are affected by estrogens, including mood, cognitive function, blood pressure regulation, motor coordination, pain, and opioid sensitivity. Subtle sex differences exist for many of these functions that are developmentally programmed by hormones and by not yet precisely defined genetic factors, including the mitochondrial genome. These sex differences, and responses to sex hormones in brain regions and upon functions not previously regarded as subject to such differences, indicate that we are entering a new era in our ability to understand and appreciate the diversity of gender-related behaviors and brain functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Marrocco
- Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, the Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Bruce S McEwen
- Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, the Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
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Gasbarri A, Tavares MCH, Rodrigues RC, Tomaz C, Pompili A. Estrogen, cognitive functions and emotion: an overview on humans, non-human primates and rodents in reproductive years. Rev Neurosci 2013; 23:587-606. [PMID: 23096104 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2012-0051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2012] [Accepted: 07/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence has highlighted a number of important, global issues regarding the influence of estrogen on emotion and cognitive functions,including learning and memory processes, both in animal models and humans. The influence of estrogen on cognition and emotion can be explained by taking into account its modulator role on several neurotransmitter systems, acetylcholine in particular, but also catecholamines,serotonin and GABA in rodents, primates and humans. Another reason may lie in the wide spread presence of the two classes (a and~) of estrogen receptors in many brain regions involved in emotion and cognition, including the hippocampal formation, amygdala and cerebral cortex. The present review reports on research conducted in our laboratory and others with the objective of identifying the action of estrogens on cognition and emotion in rodents, monkeys and humans in youth. In particular, the first section,focused on the mechanisms of estrogens action in the brain, illustrates the involvement of estrogen receptors and neurotransmitters in the cognitive and emotional processes; the second section deals with the estrogen effects on cognitive and emotional mechanisms, with particular emphasis on memory and the involvement of estrogen in emotion and cognition across the estrous/menstrual cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Gasbarri
- Department of Applied Clinical and Biotechnologic Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
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Williams TJ, Torres-Reveron A, Chapleau JD, Milner TA. Hormonal regulation of delta opioid receptor immunoreactivity in interneurons and pyramidal cells in the rat hippocampus. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2011; 95:206-20. [PMID: 21224009 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2011.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2010] [Revised: 01/04/2011] [Accepted: 01/04/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Clinical and preclinical studies indicate that women and men differ in relapse vulnerability to drug-seeking behavior during abstinence periods. As relapse is frequently triggered by exposure of the recovered addict to objects previously associated with drug use and the formation of these associations requires memory systems engaged by the hippocampal formation (HF), studies exploring ovarian hormone modulation of hippocampal function are warranted. Previous studies revealed that ovarian steroids alter endogenous opioid peptide levels and trafficking of mu opioid receptors in the HF, suggesting cooperative interaction between opioids and estrogens in modulating hippocampal excitability. However, whether ovarian steroids affect the levels or trafficking of delta opioid receptors (DORs) in the HF is unknown. Here, hippocampal sections of adult male and normal cycling female Sprague-Dawley rats were processed for quantitative immunoperoxidase light microscopy and dual label fluorescence or immunoelectron microscopy using antisera directed against the DOR and neuropeptide Y (NPY). Consistent with previous studies in males, DOR-immunoreactivity (-ir) localized to select interneurons and principal cells in the female HF. In comparison to males, females, regardless of estrous cycle phase, show reduced DOR-ir in the granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus and proestrus (high estrogen) females, in particular, display reduced DOR-ir in the CA1 pyramidal cell layer. Ultrastructural analysis of DOR-labeled profiles in CA1 revealed that while females generally show fewer DORs in the distal apical dendrites of pyramidal cells, proestrus females, in particular, exhibit DOR internalization and trafficking towards the soma. Dual label studies revealed that DORs are found in NPY-labeled interneurons in the hilus, CA3, and CA1. While DOR colocalization frequency in NPY-labeled neuron somata was similar between animals in the hilus, proestrus females had fewer NPY-labeled neurons that co-labeled with DOR in stratum oriens of CA1 and CA3 when compared to males. Ultrastructural analysis of NPY-labeled axon terminals within stratum radiatum of CA1 revealed that NPY-labeled axon terminals contain DORs that are frequently found at or near the plasma membrane. As no differences were noted by sex or estrous cycle phase, DOR activation on NPY-labeled axon terminals would inhibit GABA release probability equally in males and females. Taken together, these findings suggest that ovarian steroids can impact hippocampal function through direct effects on DOR levels and trafficking in principal cells and broad indirect effects through reductions in DOR-ir in NPY-labeled interneurons, particularly in CA1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya J Williams
- Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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Jadavji NM, Supina RD, Metz GA. Blockade of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors reverses stress-induced motor impairments. Neuroendocrinology 2011; 94:278-90. [PMID: 22024815 DOI: 10.1159/000329988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2011] [Accepted: 05/31/2011] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
AIM Stress and glucocorticoids can influence movement performance and pathologies of the motor system. The classic notion assumes that the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) mediates the majority of stress-induced behavioral changes. Nevertheless, recent findings have attributed a more prominent role to the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) in modulating behavior. The purpose of this study was to dissociate the impact of MR versus GR activation in movement and stress-associated motor disruption. METHODS Groups of male and female rats were tested in skilled reaching and open field behavior and treated peri-orally with either agonists or antagonists for MR and GR, respectively. RESULTS Selective acute activation of MR (aldosterone) and GR (dexamethasone) decreased movement success with a magnitude similar to stress-induced impairment in male and female animals. By contrast, antagonist treatment to block MR (RU-28318) or GR (Mifepristone, RU-486) prevented motor impairments caused by acute restraint stress or corticosterone treatment. Moreover, both antagonists reversed chronic stress- and glucocorticoid-induced motor impairments to values comparable to baseline levels. Higher success rates in treated animals were accompanied by improved performance of skilled limb movements. In addition, combined treatment with MR and GR antagonists had additive benefit on aim and advance towards the reaching target. CONCLUSION These observations suggest that MR or GR equally influence motor system function with partially synergistic effects. Males and females show comparable responses to MR and GR activation or blockade. The need for balanced activation of MRs and GRs in motor control requires consideration in intervention strategies to improve performance in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nafisa M Jadavji
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
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Spencer JL, Waters EM, Romeo RD, Wood GE, Milner TA, McEwen BS. Uncovering the mechanisms of estrogen effects on hippocampal function. Front Neuroendocrinol 2008; 29:219-37. [PMID: 18078984 PMCID: PMC2440702 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2007.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 308] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2007] [Accepted: 08/14/2007] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Estrogens have direct effects on the brain areas controlling cognition. One of the most studied of these regions is the dorsal hippocampal formation, which governs the formation of spatial and episodic memories. In laboratory animals, most investigators report that estrogen enhances synaptic plasticity and improves performance on hippocampal-dependent cognitive behaviors. This review summarizes work conducted in our laboratory and others toward identifying estrogen's actions in the hippocampal formation, and the mechanisms for these actions. Physiologic and pharmacologic estrogen affects cognitive behavior in mammals, which may be applicable to human health and disease. The effects of estrogen in the hippocampal formation that lead to modulation of hippocampal function include effects on cell morphology, synapse formation, signaling, and excitability that have been studied in laboratory mice, rats, and primates. Finally, estrogen may signal through both nuclear and extranuclear hippocampal estrogen receptors to achieve its downstream effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L Spencer
- Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, The Rockefeller University, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
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