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Mariscal P, Bravo L, Llorca-Torralba M, Razquin J, Miguelez C, Suárez-Pereira I, Berrocoso E. Sexual differences in locus coeruleus neurons and related behavior in C57BL/6J mice. Biol Sex Differ 2023; 14:64. [PMID: 37770907 PMCID: PMC10540344 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-023-00550-7] [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: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In addition to social and cultural factors, sex differences in the central nervous system have a critical influence on behavior, although the neurobiology underlying these differences remains unclear. Interestingly, the Locus Coeruleus (LC), a noradrenergic nucleus that exhibits sexual dimorphism, integrates signals that are related to diverse activities, including emotions, cognition and pain. Therefore, we set-out to evaluate sex differences in behaviors related to LC nucleus, and subsequently, to assess the sex differences in LC morphology and function. METHODS Female and male C57BL/6J mice were studied to explore the role of the LC in anxiety, depressive-like behavior, well-being, pain, and learning and memory. We also explored the number of noradrenergic LC cells, their somatodendritic volume, as well as the electrophysiological properties of LC neurons in each sex. RESULTS While both male and female mice displayed similar depressive-like behavior, female mice exhibited more anxiety-related behaviors. Interestingly, females outperformed males in memory tasks that involved distinguishing objects with small differences and they also showed greater thermal pain sensitivity. Immunohistological analysis revealed that females had fewer noradrenergic cells yet they showed a larger dendritic volume than males. Patch clamp electrophysiology studies demonstrated that LC neurons in female mice had a lower capacitance and that they were more excitable than male LC neurons, albeit with similar action potential properties. CONCLUSIONS Overall, this study provides new insights into the sex differences related to LC nucleus and associated behaviors, which may explain the heightened emotional arousal response observed in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Mariscal
- Neuropsychopharmacology & Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, 11003, Cádiz, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, 11009, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Lidia Bravo
- Neuropsychopharmacology & Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, 11003, Cádiz, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029, Madrid, Spain.
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, 11009, Cádiz, Spain.
| | - Meritxell Llorca-Torralba
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, 11009, Cádiz, Spain
- Neuropsychopharmacology & Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Cell Biology & Histology, University of Cádiz, 11003, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Jone Razquin
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940, Leioa, Spain
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Group, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, 48940, Barakaldo, Spain
| | - Cristina Miguelez
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940, Leioa, Spain
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Group, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, 48940, Barakaldo, Spain
| | - Irene Suárez-Pereira
- Neuropsychopharmacology & Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, 11003, Cádiz, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, 11009, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Esther Berrocoso
- Neuropsychopharmacology & Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, 11003, Cádiz, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029, Madrid, Spain.
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, 11009, Cádiz, Spain.
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Jiang Y, Wei D, Xie Y. Functional modular networks identify the pivotal genes associated with morphine addiction and potential drug therapies. BMC Anesthesiol 2023; 23:151. [PMID: 37138216 PMCID: PMC10155436 DOI: 10.1186/s12871-023-02111-2] [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: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic morphine usage induces lasting molecular and microcellular adaptations in distinct brain areas, resulting in addiction-related behavioural abnormalities, drug-seeking, and relapse. Nonetheless, the mechanisms of action of the genes responsible for morphine addiction have not been exhaustively studied. METHODS We obtained morphine addiction-related datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and screened for Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs). Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) functional modularity constructs were analyzed for genes associated with clinical traits. Venn diagrams were filtered for intersecting common DEGs (CDEGs). Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis for functional annotation. Protein-protein interaction network (PPI) and CytoHubba were used to screen for hub genes. Potential treatments for morphine addiction were figured out with the help of an online database. RESULTS Sixty-five common differential genes linked to morphine addiction were identified, and functional enrichment analysis showed that they were primarily involved in ion channel activity, protein transport, the oxytocin signalling pathway, neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions, and other signalling pathways. Based on the PPI network, ten hub genes (CHN2, OLIG2, UGT8A, CACNB2, TIMP3, FKBP5, ZBTB16, TSC22D3, ISL1, and SLC2A1) were checked. In the data set GSE7762, all of the Area Under Curve (AUC) values for the hub gene Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were greater than 0.8. We also used the DGIdb database to look for eight small-molecule drugs that might be useful for treating morphine addiction. CONCLUSIONS The hub genes are crucial genes associated with morphine addiction in the mouse striatum. The oxytocin signalling pathway may play a vital role in developing morphine addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yage Jiang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021 China
| | - Donglei Wei
- Department of Traumatology Orthopedic Hand Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021 China
| | - Yubo Xie
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021 China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery for Gastrointestinal Cancer, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021 China
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Lucente E, Söderpalm B, Ericson M, Adermark L. Acute and chronic effects by nicotine on striatal neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity in the female rat brain. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 15:1104648. [PMID: 36710931 PMCID: PMC9877298 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1104648] [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: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Tobacco use is in part a gendered activity, yet neurobiological studies outlining the effect by nicotine on the female brain are scarce. The aim of this study was to outline acute and sub-chronic effects by nicotine on the female rat brain, with special emphasis on neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity in the dorsolateral striatum (DLS), a key brain region with respect to the formation of habits. Methods In vivo microdialysis and ex vivo electrophysiology were performed in nicotine naïve female Wistar rats, and following sub-chronic nicotine exposure (0.36 mg/kg free base, 15 injections). Locomotor behavior was assessed at the first and last drug-exposure. Results Acute exposure to nicotine ex vivo depresses excitatory neurotransmission by reducing the probability of transmitter release. Bath applied nicotine furthermore facilitated long-term synaptic depression induced by high frequency stimulation (HFS-LTD). The cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R) agonist WIN55,212-2 produced a robust synaptic depression of evoked potentials, and HFS-LTD was blocked by the CB1R antagonist AM251, suggesting that HFS-LTD in the female rat DLS is endocannabinoid mediated. Sub-chronic exposure to nicotine in vivo produced behavioral sensitization and electrophysiological recordings performed after 2-8 days abstinence revealed a sustained depression of evoked population spike amplitudes in the DLS, with no concomitant change in paired pulse ratio. Rats receiving sub-chronic nicotine exposure further demonstrated an increased neurophysiological responsiveness to nicotine with respect to both dopaminergic- and glutamatergic signaling. However, a tolerance towards the plasticity facilitating property of bath applied nicotine was developed during sub-chronic nicotine exposure in vivo. In addition, the dopamine D2 receptor agonist quinpirole selectively facilitate HFS-LTD in slices from nicotine naïve rats, suggesting that the tolerance may be associated with changes in dopaminergic signaling. Conclusion Nicotine produces acute and sustained effects on striatal neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity in the female rat brain, which may contribute to the establishment of persistent nicotine taking habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Lucente
- Integrative Neuroscience Unit, Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Bo Söderpalm
- Addiction Biology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mia Ericson
- Addiction Biology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Louise Adermark
- Integrative Neuroscience Unit, Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden,*Correspondence: Louise Adermark, ✉
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Zong X, Wang G, Nie Z, Ma S, Kang L, Zhang N, Weng S, Tan Q, Zheng J, Hu M. Longitudinal multi-omics alterations response to 8-week risperidone monotherapy: Evidence linking cortical thickness, transcriptomics and epigenetics. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1127353. [PMID: 36937723 PMCID: PMC10018025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1127353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Antipsychotic treatment-related alterations of cortical thickness (CT) and clinical symptoms have been previously corroborated, but less is known about whether the changes are driven by gene expression and epigenetic modifications. Methods Utilizing a prospective design, we recruited 42 treatment-naive first-episode schizophrenia patients (FESP) and 38 healthy controls. Patients were scanned by TI weighted imaging before and after 8-week risperidone monotherapy. CT estimation was automatically performed with the FreeSurfer software package. Participants' peripheral blood genomic DNA methylation (DNAm) status, quantified by using Infinium® Human Methylation 450K BeadChip, was examined in parallel with T1 scanning. In total, CT measures from 118 subjects and genomic DNAm status from 114 subjects were finally collected. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was used to detect the spatial associations between longitudinal CT variations after treatment and cortical transcriptomic data acquired from the Allen Human Brain Atlas. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was then performed to identify multivariate associations between DNAm of PLS1 genes and patients' clinical improvement. Results We detected the significant PLS1 component (2,098 genes) related to longitudinal alterations of CT, and the PLS1 genes were significantly enriched in neurobiological processes, and dopaminergic- and cancer-related pathways. Combining Laplacian score and CCA analysis, we further linked DNAm of 33 representative genes from the 2,098 PLS1 genes with patients' reduction rate of clinical symptoms. Conclusions This study firstly revealed that changes of CT and clinical behaviors after treatment may be transcriptionally and epigenetically underlied. We define a "three-step" roadmap which represents a vital step toward the exploration of treatment- and treatment response-related biomarkers on the basis of multiple omics rather than a single omics type as a strategy for advancing precise care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofen Zong
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Gaohua Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zhaowen Nie
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Simeng Ma
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Lijun Kang
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Nan Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Shenhong Weng
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Shenhong Weng
| | - Qing Tan
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Computational Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Qing Tan
| | - Junjie Zheng
- The Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- The Functional Brain Imaging Institute, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Junjie Zheng
| | - Maolin Hu
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Department of Psychiatry, Henan Mental Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China
- *Correspondence: Maolin Hu
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Zhang J, Song C, Dai J, Li L, Yang X, Chen Z. Mechanism of opioid addiction and its intervention therapy: Focusing on the reward circuitry and mu-opioid receptor. MedComm (Beijing) 2022; 3:e148. [PMID: 35774845 PMCID: PMC9218544 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Opioid abuse and addiction have become a global pandemic, posing tremendous health and social burdens. The rewarding effects and the occurrence of withdrawal symptoms are the two mainstays of opioid addiction. Mu-opioid receptors (MORs), a member of opioid receptors, play important roles in opioid addiction, mediating both the rewarding effects of opioids and opioid withdrawal syndrome (OWS). The underlying mechanism of MOR-mediated opioid rewarding effects and withdrawal syndrome is of vital importance to understand the nature of opioid addiction and also provides theoretical basis for targeting MORs to treat drug addiction. In this review, we first briefly introduce the basic concepts of MORs, including their structure, distribution in the nervous system, endogenous ligands, and functional characteristics. We focused on the brain circuitry and molecular mechanism of MORs-mediated opioid reward and withdrawal. The neuroanatomical and functional elements of the neural circuitry of the reward system underlying opioid addiction were thoroughly discussed, and the roles of MOR within the reward circuitry were also elaborated. Furthermore, we interrogated the roles of MORs in OWS, along with the structural basis and molecular adaptions of MORs-mediated withdrawal syndrome. Finally, current treatment strategies for opioid addiction targeting MORs were also presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia‐Jia Zhang
- National Translational Science Center for Molecular Medicine & Department of Cell BiologyThe Fourth Military Medical UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Chang‐Geng Song
- Department of NeurologyXijing HospitalThe Fourth Military Medical UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Ji‐Min Dai
- Department of Hepatobiliary SurgeryXijing HospitalThe Fourth Military Medical UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Ling Li
- National Translational Science Center for Molecular Medicine & Department of Cell BiologyThe Fourth Military Medical UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Xiang‐Min Yang
- National Translational Science Center for Molecular Medicine & Department of Cell BiologyThe Fourth Military Medical UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Zhi‐Nan Chen
- National Translational Science Center for Molecular Medicine & Department of Cell BiologyThe Fourth Military Medical UniversityXi'anChina
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