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Ren L, Fan Y, Wu W, Qian Y, He M, Li X, Wang Y, Yang Y, Wen X, Zhang R, Li C, Chen X, Hu J. Anxiety disorders: Treatments, models, and circuitry mechanisms. Eur J Pharmacol 2024; 983:176994. [PMID: 39271040 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2024.176994] [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: 06/09/2024] [Revised: 09/05/2024] [Accepted: 09/11/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent mental health conditions worldwide, imposing a significant burden on individuals affected by them and society in general. Current research endeavors aim to enhance the effectiveness of existing anxiolytic drugs and reduce their side effects through optimization or the development of new treatments. Several anxiolytic novel drugs have been produced as a result of discovery-focused research. However, many drug candidates that show promise in preclinical rodent model studies fail to offer any substantive clinical benefits to patients. This review provides an overview of the diagnosis and classification of anxiety disorders together with a systematic review of anxiolytic drugs with a focus on their targets, therapeutic applications, and side effects. It also provides a concise overview of the constraints and disadvantages associated with frequently administered anxiolytic drugs. Additionally, the study comprehensively reviews animal models used in anxiety studies and their associated molecular mechanisms, while also summarizing the brain circuitry related to anxiety. In conclusion, this article provides a valuable foundation for future anxiolytic drug discovery efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Ren
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Chengdu, 611137, China.
| | - Yue Fan
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Wenjian Wu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Yuanxin Qian
- Acupuncture and Massage College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Miao He
- College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Xinlong Li
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Yizhu Wang
- School of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Yu Yang
- Acupuncture and Massage College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Xuetong Wen
- Acupuncture and Massage College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Ruijia Zhang
- Acupuncture and Massage College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Chenhang Li
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Xin Chen
- School of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Chengdu, 611137, China
| | - Jingqing Hu
- Institute of Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China.
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Dursun I, Korkmaz ND, Firtina S, Erkoyuncu MS, Akbas F, Elibol B. Exploring epigenetic modification of the stress-related FKBP5 gene in mice exposed to alcohol during early postnatal development. Alcohol 2024:S0741-8329(24)00125-3. [PMID: 39245355 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.09.002] [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: 07/05/2024] [Revised: 08/31/2024] [Accepted: 09/04/2024] [Indexed: 09/10/2024]
Abstract
Early developmental exposure to alcohol has been implicated in adverse effects on the brain, often associated with the onset of neurodevelopmental disorders. Moreover, maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy has been linked to the manifestation of mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety, in subsequent generations. These mood disturbances may be attributed to alterations in protein expressions related to depression and anxiety within the hippocampus. While the precise mechanisms remain elusive, it is likely that pre- and postnatal exposure to alcohol induces changes in hippocampus, potentially through epigenetic modifications. The FKBP5 gene, known to modulate the stress response, is particularly relevant in this context. We postulate that alcohol-induced methylation of the FKBP5 gene disrupts HPA axis function, thereby prompting individuals to anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviors. To investigate this hypothesis, female C57BL/6 pups were subjected to early alcohol exposure via intubation with ethanol mixed in artificial milk from Postnatal Day 3 to Day 20. The intubation control pups were subjected to the same procedures without ethanol or milk, and a non-intubated control group included. Anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviors were assessed using the open field test, plus maze test, forced swim test, and tail suspension test when the pups reached 3 months of age. For epigenetic analysis of the FKBP5 gene, genomic DNA was isolated from hippocampal tissues and subjected to bisulfite conversion to distinguish methylated and unmethylated cytosines. Then, methylation-specific PCR was performed to assess methylation levels. Pups exposed to early postnatal alcohol exhibited increased levels of depression-like behavior and susceptibility to anxiety-like behavior during adolescence, as verified by behavioral assessments. Methylation profiling revealed higher rates of methylation within the stress-associated gene FKBP5 in both the early postnatal alcohol-exposed cohort (13.82%) and the intubation control group (3.93%), in contrast to the control cohort devoid of stress or alcohol exposure. These findings suggest a potential epigenetic mechanism underlying the observed behavioral alterations, implicating FKBP5 methylation as a candidate mediator of the increased vulnerability to mood disorders following early postnatal alcohol exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilknur Dursun
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Istinye University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Nur Damla Korkmaz
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Sinem Firtina
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Muhammed Salih Erkoyuncu
- Department of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Fahri Akbas
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Birsen Elibol
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Turkey.
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Ferreira NB, Dias CT, Chaaban AFA, Beserra-Filho JIA, Ribeiro AM, Lambertucci RH, Mendes-da-Silva C. Improving dietary patterns in obese mice: Effects on body weight, adiposity, anhedonia-like behavior, pro-BDNF expression and 5-HT system. Brain Res 2024; 1838:148996. [PMID: 38744387 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The excessive fat accumulation in obesity, resulting from an unbalanced diet, can lead to metabolic and neurological disorders and increase the risk of developing anxiety and depression. AIM Assess the impact of dietary intervention (DI) on the serotonergic system, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and behaviors of obese mice. METHODS Male C57BL/6 mice, 5 weeks old, received a high-fat diet (HFD) for 10 weeks for the induction of obesity. After this period, for 8 weeks, half of these animals received a control diet (CD), group obese (OB) + control diet (OB + CD, n = 10), and another half continued being fed HFD, group obese + HFD (OB + HFD, n = 10). At the end of the eighth week of intervention, behavioral tests were performed (sucrose preference test, open field, novel object recognition, elevated plus maze and tail suspension). Body weight and food intake were assessed weekly. Visceral adiposity, the hippocampal and hypothalamic protein expression of BDNF, 5-HT1A (5-HT1A serotonin receptor) and TPH2 (key enzyme in serotonin synthesis), were evaluated after euthanasia. RESULTS The dietary intervention involved changing from a HFD to a CD over an 8-week period, effectively reduced body weight gain, adiposity, and anhedonia-like behavior. In the OB + HFD group, we saw a lower sucrose preference and shorter traveled distance in the open field, along with increased pro-BDNF expression in the hypothalamus compared to the OB + CD mice. However, the levels of TPH2 and 5-HT1A remained unchanged. CONCLUSION The HFD model induced both obesity and anhedonia, but the dietary intervention successfully improved these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicoly Bédia Ferreira
- Laboratory of Neuroscience and Nutrition, Department of Biosciences, Federal University of Sao Paulo/UNIFESP, Santos, SP, Brazil
| | - Clarissa Tavares Dias
- Laboratory of Neuroscience and Nutrition, Department of Biosciences, Federal University of Sao Paulo/UNIFESP, Santos, SP, Brazil
| | - Ana Flávia Alves Chaaban
- Laboratory of Neuroscience and Nutrition, Department of Biosciences, Federal University of Sao Paulo/UNIFESP, Santos, SP, Brazil
| | - José Ivo Araújo Beserra-Filho
- Laboratory of Neuroscience and Bioprospecting of Natural Products, Department of Biosciences, Federal University of Sao Paulo/UNIFESP, Santos, SP, Brazil
| | - Alessandra Mussi Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Neuroscience and Bioprospecting of Natural Products, Department of Biosciences, Federal University of Sao Paulo/UNIFESP, Santos, SP, Brazil
| | - Rafael Herling Lambertucci
- Laboratory of Neuroscience and Nutrition, Department of Biosciences, Federal University of Sao Paulo/UNIFESP, Santos, SP, Brazil
| | - Cristiano Mendes-da-Silva
- Laboratory of Neuroscience and Nutrition, Department of Biosciences, Federal University of Sao Paulo/UNIFESP, Santos, SP, Brazil.
