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Ignjatović Đ, Nestorović N, Tomić M, Ristić N, Veličković N, Perović M, Manojlović-Stojanoski M. Effects of Prenatal Dexamethasone Treatment and Post-Weaning Moderate Fructose Intake on Synaptic Plasticity and Behavior in Adult Male Wistar Rat Offspring. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:547. [PMID: 39056739 PMCID: PMC11274266 DOI: 10.3390/biology13070547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2024] [Revised: 07/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Early-life glucocorticoid overexposure induces diverse neurodevelopmental outcomes regarding stress reactivity and cognition. Increased fructose consumption has also been associated with alterations in cognitive capacity and behavior. The present study investigated the effects of prenatal dexamethasone exposure on synaptic plasticity, locomotion, anxiety, and recognition memory in adult male Wistar rat offspring, and whether these effects are potentiated by postnatal fructose consumption. Pregnant female rats were treated with dexamethasone during late gestation and male offspring were supplemented with a moderate dose of fructose. Recognition memory, locomotion, and anxiety-like behavior were assessed using a novel object recognition test, open-field test, and elevated plus maze, respectively. Hippocampal synaptic plasticity was estimated by the levels of growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43), synaptophysin, postsynaptic density protein 95, calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase IIα, and their activating phosphorylations. Additionally, protein levels of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and its transcriptionally active phosphorylated form were evaluated. Prenatal dexamethasone treatment induced an anxiolytic-like effect, stimulation of exploratory behavior, and novelty preference associated with an increase in GR and GAP-43 protein levels in the hippocampus. Fructose overconsumption after weaning did not modify the effects of prenatal glucocorticoid exposure. Applied prenatal dexamethasone treatment may induce changes in reactions to novel situations in male Wistar rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Đurđica Ignjatović
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 142 Despot Stefan Blvd., 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.T.); (N.V.)
| | - Nataša Nestorović
- Department of Cytology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 142 Despot Stefan Blvd., 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (N.N.); (N.R.)
| | - Mirko Tomić
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 142 Despot Stefan Blvd., 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.T.); (N.V.)
| | - Nataša Ristić
- Department of Cytology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 142 Despot Stefan Blvd., 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (N.N.); (N.R.)
| | - Nataša Veličković
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 142 Despot Stefan Blvd., 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.T.); (N.V.)
| | - Milka Perović
- Department of Neurobiology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 142 Despot Stefan Blvd., 11000 Belgrade, Serbia;
| | - Milica Manojlović-Stojanoski
- Department of Cytology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 142 Despot Stefan Blvd., 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (N.N.); (N.R.)
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Zhvania M, Japaridze N, Tizabi Y, Sharikadze I, Pochkhidze N, Cheishvili L. Anxiety and ultrastructural consequences of chronic mild stress in rats. Neurosci Lett 2021; 771:136390. [PMID: 34896437 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Detrimental consequences following exposure to severe stress, either acute or chronic are well recognized. Chronic mild stress (CMS) is also a leading cause of emotional distress and neuropsychiatric conditions such as anxiety disorders. However, the neurobiological substrates of the latter, particularly at the ultrastructural levels have not been adequately investigated. In this study, adult male Wistar rats were subjected to 4 h daily mild restraint for 20 days and their behavior in open field and elevated plus maze (EPM) were evaluated 24 h after the last restraint. Anxiety-like behavior was evident in CMS exposed rats by increases in rearing and grooming in the open field and the avoidance of open arms in the EPM. Concomitant ultrastructural alterations such as chromatolysis, agglutination of synaptic vesicles or mitochondrial damage were also observed in the central nucleus of amygdala (CNA), an area intimately involved in emotional and fear response, in CMS exposed rats. These results while confirming detrimental consequences of CMS, also suggest that ultrastructural alterations in CNA may be a basis for CMS-induced anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mzia Zhvania
- School of Natural Sciences and Medicine, Ilia State University. 3/5 K. Cholokashvili Avenue, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia; Department of Brain Ultrastructure and Nanoarchitecture I. Beritashvili Center of Experimental Biomedicine. 14 Gotua Street, Tbilisi 0160, Georgia.
