1
|
Wu G, Ou Y, Feng Z, Xiong Z, Li K, Che M, Qi S, Zhou M. Oxytocin attenuates hypothalamic injury-induced cognitive dysfunction by inhibiting hippocampal ERK signaling and Aβ deposition. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:208. [PMID: 38796566 PMCID: PMC11127955 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02930-y] [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: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In clinical settings, tumor compression, trauma, surgical injury, and other types of injury can cause hypothalamic damage, resulting in various types of hypothalamic dysfunction. Impaired release of oxytocin can lead to cognitive impairment and affect prognosis and long-term quality of life after hypothalamic injury. Hypothalamic injury-induced cognitive dysfunction was detected in male animals. Behavioral parameters were measured to assess the characteristics of cognitive dysfunction induced by hypothalamic-pituitary stalk lesions. Brains were collected for high-throughput RNA sequencing and immunostaining to identify pathophysiological changes in hippocampal regions highly associated with cognitive function after injury to corresponding hypothalamic areas. Through transcriptomic analysis, we confirmed the loss of oxytocin neurons after hypothalamic injury and the reversal of hypothalamic-induced cognitive dysfunction after oxytocin supplementation. Furthermore, overactivation of the ERK signaling pathway and β-amyloid deposition in the hippocampal region after hypothalamic injury were observed, and cognitive function was restored after inhibition of ERK signaling pathway overactivation. Our findings suggest that cognitive dysfunction after hypothalamic injury may be caused by ERK hyperphosphorylation in the hippocampal region resulting from a decrease in the number of oxytocin neurons, which in turn causes β-amyloid deposition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guangsen Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Institute of Brain Diseases, Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yichao Ou
- Department of Neurosurgery, Institute of Brain Diseases, Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhanpeng Feng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Institute of Brain Diseases, Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhiwei Xiong
- Department of Neurosurgery, Institute of Brain Diseases, Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kai Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Institute of Brain Diseases, Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mengjie Che
- Department of Neurosurgery, Institute of Brain Diseases, Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Songtao Qi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Institute of Brain Diseases, Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Mingfeng Zhou
- Department of Neurosurgery, Institute of Brain Diseases, Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Fu Y, Li W, Mai Y, Guan J, Ding R, Hou J, Chen B, Cao G, Sun S, Tang Y, Fu R. Association between RMTg Neuropeptide Genes and Negative Effect during Alcohol Withdrawal in Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2933. [PMID: 38474180 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25052933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) frequently co-occur with negative mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression, exacerbating relapse through dopaminergic dysfunction. Stress-related neuropeptides play a crucial role in AUD pathophysiology by modulating dopamine (DA) function. The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), which inhibits midbrain dopamine neurons and signals aversion, has been shown to increase ethanol consumption and negative emotional states during abstinence. Despite some stress-related neuropeptides acting through the RMTg to affect addiction behaviors, their specific roles in alcohol-induced contexts remain underexplored. This study utilized an intermittent voluntary drinking model in mice to induce negative effect behavior 24 h into ethanol (EtOH) abstinence (post-EtOH). It examined changes in pro-stress (Pnoc, Oxt, Npy) and anti-stress (Crf, Pomc, Avp, Orx, Pdyn) neuropeptide-coding genes and analyzed their correlations with aversive behaviors. We observed that adult male C57BL/6J mice displayed evident anxiety, anhedonia, and depression-like symptoms at 24 h post-EtOH. The laser-capture microdissection technique, coupled with or without retrograde tracing, was used to harvest total ventral tegmental area (VTA)-projecting neurons or the intact RMTg area. The findings revealed that post-EtOH consistently reduced Pnoc and Orx levels while elevating Crf levels in these neuronal populations. Notably, RMTg Pnoc and Npy levels counteracted ethanol consumption and depression severity, while Crf levels were indicative of the mice's anxiety levels. Together, these results underscore the potential role of stress-related neuropeptides in the RMTg in regulating the negative emotions related to AUDs, offering novel insights for future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Fu
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518106, China
| | - Wenfu Li
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518106, China
| | - Yunlin Mai
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518106, China
| | - Junhao Guan
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518106, China
| | - Ruxuan Ding
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518106, China
| | - Jiawei Hou
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518106, China
| | - Bingqing Chen
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518106, China
| | - Guoxin Cao
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518106, China
| | - Shizhu Sun
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518106, China
| | - Ying Tang
- Clinical Skills Training Center, School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518106, China
| | - Rao Fu