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Ferré-González L, Balaguer Á, Roca M, Ftara A, Lloret A, Cháfer-Pericás C. Plasma lipidomics in early APP/PS1 female mouse model and its relationship with brain: Is it affected by the estrous cycle? Alzheimers Res Ther 2024; 16:183. [PMID: 39143583 PMCID: PMC11323474 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-024-01549-x] [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: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent dementia, showing higher incidence in women. Besides, lipids play an essential role in brain, and they could be dysregulated in neurodegeneration. Specifically, impaired plasma lipid levels could predict early AD diagnosis. This work aims to identify the main plasma lipids altered in early AD female mouse model and evaluate their relationship with brain lipidome. Also, the possible involvement of the estrous cycle in lipid metabolism has been evaluated. METHODS Plasma samples of wild-type (n = 10) and APP/PS1 (n = 10) female mice of 5 months of age were collected, processed, and analysed using a lipidomic mass spectrometry-based method. A statistical analysis involving univariate and multivariate approaches was performed to identify significant lipid differences related to AD between groups. Also, cytology tests were conducted to confirm estrous cycle phases. RESULTS Three hundred thirty lipids were detected in plasma, 18 of them showed significant differences between groups; specifically, some triacylglycerols, cholesteryl esters, lysophosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylcholines, and ether-linked phosphatidylcholines, increased in early AD; while other phosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylethanolamines, ceramides, and ether-linked phosphatidylethanolamines decreased in early AD. A multivariate approach was developed from some lipid variables, showing high diagnostic indexes (70% sensitivity, 90% specificity, 80% accuracy). From brain and plasma lipidome, some significant correlations were observed, mainly in the glycerophospholipid family. Also, some differences were found in both plasma and brain lipids, according to the estrous cycle phase. CONCLUSIONS Therefore, lipid alterations can be identified in plasma at early AD stages in mice females, with a relationship with brain lipid metabolism for most of the lipid subfamilies, suggesting some lipids as potential AD biomarkers. In addition, the estrous cycle monitoring could be relevant in female studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Ferré-González
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Avda de Fernando Abril Martorell, 106; 46026, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ángel Balaguer
- Faculty of Mathematics, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Marta Roca
- Analytical Unit, Health Research Institute La Fe, Valencia, Spain
| | - Artemis Ftara
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valencia, Health Research Institute INCLIVA, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ana Lloret
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valencia, Health Research Institute INCLIVA, Valencia, Spain
| | - Consuelo Cháfer-Pericás
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Avda de Fernando Abril Martorell, 106; 46026, Valencia, Spain.
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Zhang SR, Wu DY, Luo R, Wu JL, Chen H, Li ZM, Zhuang JP, Hu NY, Li XW, Yang JM, Gao TM, Chen YH. A Prelimbic Cortex-Thalamus Circuit Bidirectionally Regulates Innate and Stress-Induced Anxiety-Like Behavior. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e2103232024. [PMID: 38886059 PMCID: PMC11255430 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2103-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Anxiety-related disorders respond to cognitive behavioral therapies, which involved the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Previous studies have suggested that subregions of the mPFC have different and even opposite roles in regulating innate anxiety. However, the specific causal targets of their descending projections in modulating innate anxiety and stress-induced anxiety have yet to be fully elucidated. Here, we found that among the various downstream pathways of the prelimbic cortex (PL), a subregion of the mPFC, PL-mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MD) projection, and PL-ventral tegmental area (VTA) projection exhibited antagonistic effects on anxiety-like behavior, while the PL-MD projection but not PL-VTA projection was necessary for the animal to guide anxiety-related behavior. In addition, MD-projecting PL neurons bidirectionally regulated remote but not recent fear memory retrieval. Notably, restraint stress induced high-anxiety state accompanied by strengthening the excitatory inputs onto MD-projecting PL neurons, and inhibiting PL-MD pathway rescued the stress-induced anxiety. Our findings reveal that the activity of PL-MD pathway may be an essential factor to maintain certain level of anxiety, and stress increased the excitability of this pathway, leading to inappropriate emotional expression, and suggests that targeting specific PL circuits may aid the development of therapies for the treatment of stress-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng-Rong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Ding-Yu Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Rong Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Jian-Lin Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Hao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Zi-Ming Li
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Jia-Pai Zhuang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Neng-Yuan Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Xiao-Wen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Jian-Ming Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Tian-Ming Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yi-Hua Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
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Kucukdereli H, Amsalem O, Pottala T, Lim M, Potgieter L, Hasbrouck A, Lutas A, Andermann ML. Repeated stress triggers seeking of a starvation-like state in anxiety-prone female mice. Neuron 2024; 112:2130-2141.e7. [PMID: 38642553 PMCID: PMC11287784 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.03.027] [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: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024]
Abstract
Elevated anxiety often precedes anorexia nervosa and persists after weight restoration. Patients with anorexia nervosa often describe self-starvation as pleasant, potentially because food restriction can be anxiolytic. Here, we tested whether repeated stress can cause animals to prefer a starvation-like state. We developed a virtual reality place preference paradigm in which head-fixed mice can voluntarily seek a starvation-like state induced by optogenetic stimulation of hypothalamic agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons. Prior to stress exposure, males but not females showed a mild aversion to AgRP stimulation. Strikingly, following multiple days of stress, a subset of females developed a strong preference for AgRP stimulation that was predicted by high baseline anxiety. Such stress-induced changes in preference were reflected in changes in facial expressions during AgRP stimulation. Our study suggests that stress may cause females predisposed to anxiety to seek a starvation state and provides a powerful experimental framework for investigating the underlying neural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hakan Kucukdereli
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Oren Amsalem
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Trent Pottala
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Michelle Lim
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Leilani Potgieter
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Amanda Hasbrouck
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Andrew Lutas
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Mark L Andermann
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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Campbell HM, Guo JD, Kuhn CM. Applying the Research Domain Criteria to Rodent Studies of Sex Differences in Chronic Stress Susceptibility. Biol Psychiatry 2024:S0006-3223(24)01351-9. [PMID: 38821193 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
Women have a 2-fold increased rate of stress-associated psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety, but the mechanisms that underlie this increased susceptibility remain incompletely understood. Historically, female subjects were excluded from preclinical studies and clinical trials. Additionally, chronic stress paradigms used to study psychiatric pathology in animal models were developed for use in males. However, recent changes in National Institutes of Health policy encourage inclusion of female subjects, and considerable work has been performed in recent years to understand biological sex differences that may underlie differences in susceptibility to chronic stress-associated psychiatric conditions. Here, we review the utility as well as current challenges of using the framework of the National Institute of Mental Health's Research Domain Criteria as a transdiagnostic approach to study sex differences in rodent models of chronic stress including recent progress in the study of sex differences in the neurobehavioral domains of negative valence, positive valence, cognition, social processes, and arousal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah M Campbell
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Jessica D Guo
- Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Cynthia M Kuhn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina; Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
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Winkler GA, Grahame NJ. Home cage voluntary alcohol consumption increases binge drinking without affecting abstinence-related depressive-like behaviors or operant responding in crossed high alcohol-preferring mice (cHAPs). Alcohol 2024; 116:9-19. [PMID: 37838352 PMCID: PMC10947980 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2023.10.001] [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: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023]