| | - Nadezhda Japaridze
- Department of Brain Ultrastructure and Nanoarchitecture I. Beritashvili Center of Experimental Biomedicine. 14 Gotua Street, Tbilisi 0160, Georgia; School of Medicine, New Vision University. 1A Evgeni Mikeladze Street, Tbilisi 0159, Georgia
| | - Yousef Tizabi
- Department of Pharmacology, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Irina Sharikadze
- School of Natural Sciences and Medicine, Ilia State University. 3/5 K. Cholokashvili Avenue, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia
| | - Nino Pochkhidze
- School of Natural Sciences and Medicine, Ilia State University. 3/5 K. Cholokashvili Avenue, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia; Department of Brain Ultrastructure and Nanoarchitecture I. Beritashvili Center of Experimental Biomedicine. 14 Gotua Street, Tbilisi 0160, Georgia
| | - Levan Cheishvili
- School of Natural Sciences and Medicine, Ilia State University. 3/5 K. Cholokashvili Avenue, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia
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Pacheco ALD, de Melo IS, de Souza FMA, Nicácio DCSP, Freitas-Santos J, Oliveira Dos Santos YM, Costa MDA, Cavalcante CDMB, Gomes Dos Santos Neto J, Gitaí DLG, Sabino-Silva R, Torres de Miranda C, Borbely AU, Duzzioni M, Shetty AK, de Castro OW. Maternal crack cocaine use in rats leads to depressive- and anxiety-like behavior, memory impairment, and increased seizure susceptibility in the offspring. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2021; 44:34-50. [PMID: 33454149 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Crack users suffer the effects of cocaine present in the drug and the action of other active compounds from its pyrolysis. An emergent fact is an increase in the number of pregnant crack cocaine users. Studies suggest that crack cocaine and its metabolites cross the placenta, promoting premature birth, fever, irritability, sweating, and seizures in the early months of life. In children, the effects of crack cocaine have been associated with cognitive deficits, difficulty in verbalization, aggressiveness, and depression, besides enhancing the susceptibility to epileptic seizures, including status epilepticus (SE) in adulthood. Therefore, we investigated the effect of maternal exposure to smoke crack cocaine on several behavioral parameters in the offspring during adulthood. A series of behavioral tests and intrahippocampal pilocarpine (H-PILO) microinjection at sub-convulsive and convulsive doses in a rat model demonstrated that exposure to crack cocaine during the embryonic period leads to anxiogenic-like behavior and long-term memory impairment in both genders and promotes depressive-like behavior in the female. Besides, crack cocaine offspring exposed to a sub-convulsive H-PILO dose showed higher susceptibility to SE, increased seizure frequency, and neurodegeneration, while animals that received a convulsive dose of H-PILO displayed no alteration in SE severity. Taken together, our data suggest that crack cocaine exposure during the gestational period leads to an increased predilection for anxiety and depression, long-term memory deficits, and reduction in the threshold for developing epileptic seizures associated with neuronal death, which predispose crack cocaine babies to develop neuropsychological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Larissa Dias Pacheco
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health of Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
| | - Igor Santana de Melo
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health of Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
| | | | | | - Jucilene Freitas-Santos
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health of Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
| | | | - Maisa de Araújo Costa
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health of Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
| | | | - José Gomes Dos Santos Neto
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health of Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
| | - Daniel Leite Góes Gitaí
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health of Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
| | - Robinson Sabino-Silva
- Department of Physiology, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Uberlandia (UFU), Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Cláudio Torres de Miranda
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health of Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Urban Borbely
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health of Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Duzzioni
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health of Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
| | - Ashok K Shetty
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M University College of Medicine, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Olagide Wagner de Castro
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biological Sciences and Health of Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil.