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518106, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Janz P, Knoflach F, Bleicher K, Belli S, Biemans B, Schnider P, Ebeling M, Grundschober C, Benekareddy M. Selective oxytocin receptor activation prevents prefrontal circuit dysfunction and social behavioral alterations in response to chronic prefrontal cortex activation in male rats. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1286552. [PMID: 38145283 PMCID: PMC10745491 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1286552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Social behavioral changes are a hallmark of several neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions, nevertheless the underlying neural substrates of such dysfunction remain poorly understood. Building evidence points to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) as one of the key brain regions that orchestrates social behavior. We used this concept with the aim to develop a translational rat model of social-circuit dysfunction, the chronic PFC activation model (CPA). Methods Chemogenetic designer receptor hM3Dq was used to induce chronic activation of the PFC over 10 days, and the behavioral and electrophysiological signatures of prolonged PFC hyperactivity were evaluated. To test the sensitivity of this model to pharmacological interventions on longer timescales, and validate its translational potential, the rats were treated with our novel highly selective oxytocin receptor (OXTR) agonist RO6958375, which is not activating the related vasopressin V1a receptor. Results CPA rats showed reduced sociability in the three-chamber sociability test, and a concomitant decrease in neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission within the PFC as measured by electrophysiological recordings in acute slice preparation. Sub-chronic treatment with a low dose of the novel OXTR agonist following CPA interferes with the emergence of PFC circuit dysfunction, abnormal social behavior and specific transcriptomic changes. Discussion These results demonstrate that sustained PFC hyperactivity modifies circuit characteristics and social behaviors in ways that can be modulated by selective OXTR activation and that this model may be used to understand the circuit recruitment of prosocial therapies in drug discovery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Janz
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Neuroscience and Rare Diseases Discovery and Translational Area, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Frederic Knoflach
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Neuroscience and Rare Diseases Discovery and Translational Area, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Konrad Bleicher
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Therapeutic Modalities, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sara Belli
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Science, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Barbara Biemans
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Neuroscience and Rare Diseases Discovery and Translational Area, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Schnider
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Therapeutic Modalities, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Martin Ebeling
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Science, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christophe Grundschober
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Neuroscience and Rare Diseases Discovery and Translational Area, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Madhurima Benekareddy
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Neuroscience and Rare Diseases Discovery and Translational Area, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
- Calico Life Sciences, South San Francisco, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Chen W, Man X, Zhang Y, Yao G, Chen J. Medial prefrontal cortex oxytocin mitigates epilepsy and cognitive impairments induced by traumatic brain injury through reducing neuroinflammation in mice. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5214. [PMID: 36997619 PMCID: PMC10063625 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32351-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major risk factor to develop epilepsy and cognitive impairments. Neuropeptide oxytocin has been previously evidenced to produce antiepileptic effects. However, the involvement of central oxytocin in TBI-induced epileptic status and cognitive dysfunctions is not fully elucidated. In this study, we aim to investigate the role of oxytocin on a TBI model followed by seizure induction to clarify whether the epilepsy and cognitive deficits could be mitigated by oxytocin. TBI was established by weight drop and epileptic behaviors were induced by pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) injection in mice. Moreover, oxytocin was microinjected into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to observe the effects on the epilepsy and cognition. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) function and the neuroinflammation were measured by Evans Blue staining and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, respectively. Mice exposed to TBI demonstrate increased vulnerability to PTZ-mediated seizures and cognitive disturbances with a decrease in peripheral and brain oxytocin levels. Additionally, TBI reduces oxytocin, disrupts the BBB permeability and triggers neuroinflammation in mPFC in PTZ-treated mice. Intra-mPFC oxytocin simultaneously mitigates epilepsy and cognitive impairments. Finally, oxytocin restores BBB integrity and reduces mPFC inflammation in PTZ-treated TBI mice. These findings showed that intra-mPFC oxytocin suppressed the seizure vulnerability and cognitive deficits in TBI mice. The normalization of BBB integrity and inhibition of neuroinflammation may be involved in the antiepileptic and cognition-improved effects of oxytocin, suggesting that targeting inflammatory procedure in mPFC may decrease the risk to develop epilepsy and cognitive impairments in individuals previously experienced TBI.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wen Chen
- Department of Neurology, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, 105 Jiefang Rd, Lixia District, Jinan, 250013, Shandong, China.
| | - Xiaoxiao Man
- Department of Neurology, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, 105 Jiefang Rd, Lixia District, Jinan, 250013, Shandong, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, 105 Jiefang Rd, Lixia District, Jinan, 250013, Shandong, China
| | - Guangyan Yao
- Department of Neurology, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, 105 Jiefang Rd, Lixia District, Jinan, 250013, Shandong, China
| | - Jing Chen
- Department of Neurology, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, 105 Jiefang Rd, Lixia District, Jinan, 250013, Shandong, China
| |
Collapse
|