Abstract
Chronic alcohol consumption can lead to tolerance and escalation of drinking in humans and animals, but mechanisms underlying these changes are not fully characterized. Preclinical models can delineate which mechanisms are involved. The chronic intermittent ethanol exposure (CIE) procedure uses forced exposure to vaporized alcohol that elicits withdrawal and increased responding for alcohol in operant tasks in C57BL/6J inbred mice. Chronic two-bottle choice (2BC) drinking in the same strain elicits abstinent-related depression-like behavior, suggestive of allostatic changes. Selected lines such as crossed High Alcohol Preferring (cHAP) mice voluntarily drink to blood alcohol concentrations comparable to those attained in CIE and could be used to assess how alcohol affects these same endpoints without the confounds of involuntary vapor inhalation. In three experiments, we assess how 2BC drinking in cHAP mice affects abstinence-related depressive- and anxiety-like behavior, operant responding for alcohol, and binge consumption using drinking-in-the-dark (DID). We hypothesized that cHAPs with home-cage drinking experience would exhibit more depressive behavior after abstinence, increased responding for alcohol in the operant box, and increased DID intake. Of these, a drinking history increased DID intake in female cHAPs only and increased sucrose preference and intake following abstinence, but had no effects on operant responding or NSFT latency and FST immobility following forced abstinence. These results are consistent with recent findings using slice electrophysiology showing tolerance to alcohol's actions on the dorsolateral striatum following 2BC drinking in female, but not male cHAP mice. Overall, these data suggest that cHAPs may require procedures allowing rapid intoxication, such as DID, to demonstrate changes in alcohol's rewarding effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garrett A Winkler
- Addiction Neuroscience, Department of Psychology and Indiana Alcohol Research Center, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States
| | - Nicholas J Grahame
- Addiction Neuroscience, Department of Psychology and Indiana Alcohol Research Center, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States.
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9
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Macias Franco A, Elins Moreira da Silva A, Holton G, Brody T, Alves Fonseca M. Establishing the relationship between wildfire smoke and performance metrics on finished beef cattle in Western Rangelands. Transl Anim Sci 2024; 8:txae022. [PMID: 38496706 PMCID: PMC10943418 DOI: 10.1093/tas/txae022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Identifying causal relationships is complicated. Researchers usually overlook causality behind relationships which can generate misleading associations. Herein, we carefully examine the parametric relationship and causality between wildfire smoke exposure and animal performance and behavior metrics over a period of 2 yr in Reno, Nevada. The animals in the 2020 smoke season were grain-finished (n = 12) and grass-finished (n = 12), whereas the animals during the 2021 season were fed under the same diet but finished with either a hormonal implant (n = 9), or without (n = 9). The dataset included daily records of feed intake (FI), body weight (BW), water intake (WI), average daily gain (ADG), and WI behavior (time spent drinking [TSD]; water intake events [WIE]; no-WIE [NWIE]). Variable tree length Bayesian additive regression trees (BART) were utilized to investigate the relationships between air quality index (AQI), particulate matter 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and 10 μm (PM10), NO2, SO2, Ozone, and CO levels in the air (sensors < 1.6 km from animals) with the animal data. Additionally, linear mixed models with a 7-d lag were used to evaluate parametric relationships among the same variables. All statistical analyses were performed on R Statistical Software (R Core Team 2023). Under the linear mixed model with a 7-d lag, significant positive and negative associations were found for all parameters examined (P < 0.05). Negative associations were found between FI, WI, ADG, BW, WIE, NWIE, TSD, and PM2.5 (P < 0.05) for at least one animal group. Positive linear associations between wildfire smoke parameters and the metrics evaluated were more variable and dependent on year, treatment, and smoke parameters. When examining the credible intervals and the variable importance in the BART, relationships were more difficult to identify. However, some associations were found for Ozone, AQI, NO2, CO, and PM10 (P < 0.05). Overall, our results carefully examine the relationship between smoke parameters and cattle performance and present interesting pathways previously unexplored that could guide early culling/finishing of animals to avoid economic losses associated with performance decrease in response to wildfire smoke exposure. Though interesting associations are found under linear mixed models, causality is difficult to establish, which highlights the need for controlled exposure experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arturo Macias Franco
- Department of Agriculture, Veterinary & Rangeland Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Aghata Elins Moreira da Silva
- Department of Agriculture, Veterinary & Rangeland Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
- Department of Animal Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Graham Holton
- Department of Agriculture, Veterinary & Rangeland Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Tio Brody
- Department of Agriculture, Veterinary & Rangeland Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Mozart Alves Fonseca
- Department of Agriculture, Veterinary & Rangeland Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
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10
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Lapmanee S, Supkamonseni N, Bhubhanil S, Treesaksrisakul N, Sirithanakorn C, Khongkow M, Namdee K, Surinlert P, Tipbunjong C, Wongchitrat P. Stress-induced changes in cognitive function and intestinal barrier integrity can be ameliorated by venlafaxine and synbiotic supplementations. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17033. [PMID: 38435986 PMCID: PMC10908264 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Stress profoundly impacts various aspects of both physical and psychological well-being. Our previous study demonstrated that venlafaxine (Vlx) and synbiotic (Syn) treatment attenuated learned fear-like behavior and recognition memory impairment in immobilized-stressed rats. In this study, we further investigated the physical, behavior, and cellular mechanisms underlying the effects of Syn and/or Vlx treatment on brain and intestinal functions in stressed rats. Adult male Wistar rats, aged 8 weeks old were subjected to 14 days of immobilization stress showed a decrease in body weight gain and food intake as well as an increase in water consumption, urinary corticosterone levels, and adrenal gland weight. Supplementation of Syn and/or Vlx in stressed rats resulted in mitigation of weight loss, restoration of normal food and fluid intake, and normalization of corticosterone levels. Behavioral analysis showed that treatment with Syn and/or Vlx enhanced depressive-like behaviors and improved spatial learning-memory impairment in stressed rats. Hippocampal dentate gyrus showed stress-induced neuronal cell death, which was attenuated by Syn and/or Vlx treatment. Stress-induced ileum inflammation and increased intestinal permeability were both effectively reduced by the supplementation of Syn. In addition, Syn and Vlx partly contributed to affecting the expression of the glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor in the hippocampus and intestines of stressed rats, suggesting particularly protective effects on both the gut barrier and the brain. This study highlights the intricate interplay between stress physiological responses in the brain and gut. Syn intervention alleviate stress-induced neuronal cell death and modulate depression- and memory impairment-like behaviors, and improve stress-induced gut barrier dysfunction which were similar to those of Vlx. These findings enhance our understanding of stress-related health conditions and suggest the synbiotic intervention may be a promising approach to ameliorate deleterious effects of stress on the gut-brain axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarawut Lapmanee
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Siam University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Nattapon Supkamonseni
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Siam University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Sakkarin Bhubhanil
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Siam University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Chaiyos Sirithanakorn
- Faculty of Medicine, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Mattaka Khongkow
- National Nanotechnology Centre, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathumthani, Thailand
| | - Katawut Namdee
- National Nanotechnology Centre, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathumthani, Thailand
| | - Piyaporn Surinlert
- Chulabhorn International College of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand
- Thammasat University Research Unit in Synthesis and Applications of Graphene, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand
| | - Chittipong Tipbunjong
- Division of Health and Applied Sciences, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand
| | - Prapimpun Wongchitrat
- Center for Research Innovation and Biomedical Informatics, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
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11