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Bringas M, Carvajal-Flores F, López-Ramírez T, Atzori M, Flores G. Rearrangement of the dendritic morphology in limbic regions and altered exploratory behavior in a rat model of autism spectrum disorder. Neuroscience 2013; 241:170-87. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.03.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2012] [Revised: 02/25/2013] [Accepted: 03/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Pezzato FA, Novais DB, Garcia-Mijares M, Hoshino K. Efeito do lítio sobre a hiperatividade locomotora induzida pela lesão eletrolítica da região do núcleo mediano da rafe em ratos. ESTUDOS DE PSICOLOGIA (NATAL) 2012. [DOI: 10.1590/s1413-294x2012000100015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A lesão do núcleo mediano da rafe (NMR) produz sintomas que sugerem validade de face ao episódio maníaco. Esta pesquisa avaliou o efeito do lítio sobre a hiperatividade locomotora induzida por esta lesão. Vinte e um ratos Wistar machos foram submetidos à lesão eletrolítica da região do NMR (LR) e 17 foram submetidos à lesão fictícia (LF). Após recuperação, a atividade locomotora foi avaliada na caixa de atividade (Med Associates/ENV-515). Parte dos animais destes grupos recebeu tratamentos com lítio (47,5 mg/kg/2x dia i.p.) por 10 dias, enquanto o restante foi tratado com salina no mesmo esquema. A reavaliação ao final dos tratamentos demonstrou que o lítio reduziu significantemente a atividade locomotora em relação à avaliação inicial no grupo LR (ANOVA/Bonferroni p < 0,05), tornando-a equivalente aos baixos níveis dos grupos LF. Estes dados sustentam a hipótese de que as manifestações induzidas pela lesão do NMR podem constituir um modelo animal de mania.
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Fineberg NA, Chamberlain SR, Hollander E, Boulougouris V, Robbins TW. Translational approaches to obsessive-compulsive disorder: from animal models to clinical treatment. Br J Pharmacol 2012; 164:1044-61. [PMID: 21486280 DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01422.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by obsessions (intrusive thoughts) and compulsions (repetitive ritualistic behaviours) leading to functional impairment. Accumulating evidence links these conditions with underlying dysregulation of fronto-striatal circuitry and monoamine systems. These abnormalities represent key targets for existing and novel treatment interventions. However, the brain bases of these conditions and treatment mechanisms are still not fully elucidated. Animal models simulating the behavioural and clinical manifestations of the disorder show great potential for augmenting our understanding of the pathophysiology and treatment of OCD. This paper provides an overview of what is known about OCD from several perspectives. We begin by describing the clinical features of OCD and the criteria used to assess the validity of animal models of symptomatology; namely, face validity (phenomenological similarity between inducing conditions and specific symptoms of the human phenomenon), predictive validity (similarity in response to treatment) and construct validity (similarity in underlying physiological or psychological mechanisms). We then survey animal models of OC spectrum conditions within this framework, focusing on (i) ethological models; (ii) genetic and pharmacological models; and (iii) neurobehavioural models. We also discuss their advantages and shortcomings in relation to their capacity to identify potentially efficacious new compounds. It is of interest that there has been rather little evidence of 'false alarms' for therapeutic drug effects in OCD models which actually fail in the clinic. While it is more difficult to model obsessive cognition than compulsive behaviour in experimental animals, it is feasible to infer cognitive inflexibility in certain animal paradigms. Finally, key future neurobiological and treatment research areas are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- N A Fineberg
- National OCDs Treatment Service, Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Welwyn Garden City, UK.
