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Baskin BM, Logsdon AF, Janet Lee S, Foresi BD, Peskind E, Banks WA, Cook DG, Schindler AG. Timing matters: Sex differences in inflammatory and behavioral outcomes following repetitive blast mild traumatic brain injury. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 110:222-236. [PMID: 36907289 PMCID: PMC10106404 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Repetitive blast-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) caused by exposure to high explosives is increasingly common among warfighters as well as civilians. While women have been serving in military positions with increased risk of blast exposure since 2016, there are few published reports examining sex as a biological variable in models of blast mTBI, greatly limiting diagnosis and treatment capabilities. As such, here we examined outcomes of repetitive blast trauma in female and male mice in relation to potential behavioral, inflammatory, microbiome, and vascular dysfunction at multiple timepoints. METHODS In this study we utilized a well-established blast overpressure model to induce repetitive (3x) blast-mTBI in both female and male mice. Acutely following repetitive exposure, we measured serum and brain cytokine levels, blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, fecal microbial abundance, and locomotion and anxiety-like behavior in the open field assay. At the one-month timepoint, in female and male mice we assessed behavioral correlates of mTBI and PTSD-related symptoms commonly reported by Veterans with a history of blast-mTBI using the elevated zero maze, acoustic startle, and conditioned odorant aversion paradigms. RESULTS Repetitive blast exposure resulted in both similar (e.g., increased IL-6), and disparate (e.g., IL-10 increase only in females) patterns of acute serum and brain cytokine as well as gut microbiome changes in female and male mice. Acute BBB disruption following repetitive blast exposure was apparent in both sexes. While female and male blast mice both exhibited acute locomotor and anxiety-like deficits in the open field assay, only male mice exhibited adverse behavioral outcomes that lasted at least one-month. DISCUSSION Representing a novel survey of potential sex differences following repetitive blast trauma, our results demonstrate unique similar yet divergent patterns of blast-induced dysfunction in female vs. male mice and highlight novel targets for future diagnosis and therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Britahny M Baskin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Aric F Logsdon
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA; Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Suhjung Janet Lee
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Brian D Foresi
- Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH 44272, USA
| | - Elaine Peskind
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; VA Northwest Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - William A Banks
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA; Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - David G Cook
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA; Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; VA Northwest Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Abigail G Schindler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA; Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; VA Northwest Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA.
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Baskin B, Lee SJ, Skillen E, Wong K, Rau H, Hendrickson RC, Pagulayan K, Raskind MA, Peskind ER, Phillips PEM, Cook DG, Schindler AG. Repetitive Blast Exposure Increases Appetitive Motivation and Behavioral Inflexibility in Male Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 15:792648. [PMID: 35002648 PMCID: PMC8727531 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.792648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Blast exposure (via detonation of high explosives) represents a major potential trauma source for Servicemembers and Veterans, often resulting in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Executive dysfunction (e.g., alterations in memory, deficits in mental flexibility, difficulty with adaptability) is commonly reported by Veterans with a history of blast-related mTBI, leading to impaired daily functioning and decreased quality of life, but underlying mechanisms are not fully understood and have not been well studied in animal models of blast. To investigate potential underlying behavioral mechanisms contributing to deficits in executive functioning post-blast mTBI, here we examined how a history of repetitive blast exposure in male mice affects anxiety/compulsivity-like outcomes and appetitive goal-directed behavior using an established mouse model of blast mTBI. We hypothesized that repetitive blast exposure in male mice would result in anxiety/compulsivity-like outcomes and corresponding performance deficits in operant-based reward learning and behavioral flexibility paradigms. Instead, results demonstrate an increase in reward-seeking and goal-directed behavior and a congruent decrease in behavioral flexibility. We also report chronic adverse behavioral changes related to anxiety, compulsivity, and hyperarousal. In combination, these data suggest that potential deficits in executive function following blast mTBI are at least in part related to enhanced compulsivity/hyperreactivity and behavioral inflexibility and not simply due to a lack of motivation or inability to acquire task parameters, with important implications for subsequent diagnosis and treatment management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Britahny Baskin
- VA Northwest Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Suhjung Janet Lee
- VA Northwest Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Emma Skillen
- VA Northwest Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Katrina Wong
- VA Northwest Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Holly Rau
- VA Northwest Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Rebecca C Hendrickson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,VA Northwest Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Kathleen Pagulayan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,VA Northwest Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Murray A Raskind
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,VA Northwest Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Elaine R Peskind
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,VA Northwest Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Paul E M Phillips
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - David G Cook
- VA Northwest Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Abigail G Schindler
- VA Northwest Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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Haynes N, Goodwin T. Literature Review of Sex Differences in mTBI. Mil Med 2021; 188:e978-e984. [PMID: 34791408 DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usab472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a significant source of morbidity worldwide and is of particular concern for the military. Scientific literature examining sex differences in TBI is highly contradictory with some reporting better outcomes in men, others reporting better outcomes in women, and others reporting mixed results or no difference. While the exact cause is currently debated, the existence of such differences has important implications for surveillance techniques, treatment options, and management of long-term consequences. As the number of women within the U.S. military ranks increases and with the opening of combat roles to women in 2013, increased awareness of probable sex differences regarding TBI responses will enable better standard of care. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using the PubMed database, a keyword search using gender, "sex factors", "sex dependent", "gender disparity", TBI, "traumatic brain injury", mTBI (mild TBI), and "cranial trauma" was used to identify articles of interest. Results were filtered for written in the last 5 years, English, and free full text. References of relevant articles were cross-checked for additional publications. Articles familiar to the authors were also included. RESULTS We review literature that includes analysis of age as an interaction in TBI, hypothesized mechanisms to explain variations in outcomes between men and women, and the need for inclusion of sex as a criterion in future studies. CONCLUSIONS Emerging studies underscore the complexity of interpreting sex differences in TBI. The long-held belief that women have a neuroprotective advantage compared to men based on higher levels of sex hormones is being re-evaluated. Past conclusions have relied extensively on clinical studies that include a disproportionate number of men or do not stratify results based on sex. While sex hormones may be neuroprotective, underlying mechanisms are far from clarified. Future TBI studies must include women and gonadal hormone levels should be measured to address potential variables. Given the significant number of TBIs within the military, an improved understanding of TBI pathophysiology and outcomes is important considerations for mission success and servicemember longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Haynes
- George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC 20037, USA
| | - Tress Goodwin
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC 20010, USA.,Department of Military and Emergency Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
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