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Cai J, Jiang Y, Xu Y, Jiang Z, Young C, Li H, Ortiz-Guzman J, Zhuo Y, Li Y, Xu Y, Arenkiel BR, Tong Q. An excitatory projection from the basal forebrain to the ventral tegmental area that underlies anorexia-like phenotypes. Neuron 2024; 112:458-472.e6. [PMID: 38056455 PMCID: PMC10922337 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.11.001] [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: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Maladaptation in balancing internal energy needs and external threat cues may result in eating disorders. However, brain mechanisms underlying such maladaptations remain elusive. Here, we identified that the basal forebrain (BF) sends glutamatergic projections to glutamatergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in mice. Glutamatergic neurons in both regions displayed correlated responses to various stressors. Notably, in vivo manipulation of BF terminals in the VTA revealed that the glutamatergic BF → VTA circuit reduces appetite, increases locomotion, and elicits avoidance. Consistently, activation of VTA glutamatergic neurons reduced body weight, blunted food motivation, and caused hyperactivity with behavioral signs of anxiety, all hallmarks of typical anorexia symptoms. Importantly, activation of BF glutamatergic terminals in the VTA reduced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. Collectively, our results point to overactivation of the glutamatergic BF → VTA circuit as a potential cause of anorexia-like phenotypes involving reduced dopamine release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Cai
- Brown Foundation of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; MD Anderson Cancer Center & UTHealth Graduate School for Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yanyan Jiang
- Brown Foundation of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yuanzhong Xu
- Brown Foundation of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Zhiying Jiang
- Brown Foundation of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Claire Young
- Brown Foundation of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Hongli Li
- Brown Foundation of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Joshua Ortiz-Guzman
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics and Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, and Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yizhou Zhuo
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yong Xu
- USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Benjamin R Arenkiel
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics and Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, and Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA; USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Qingchun Tong
- Brown Foundation of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; MD Anderson Cancer Center & UTHealth Graduate School for Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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12
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Yang X, Wang J, Chang CY, Zhou F, Liu J, Xu H, Ibrahim M, Gomez M, Guo GL, Liu H, Zong WX, Wondisford FE, Su X, White E, Feng Z, Hu W. Leukemia inhibitory factor suppresses hepatic de novo lipogenesis and induces cachexia in mice. Nat Commun 2024; 15:627. [PMID: 38245529 PMCID: PMC10799847 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44924-w] [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: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer cachexia is a systemic metabolic syndrome characterized by involuntary weight loss, and muscle and adipose tissue wasting. Mechanisms underlying cachexia remain poorly understood. Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), a multi-functional cytokine, has been suggested as a cachexia-inducing factor. In a transgenic mouse model with conditional LIF expression, systemic elevation of LIF induces cachexia. LIF overexpression decreases de novo lipogenesis and disrupts lipid homeostasis in the liver. Liver-specific LIF receptor knockout attenuates LIF-induced cachexia, suggesting that LIF-induced functional changes in the liver contribute to cachexia. Mechanistically, LIF overexpression activates STAT3 to downregulate PPARα, a master regulator of lipid metabolism, leading to the downregulation of a group of PPARα target genes involved in lipogenesis and decreased lipogenesis in the liver. Activating PPARα by fenofibrate, a PPARα agonist, restores lipid homeostasis in the liver and inhibits LIF-induced cachexia. These results provide valuable insights into cachexia, which may help develop strategies to treat cancer cachexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Yang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Jianming Wang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Chun-Yuan Chang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Fan Zhou
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Juan Liu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Huiting Xu
- Department of Medicine, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Maria Ibrahim
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Maria Gomez
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Grace L Guo
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Environmental and Occupational Health Science Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs New Jersey Health Care System, East Orange, NJ, USA
| | - Hao Liu
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Biostatistics Shared Resource, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Wei-Xing Zong
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Fredric E Wondisford
- Department of Medicine, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Xiaoyang Su
- Department of Medicine, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- Metabolomics Core Facility, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Eileen White
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- Ludwig Princeton Branch, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Zhaohui Feng
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
| | - Wenwei Hu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
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13
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Parikh S, Parikh R, Harari M, Weller A, Bikovski L, Levy C. Skin epidermal keratinocyte p53 induces food uptake upon UV exposure. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1281274. [PMID: 38152309 PMCID: PMC10751925 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1281274] [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: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The first cells affected by UVB exposure are epidermal keratinocytes, and p53, the genome guardian, is activated in these cells when skin is exposed to UVB. UVB exposure induces appetite, but it remains unclear whether p53 in epidermal keratinocytes plays a role in this appetite stimulation. Results Here we found that food intake was increased following chronic daily UVB exposure in a manner that depends on p53 expression in epidermal keratinocytes. p53 conditional knockout in epidermal keratinocytes reduced food intake in mice upon UVB exposure. Methods To investigate the effects of p53 activation following UVB exposure, mice behavior was assessed using the staircase, open-field, elevated-plus maze, and conditioned-place preference tests. In addition to effects on appetite, loss of p53 resulted in anxiety-related behaviors with no effect on activity level. Discussion Since skin p53 induces production of β-endorphin, our data suggest that UVB-mediated activation of p53 results in an increase in β-endorphin levels which in turn influences appetite. Our study positions UVB as a central environmental factor in systemic behavior and has implications for the treatment of eating and anxiety-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivang Parikh
- Department of Human Genetics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Roma Parikh
- Department of Human Genetics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Marco Harari
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Masada DMZ Medical Center, Ein Bokek, Israel
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Aron Weller
- Department of Psychology and the Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Lior Bikovski
- The Myers Neuro-Behavioral Core Facility, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- School of Behavioral Sciences, Netanya Academic College, Netanya, Israel
| | - Carmit Levy
- Department of Human Genetics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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14
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Ryherd GL, Bunce AL, Edwards HA, Baumgartner NE, Lucas EK. Sex differences in avoidance behavior and cued threat memory dynamics in mice: Interactions between estrous cycle and genetic background. Horm Behav 2023; 156:105439. [PMID: 37813043 PMCID: PMC10810684 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105439] [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: 05/20/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental illnesses worldwide, exhibit high heritability, and affect twice as many women as men. To evaluate potential interactions between genetic background and cycling ovarian hormones on sex differences in susceptibility to negative valence behaviors relevant to anxiety disorders, we assayed avoidance behavior and cued threat memory dynamics in gonadally-intact adult male and female mice across four common inbred mouse strains: C57Bl/6J, 129S1/SVlmJ, DBA/2J, and BALB/cJ. Independent of sex, C57Bl/6J mice exhibited low avoidance but high threat memory, 129S1/SvlmJ mice high avoidance and high threat memory, DBA/2J mice low avoidance and low threat memory, and BALB/cJ mice high avoidance but low threat memory. Within-strain comparisons revealed reduced avoidance behavior in the high hormone phase of the estrous cycle (proestrus) compared to all other estrous phases in all strains except DBA/2J, which did not exhibit cycle-dependent behavioral fluctuations. Robust and opposing sex differences in threat conditioning and extinction training were found in the C57Bl/6J and 129S1/SvlmJ lines, whereas no sex differences were observed in the DBA/2J or BALB/cJ lines. C57Bl/6J males exhibited enhanced acute threat memory, whereas 129S1/SvlmJ females exhibited enhanced sustained threat memory, compared to their sex-matched littermates. These effects were not mediated by estrous cycle stage or sex differences in active versus passive defensive behavioral responses. Our data demonstrate that core features of behavioral endophenotypes relevant to anxiety disorders, such as avoidance and threat memory, are genetically driven yet dissociable and can be influenced further by cycling ovarian hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garret L Ryherd