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Casarrubea M, Sorbera F, Santangelo A, Crescimanno G. Microstructure of rat behavioral response to anxiety in hole-board. Neurosci Lett 2010; 481:82-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2010.06.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2010] [Revised: 06/15/2010] [Accepted: 06/18/2010] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Boulougouris V, Chamberlain SR, Robbins TW. Cross-species models of OCD spectrum disorders. Psychiatry Res 2009; 170:15-21. [PMID: 19819024 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2008.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [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: 03/29/2007] [Revised: 11/22/2007] [Accepted: 07/26/2008] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Several axis-I neuropsychiatric disorders are characterised by repetitive motor habits suggestive of underlying inhibitory dyscontrol, and may constitute members of a putative obsessive-compulsive (OC) spectrum. Notable examples include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and trichotillomania (repetitive hair-pulling). Multiple tiers of evidence link these conditions with underlying dysregulation of fronto-striatal circuitry and monoamine systems. These abnormalities represent key targets for existing and novel treatment interventions. Nonetheless, the brain bases of these conditions, and treatment mechanisms, remain poorly characterised. Animal models of repetitive habits and inhibitory control problems show great potential for augmenting our understanding of the pathophysiology and treatment of OC spectrum conditions. Here, we begin by describing clinical features of OC spectrum disorders, and criteria used to assess the validity of animal models of symptomatology. Namely, face validity (phenomenological similarity between inducing conditions and specific symptoms of the human phenomenon), predictive validity (similarity in response to treatment) and construct validity (similarity in underlying physiological or psychological mechanisms). We then survey animal models of OC spectrum conditions within this framework, focusing on (i) ethological models; (ii) genetic and pharmacological models; and (iii) behavioral models. Key future research directions are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasileios Boulougouris
- Department of Experimental Psychology and the Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute (BCNI), University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EB, Cambridge, UK.
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Kalueff AV, Wheaton M, Murphy DL. What's wrong with my mouse model? Behav Brain Res 2007; 179:1-18. [PMID: 17306892 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2007.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 205] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2006] [Revised: 01/15/2007] [Accepted: 01/19/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Stress plays a key role in pathogenesis of anxiety and depression. Animal models of these disorders are widely used in behavioral neuroscience to explore stress-evoked brain abnormalities, screen anxiolytic/antidepressant drugs and establish behavioral phenotypes of gene-targeted or transgenic animals. Here we discuss the current situation with these experimental models, and critically evaluate the state of the art in this field. Noting a deficit of fresh ideas and especially new paradigms for animal anxiety and depression models, we review existing challenges and outline important directions for further research in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- A V Kalueff
- Laboratory of Clinical Science, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1264, USA.
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Saitoh A, Hirose N, Yamada M, Yamada M, Nozaki C, Oka T, Kamei J. Changes in Emotional Behavior of Mice in the Hole-Board Test After Olfactory Bulbectomy. J Pharmacol Sci 2006; 102:377-86. [PMID: 17130673 DOI: 10.1254/jphs.fp0060837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The most consistent behavioral change caused by olfactory bulbectomy (OBX) is a hyperemotional response to novel environmental stimuli. The aim of this study was to characterize the emotional behavior of OBX mice using the hole-board test. After the olfactory bulbs were lesioned, sham and OBX mice were housed in single cages for 14 days. The number of head-dips in the hole-board test in single-housed OBX mice was significantly greater than that in single-housed sham mice. The head-dipping behaviors in single-housed sham and OBX mice were reversed by treatment with diazepam, a typical benzodiazepine anxiolytic. (+/-)-8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetraline hydrobromide (8-OH-DPAT), a selective 5-HT(1A)-receptor agonist that has a non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic-like effect, and (+)-4-[(aR)-a-((2S,5R)-4-allyl-2,5-dimethyl-1-piperazinyl)-3-methoxybenzyl]-N,N-diethyl benzamide (SNC80), a delta-opioid-receptor agonist, also significantly reversed the number of head-dips in single-housed sham and OBX mice. In conclusion, we suggest that the single-housed OBX mice showed heightened emotional behavior (e.g., increase in head-dipping behavior) in the hole-board test. In addition, we suggest that the hyperemotional behavior characterized by head-dipping behavior in OBX mice was selectively reversed by benzodiazepine and non-benzodiazepine anxiolytics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akiyoshi Saitoh
- Department of Pathophysiology & Therapeutics, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hoshi University, Tokyo, Japan.
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