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Averie L Bunce
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Haley A Edwards
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Nina E Baumgartner
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurobiology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Elizabeth K Lucas
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurobiology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
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15
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Szalanczy AM, Giorgio G, Goff E, Seshie O, Grzybowski M, Klotz J, Geurts AM, Redei EE, Solberg Woods LC. Changes in environmental stress over COVID-19 pandemic likely contributed to failure to replicate adiposity phenotype associated with Krtcap3. Physiol Genomics 2023; 55:452-467. [PMID: 37458463 PMCID: PMC10642928 DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00019.2023] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
We previously identified keratinocyte-associated protein 3, Krtcap3, as an obesity-related gene in female rats where a whole body Krtcap3 knockout (KO) led to increased adiposity compared to wild-type (WT) controls when fed a high-fat diet (HFD). We sought to replicate this work to better understand the function of Krtcap3 but were unable to reproduce the adiposity phenotype. In the current work, WT female rats ate more compared to WT in the prior study, with corresponding increases in body weight and fat mass, while there were no changes in these measures in KO females between the studies. The prior study was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic, while the current study started after initial lockdown orders and was completed during the pandemic in a generally less stressful environment. We hypothesize that the environmental changes impacted stress levels and may explain the failure to replicate our results. Analysis of corticosterone (CORT) at euthanasia showed a significant study-by-genotype interaction where WT had significantly higher CORT relative to KO in study 1, with no differences in study 2. These data suggest that decreasing Krtcap3 expression may alter the environmental stress response to influence adiposity. We also found that KO rats in both studies, but not WT, experienced a dramatic increase in CORT after their cage mate was removed, suggesting a separate connection to social behavioral stress. Future work is necessary to confirm and elucidate the finer mechanisms of these relationships, but these data indicate the possibility of Krtcap3 as a novel stress gene.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Obesity is linked to both genetics and environmental factors such as stress. Krtcap3 has previously been identified as a gene associated with adiposity, and our work here demonstrates that environmental stress may influence the role of Krtcap3 on both food intake and adiposity. Obesity is strongly influenced by stress in humans, so the identification of novel genes that link stress and obesity will greatly advance our understanding of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandria M Szalanczy
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, North Carolina, United States
| | - Gina Giorgio
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, North Carolina, United States
| | - Emily Goff
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, North Carolina, United States
| | - Osborne Seshie
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, North Carolina, United States
| | - Michael Grzybowski
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
| | - Jason Klotz
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
| | - Aron M Geurts
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
| | - Eva E Redei
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, United States
| | - Leah C Solberg Woods
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, North Carolina, United States
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16
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Cordeira J. Daily replacement of very high-fat diet stabilizes food intake and improves mouse welfare by ensuring food quality. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0291347. [PMID: 37721935 PMCID: PMC10506720 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Researchers are obligated to ensure food quality and provide laboratory animals with a palatable diet. Factors influencing the quality and palatability of very high-fat diet (VHFD), a widely used rodent diet, however, are understudied. We conducted experiments to establish best practices for ensuring the quality of VHFD and to improve mouse welfare. We found that VHFD in the food hopper was vulnerable first to dehydration and then oxidation within 7-days, leading to dramatic changes in food intake and food preference behavior in mice. Mitigating dehydration and oxidation of VHFD by replacing food daily, rather than weekly, stabilized feeding behavior without effect on overall cardio-metabolic health. Importantly, daily replacement of VHFD also reduced measures of anxiety-like behavior in the open field test. Refining husbandry practices to include daily replacement of VHFD can therefore ensure VHFD quality and improve animal welfare. Standardizing the practice of daily VHFD replacement may also prevent experimental confound and improve experimental reproducibility and replicability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Cordeira
- Department of Biology, Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, Connecticut, United States of America
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17
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Lyu Y, Wei X, Yang X, Li J, Wan G, Wang Y, Hao Z, Lu Y, Guo J, Shi J. 11-Ethoxyviburtinal improves chronic restraint stress-induced anxiety-like behaviors in gender-specific mice via PI3K/Akt and E 2 /ERβ signaling pathways. Phytother Res 2023; 37:4149-4165. [PMID: 37300355 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.7876] [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: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety disorder is a chronic and disabling psychiatric disorder that is more prevalent in females than in males. 11-Ethoxyviburtinal is an iridoid extracted from Valeriana jatamansi Jones, which has anxiolytic potential. The aim of the present work was to study the anxiolytic efficacy and mechanism of 11-ethoxyviburtinal in gender-specific mice. We first evaluated the anxiolytic-like efficacy of 11-ethoxyviburtinal in chronic restraint stress (CRS) mice of different sexes through behavioral experiments and biochemical indexes. In addition, network pharmacology and molecular docking were used to predict potential targets and important pathways for the treatment of anxiety disorder with 11-ethoxyviburtinal. Finally, the influence of 11-ethoxyviburtinal on phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway, estrogen receptor β (ERβ) expression, and anxiety-like behavior in mice was verified by western blotting, immunohistochemistry staining, antagonist intervention methods, and behavioral experiments. 11-ethoxyviburtinal alleviated the anxiety-like behaviors induced by CRS and inhibited neurotransmitter dysregulation and HPA axis hyperactivity. It inhibited the abnormal activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, modulated estrogen production, and promoted ERβ expression in mice. In addition, the female mice may be more sensitive to the pharmacological effects of 11-ethoxyviburtinal. 11-ethoxyviburtinal may exert its anxiolytic-like effects through PI3K/Akt and E2/ERβ signaling pathways. Meanwhile, by comparing the male and female mice, gender differences may affect the therapy and development of anxiety disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Lyu
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaojia Wei
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xue Yang
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Jiayuan Li
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Guohui Wan
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Yuqing Wang
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Zhuangzhuang Hao
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Yifan Lu
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Jianyou Guo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jinli Shi
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
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18
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Zeng PY, Tsai YH, Lee CL, Ma YK, Kuo TH. Minimal influence of estrous cycle on studies of female mouse behaviors. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1146109. [PMID: 37470056 PMCID: PMC10352621 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1146109] [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: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Sex bias has been an issue in many biomedical fields, especially in neuroscience. In rodent research, many scientists only focused on male animals due to the belief that female estrous cycle gives rise to unacceptable, high levels of variance in the experiments. However, even though female sexual behaviors are well known to be regulated by estrous cycle, which effects on other non-sexual behaviors were not always consistent in previous reports. Recent reviews analyzing published literature even suggested that there is no evidence for larger variation in female than male in several phenotypes. Methods To further investigate the impact of estrous cycle on the variability of female behaviors, we conducted multiple behavioral assays, including the open field test, forced swimming test, and resident-intruder assay to assess anxiety-, depression-like behaviors, as well as social interaction respectively. We compared females in the estrus and diestrus stages across four different mouse strains: C57BL/6, BALB/c, C3H, and DBA/2. Results Our results found no significant difference in most behavioral parameters between females in these two stages. On the other hand, the differences in behaviors among certain strains are relatively consistent in both stages, suggesting a very minimal effect of estrous cycle for detecting the behavioral difference. Last, we compared the behavioral variation between male and female and found very similar variations in most behaviors between the two sexes. Discussion While our study successfully identified behavioral differences among strains and between the sexes, we did not find solid evidence to support the notion that female behaviors are influenced by the estrous cycle. Additionally, we observed similar levels of behavioral variability between males and females. Female mice, therefore, have no reason to be excluded in future behavioral research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Yun Zeng
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Hsuan Tsai
- Department of Life Science, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Lin Lee
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Kai Ma
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Tsung-Han Kuo
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Department of Life Science, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
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19
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Szalanczy AM, Giorgio G, Goff E, Seshie O, Grzybowski M, Klotz J, Geurts AM, Redei EE, Solberg Woods LC. Changes in Environmental Stress over COVID-19 Pandemic Likely Contributed to Failure to Replicate Adiposity Phenotype Associated with Krtcap3. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.15.532439. [PMID: 36993361 PMCID: PMC10055176 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.15.532439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
We previously identified Keratinocyte-associated protein 3, Krtcap3, as an obesity-related gene in female rats where a whole-body Krtcap3 knock-out (KO) led to increased adiposity compared to wild-type (WT) controls when fed a high-fat diet (HFD). We sought to replicate this work to better understand the function of Krtcap3 but were unable to reproduce the adiposity phenotype. In the current work, WT female rats ate more compared to WT in the prior study, with corresponding increases in body weight and fat mass, while there were no changes in these measures in KO females between the studies. The prior study was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic, while the current study started after initial lock-down orders and was completed during the pandemic with a generally less stressful environment. We hypothesize that the environmental changes impacted stress levels and may explain the failure to replicate our results. Analysis of corticosterone (CORT) at euthanasia showed a significant study by genotype interaction where WT had significantly higher CORT relative to KO in Study 1, with no differences in Study 2. These data suggest that decreasing Krtcap3 expression may alter the environmental stress response to influence adiposity. We also found that KO rats in both studies, but not WT, experienced a dramatic increase in CORT after their cage mate was removed, suggesting a separate connection to social behavioral stress. Future work is necessary to confirm and elucidate the finer mechanisms of these relationships, but these data indicate the possibility of Krtcap3 as a novel stress gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandria M Szalanczy
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC USA
| | - Gina Giorgio
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC USA
| | - Emily Goff
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC USA
| | - Osborne Seshie
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC USA
| | - Michael Grzybowski
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Jason Klotz
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Aron M Geurts
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Eva E Redei
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Leah C Solberg Woods
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC USA
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20
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Liu D, Rahman M, Johnson A, Tsutsui-Kimura I, Pena N, Talay M, Logeman BL, Finkbeiner S, Choi S, Capo-Battaglia A, Abdus-Saboor I, Ginty DD, Uchida N, Watabe-Uchida M, Dulac C. A Hypothalamic Circuit Underlying the Dynamic Control of Social Homeostasis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.19.540391. [PMID: 37293031 PMCID: PMC10245688 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.19.540391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Social grouping increases survival in many species, including humans1,2. By contrast, social isolation generates an aversive state (loneliness) that motivates social seeking and heightens social interaction upon reunion3-5. The observed rebound in social interaction triggered by isolation suggests a homeostatic process underlying the control of social drive, similar to that observed for physiological needs such as hunger, thirst or sleep3,6. In this study, we assessed social responses in multiple mouse strains and identified the FVB/NJ line as exquisitely sensitive to social isolation. Using FVB/NJ mice, we uncovered two previously uncharacterized neuronal populations in the hypothalamic preoptic nucleus that are activated during social isolation and social rebound and that orchestrate the behavior display of social need and social satiety, respectively. We identified direct connectivity between these two populations of opposite function and with brain areas associated with social behavior, emotional state, reward, and physiological needs, and showed that animals require touch to assess the presence of others and fulfill their social need, thus revealing a brain-wide neural system underlying social homeostasis. These findings offer mechanistic insight into the nature and function of circuits controlling instinctive social need and for the understanding of healthy and diseased brain states associated with social context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ding Liu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mostafizur Rahman
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Autumn Johnson
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Iku Tsutsui-Kimura
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Present address: Division of Brain Sciences, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nicolai Pena
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mustafa Talay
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Brandon L. Logeman
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Samantha Finkbeiner
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Seungwon Choi
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Present address: Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Athena Capo-Battaglia
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ishmail Abdus-Saboor
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - David D. Ginty
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Naoshige Uchida
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mitsuko Watabe-Uchida
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Catherine Dulac
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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21
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Chernukha I, Vasilevskaya E, Klimina K, Yunes R, Kupaeva N, Tolmacheva G, Kibitkina A, Danilenko V, Karabanov S, Fedulova L. Effects of ultrasound-induced stress on gut microbiota of mice. Vet World 2023; 16:929-938. [PMID: 37576770 PMCID: PMC10420703 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2023.929-938] [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: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background and Aim Prolonged stress causes deleterious effects on both the organism and its microbiota. In this study, we examined the effects of exposure to variable frequency ultrasound (US) on the gut microbiota-liver-brain axis of mice. Materials and Methods This study was conducted on 20 mature clinically healthy sexually naive C57BL/6J male mice (42-45 days old). Group 1 (Normal) consisted of healthy intact mice (n = 10). Group 2 (Stress) consisted of mice subjected to US-induced stress (n = 10) for 20 days with alternating frequencies (20-45 kHz). Stool samples were collected on days 0, 10, and 20, and the corresponding DNA was later subjected to 16SrRNA sequencing. After mice were sacrificed on day 21, the leukocyte count, blood serum biochemical parameters, and liver and brain antioxidant status were measured. Behavioral testing was performed on days 17, 18, and 19. Results Ultrasound lead to higher stress and anxiety levels; increase in creatinine by 8.29% and gamma-glutamyltransferase activity by 5 times, a decrease in alkaline phosphatase activity by 38.23%, increase of de Ritis coefficient by 21.34%; increased liver and brain superoxide dismutase level by 20.8% and 21.5%, respectively; the stress-related changes in the gut microbiota composition - Bacteroidaceae and Firmicutes. Conclusion Subjecting mice to 20 days of US-induced stress leads to systemic disorders due to oxidative stress and a decrease in the diversity of the gut microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Chernukha
- Department of Experimental Clinic and Research Laboratory for Bioactive Substances of Animal Origin, V.M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ekaterina Vasilevskaya
- Department of Experimental Clinic and Research Laboratory for Bioactive Substances of Animal Origin, V.M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ksenia Klimina
- Department of Genetics of Microorganisms, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Roman Yunes
- Department of Genetics of Microorganisms, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Nadezhda Kupaeva
- Department of Experimental Clinic and Research Laboratory for Bioactive Substances of Animal Origin, V.M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems, Moscow, Russia
| | - Galina Tolmacheva
- Department of Experimental Clinic and Research Laboratory for Bioactive Substances of Animal Origin, V.M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anastasiya Kibitkina
- Department of Experimental Clinic and Research Laboratory for Bioactive Substances of Animal Origin, V.M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems, Moscow, Russia
| | - Valery Danilenko
- Department of Genetics of Microorganisms, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey Karabanov
- Department of Experimental Clinic and Research Laboratory for Bioactive Substances of Animal Origin, V.M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems, Moscow, Russia
| | - Liliya Fedulova
- Department of Experimental Clinic and Research Laboratory for Bioactive Substances of Animal Origin, V.M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems, Moscow, Russia
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22
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Elias E, Zhang AY, White AG, Pyle MJ, Manners MT. Voluntary wheel running promotes resilience to the behavioral effects of unpredictable chronic mild stress in male and female mice. Stress 2023; 26:2203769. [PMID: 37125617 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2023.2203769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Elias Elias
- Department of Biology. College of Arts and Sciences. St Joseph's University, Philadelphia, PA 19131, United States
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology
| | - Ariel Y Zhang
- Department of Biology. College of Arts and Sciences. St Joseph's University, Philadelphia, PA 19131, United States
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology
| | - Abigail G White
- Department of Biology. College of Arts and Sciences. St Joseph's University, Philadelphia, PA 19131, United States
- Program in Neuroscience
| | - Matthew J Pyle
- Department of Biology. College of Arts and Sciences. St Joseph's University, Philadelphia, PA 19131, United States
| | - Melissa T Manners
- Department of Biology. College of Arts and Sciences. St Joseph's University, Philadelphia, PA 19131, United States
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology
- Program in Neuroscience
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences. College of Science and Mathematics. Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
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23
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Korgan AC, Oliveira-Abreu K, Wei W, Martin SLA, Bridges ZJD, Leal-Cardoso JH, Kaczorowski CC, O'Connell KMS. High sucrose consumption decouples intrinsic and synaptic excitability of AgRP neurons without altering body weight. Int J Obes (Lond) 2023; 47:224-235. [PMID: 36725979 PMCID: PMC10023568 DOI: 10.1038/s41366-023-01265-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE As the obesity epidemic continues, the understanding of macronutrient influence on central nervous system function is critical for understanding diet-induced obesity and potential therapeutics, particularly in light of the increased sugar content in processed foods. Previous research showed mixed effects of sucrose feeding on body weight gain but has yet to reveal insight into the impact of sucrose on hypothalamic functioning. Here, we explore the impact of liquid sucrose feeding for 12 weeks on body weight, body composition, caloric intake, and hypothalamic AgRP neuronal function and synaptic plasticity. METHODS Patch-clamp electrophysiology of hypothalamic AgRP neurons, metabolic phenotyping and food intake were performed on C57BL/6J mice. RESULTS While mice given sugar-sweetened water do not gain significant weight, they do show subtle differences in body composition and caloric intake. When given sugar-sweetened water, mice show similar alterations to AgRP neuronal excitability as in high-fat diet obese models. Increased sugar consumption also primes mice for increased caloric intake and weight gain when given access to a HFD. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that elevated sucrose consumption increased activity of AgRP neurons and altered synaptic excitability. This may contribute to obesity in mice and humans with access to more palatable (HFD) diets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin C Korgan
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genetics, Bar Harbor, ME, USA
| | - Klausen Oliveira-Abreu
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genetics, Bar Harbor, ME, USA
- Instituto Superior de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
| | - Wei Wei
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genetics, Bar Harbor, ME, USA
- Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Zoey J D Bridges
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genetics, Bar Harbor, ME, USA
| | | | - Catherine C Kaczorowski
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genetics, Bar Harbor, ME, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA
- Neuroscience Program, Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kristen M S O'Connell
- The Jackson Laboratory for Mammalian Genetics, Bar Harbor, ME, USA.
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA.
- Neuroscience Program, Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
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24
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Clarke RE, Voigt K, Reichenbach A, Stark R, Bharania U, Dempsey H, Lockie SH, Mequinion M, Lemus M, Wei B, Reed F, Rawlinson S, Nunez-Iglesias J, Foldi CJ, Kravitz AV, Verdejo-Garcia A, Andrews ZB. Identification of a Stress-Sensitive Anorexigenic Neurocircuit From Medial Prefrontal Cortex to Lateral Hypothalamus. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 93:309-321. [PMID: 36400605 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A greater understanding of how the brain controls appetite is fundamental to developing new approaches for treating diseases characterized by dysfunctional feeding behavior, such as obesity and anorexia nervosa. METHODS By modeling neural network dynamics related to homeostatic state and body mass index, we identified a novel pathway projecting from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to the lateral hypothalamus (LH) in humans (n = 53). We then assessed the physiological role and dissected the function of this mPFC-LH circuit in mice. RESULTS In vivo recordings of population calcium activity revealed that this glutamatergic mPFC-LH pathway is activated in response to acute stressors and inhibited during food consumption, suggesting a role in stress-related control over food intake. Consistent with this role, inhibition of this circuit increased feeding and sucrose seeking during mild stressors, but not under nonstressful conditions. Finally, chemogenetic or optogenetic activation of the mPFC-LH pathway is sufficient to suppress food intake and sucrose seeking in mice. CONCLUSIONS These studies identify a glutamatergic mPFC-LH circuit as a novel stress-sensitive anorexigenic neural pathway involved in the cortical control of food intake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E Clarke
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Katharina Voigt
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alex Reichenbach
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Romana Stark
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Urvi Bharania
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Harry Dempsey
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sarah H Lockie
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mathieu Mequinion
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Moyra Lemus
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Bowen Wei
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Felicia Reed
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sasha Rawlinson
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Juan Nunez-Iglesias
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Claire J Foldi
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alexxai V Kravitz
- Departments of Psychiatry, Anesthesiology, and Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Antonio Verdejo-Garcia
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Zane B Andrews
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
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25
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François M, Delgado IC, Lafond A, Lewis EM, Kuromaru M, Hassouna R, Deng S, Thaker VV, Dölen G, Zeltser LM. Amygdala AVPR1A mediates susceptibility to chronic social isolation in females. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.15.528679. [PMID: 36824966 PMCID: PMC9948989 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.15.528679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Females are more sensitive to social exclusion, which could contribute to their heightened susceptibility to anxiety disorders. Chronic social isolation stress (CSIS) for at least 7 weeks after puberty induces anxiety-related behavioral adaptations in female mice. Here, we show that Arginine vasopressin receptor 1a ( Avpr1a )-expressing neurons in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) mediate these sex-specific effects, in part, via projections to the caudate putamen. Loss of function studies demonstrate that AVPR1A signaling in the CeA is required for effects of CSIS on anxiety-related behaviors in females but has no effect in males or group housed females. This sex-specificity is mediated by AVP produced by a subpopulation of neurons in the posterodorsal medial nucleus of the amygdala that project to the CeA. Estrogen receptor alpha signaling in these neurons also contributes to preferential sensitivity of females to CSIS. These data support new therapeutic applications for AVPR1A antagonists in women.
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26
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Bales MB, Centanni SW, Luchsinger JR, Fathi P, Biddinger JE, Le TDV, Nwaba KG, Paldrmic IM, Winder DG, Ayala JE. High fat diet blunts stress-induced hypophagia and activation of Glp1r dorsal lateral septum neurons in male but not in female mice. Mol Metab 2022; 64:101571. [PMID: 35953023 PMCID: PMC9418981 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2022.101571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE While stress typically reduces caloric intake (hypophagia) in chow-fed rodents, presentation of palatable, high calorie substances during stress can increase caloric consumption (i.e. "comfort feeding") and promote obesity. However, little is known about how obesity itself affects feeding behavior in response to stress and the mechanisms that can influence stress-associated feeding in the context of obesity. METHODS We assessed food intake and other metabolic parameters in lean and obese male and female mice following acute restraint stress. We also measured real-time activity of glucagon-like peptide-1 (Glp1) receptor (Glp1r)-expressing neurons in the dorsal lateral septum (dLS) during stress in lean and obese mice using fiber photometry. Glp1r activation in various brain regions, including the dLS, promotes hypophagia in response to stress. Finally, we used inhibitory Designer Receptors Activated Exclusively by Designer Drugs (DREADDs) to test whether activation of Glp1r-expressing neurons in the LS is required for stress-induced hypophagia. RESULTS Lean male mice display the expected hypophagic response following acute restraint stress, but obese male mice are resistant to this acute stress-induced hypophagia. Glp1r-positive neurons in the dLS are robustly activated during acute restraint stress in lean but not in obese male mice. This raises the possibility that activation of dLS Glp1r neurons during restraint stress contributes to subsequent hypophagia. Supporting this, we show that chemogenetic inhibition of LS Glp1r neurons attenuates acute restraint stress hypophagia in male mice. Surprisingly, we show that both lean and obese female mice are resistant to acute restraint stress-induced hypophagia and activation of dLS Glp1r neurons. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that dLS Glp1r neurons contribute to the hypophagic response to acute restraint stress in male mice, but not in female mice, and that obesity disrupts this response in male mice. Broadly, these findings show sexually dimorphic mechanisms and feeding behaviors in lean vs. obese mice in response to acute stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle B Bales
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Samuel W Centanni
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Joseph R Luchsinger
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Payam Fathi
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Jessica E Biddinger
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Thao D V Le
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Kaitlyn Ginika Nwaba
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Isabella M Paldrmic
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Danny G Winder
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Julio E Ayala
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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27
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Investigation of Anxiety- and Depressive-like Symptoms in 4- and 8-Month-Old Male Triple Transgenic Mouse Models of Alzheimer's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810816. [PMID: 36142737 PMCID: PMC9501136 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the most common form of dementia. Approximately 50% of AD patients show anxiety and depressive symptoms, which may contribute to cognitive decline. We aimed to investigate whether the triple-transgenic mouse (3xTg-AD) is a good preclinical model of this co-morbidity. The characteristic histological hallmarks are known to appear around 6-month; thus, 4- and 8-month-old male mice were compared with age-matched controls. A behavioral test battery was used to examine anxiety- (open field (OF), elevated plus maze, light-dark box, novelty suppressed feeding, and social interaction (SI) tests), and depression-like symptoms (forced swim test, tail suspension test, sucrose preference test, splash test, and learned helplessness) as well as the cognitive decline (Morris water maze (MWM) and social discrimination (SD) tests). Acetylcholinesterase histochemistry visualized cholinergic fibers in the cortex. Dexamethasone-test evaluated the glucocorticoid non-suppression. In the MWM, the 3xTg-AD mice found the platform later than controls in the 8-month-old cohort. The SD abilities of the 3xTg-AD mice were missing at both ages. In OF, both age groups of 3xTg-AD mice moved significantly less than the controls. During SI, 8-month-old 3xTg-AD animals spent less time with friendly social behavior than the controls. In the splash test, 3xTg-AD mice groomed themselves significantly less than controls of both ages. Cortical fiber density was lower in 8-month-old 3xTg-AD mice compared to the control. Dexamethasone non-suppression was detectable in the 4-month-old group. All in all, some anxiety- and depressive-like symptoms were present in 3xTg-AD mice. Although this strain was not generally more anxious or depressed, some aspects of comorbidity might be studied in selected tests, which may help to develop new possible treatments.
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Something new and something blue: Responses to novelty in a rodent model of depression and epilepsy comorbidity. Physiol Behav 2022; 249:113778. [PMID: 35278474 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113778] [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: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A bidirectional comorbidity exists between depression and epilepsy such that patients with epilepsy are at higher risk for developing depression, and vice versa. Each of these conditions individually can be complicated by behavioral effects that worsen quality of life, but less is known about these interactions within the comorbidity of depression and epilepsy. The SwLo rat has been selectively bred for depression-relevant behaviors and exhibits enhanced limbic seizure susceptibility. This study sought to characterize the effects of novelty and stress on the SwLo rodent model of this comorbidity. It was hypothesized that SwLo rats would exhibit altered responses to novelty, reflected in hyperactivity-, anxiety-, sensation seeking-, and/or compulsive behaviors, and that this would be exacerbated with stress. Compared to the SwHi rat (their depression- and epilepsy-resistant counterparts), SwLo rats showed increased entries in all areas of the Open Field Test and spent significantly more time in the light compartment of the Light-Dark Box. SwLo rats also had a significantly higher number of rearing behaviors in the inner squares of the Open Field Test, the closed arms of the Elevated Plus Maze, and both areas of the Light-Dark Box. They demonstrated increased Nestlet shredding but showed no difference in a marble burying task or in latency to consume food in a novelty suppressed feeding task. Interestingly, restraint stress showed little effect on these behaviors, despite increasing corticosterone levels. Combined, these results suggest an increase in exploratory sensation seeking and hypervigilant information-gathering behaviors in the SwLo rat that are not dependent on corticosterone levels. This shows the utility of this model for studying behavioral effects of comorbid depression and epilepsy and allows for their use in identifying underlying mechanisms or screening treatment strategies for this complex comorbidity.
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