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Mallien AS, Brandwein C, Vasilescu AN, Leenaars C, Bleich A, Inta D, Hirjak D, Gass P. A systematic scoping review of rodent models of catatonia: Clinical correlations, translation and future approaches. Schizophr Res 2024; 263:109-121. [PMID: 37524635 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Catatonia is a psychiatric disorder, which subsumes a plethora of affective, motor and behavioral symptoms. In the last two decades, the number of behavioral and neuroimaging studies on catatonia has steadily increased. The majority of behavioral and neuroimaging studies in psychiatric patients suggested aberrant higher-order frontoparietal networks which, on the biochemical level, are insufficiently modulated by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic and glutamatergic transmission. However, the pathomechanisms of catatonic symptoms have rarely been studied using rodent models. Here, we performed a scoping review of literature available on PubMed for studies on rodent models of catatonia. We sought to identify what we could learn from pre-clinical animal models of catatonia-like symptoms, their underlying neuronal correlates, and the complex molecular (i.e. genes and neurotransmitter) mechanisms by which its modulation exerts its effects. What becomes evident is that although many transgenic models present catatonia-like symptoms, they have not been used to better understand the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying catatonia so far. However, the identified neuronal correlates of catatonia-like symptoms correlate to a great extent with findings from neuroscience research in psychiatric patients. This points us towards fundamental cortical-striatal-thalamocortical and associated networks modulated by white matter inflammation as well as aberrant dopaminergic, GABAergic, and glutamatergic neurotransmission that is involved in catatonia. Therefore, this scoping review opens up the possibility of finally using transgenic models to help with identifying novel target mechanisms for the development of new drugs for the treatment of catatonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne S Mallien
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Christiane Brandwein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Andrei-Nicolae Vasilescu
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Cathalijn Leenaars
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; Department for Health Evidence, Radboud University Medical Centre, 6600 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - André Bleich
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Dragos Inta
- Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dusan Hirjak
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Peter Gass
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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2
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Becker L, Mallien AS, Pfeiffer N, Brandwein C, Talbot SR, Bleich A, Palme R, Potschka H, Gass P. Evidence-based severity assessment of the forced swim test in the rat. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0292816. [PMID: 37824495 PMCID: PMC10569541 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The forced swim test (FST) is a traditional assay, which has been used for more than 40 years to assess antidepressant effects of novel drug candidates. In recent years, a debate about the test has focused on the assumption that the FST is highly aversive and burdening for the animals because of the earlier anthropomorphic interpretation and designation as a "behavioral despair test". The Directive 2010/63/EU and the German Animal Welfare law require a prospective severity classification of the planned experimental procedures. Still, an objective examination of the animals' burden in this test has not been performed yet. To fill this gap, we conducted an evidence-based severity assessment of the forced swim test in rats according to a 'standard protocol' with a water temperature of 25°C. We examined parameters representing the physiological and the affective state, and natural as well as locomotion-associated behaviors in three separate experiments to reflect as many dimensions as possible of the animal's condition in the test. Hypothermia was the only effect observed in all animals exposed to the FST when using this standard protocol. Additional adverse effects on body weight, food consumption, and fecal corticosterone metabolite concentrations occurred in response to administration of the antidepressant imipramine, which is frequently used as positive control when testing for antidepressant effects of new substances. We conclude that this version of the FST itself is less severe for the animals than assumed, and we suggest a severity classification of 'moderate' because of the acute and short-lasting effects of hypothermia. To refine the FST according to the 3Rs, we encourage confirming the predictive validity in warmer water temperatures to allow the rats to maintain physiological body temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Becker
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Anne S. Mallien
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Natascha Pfeiffer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Christiane Brandwein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Steven R. Talbot
- Hannover Medical School, Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover, Germany
| | - André Bleich
- Hannover Medical School, Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover, Germany
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Heidrun Potschka
- Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Peter Gass
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
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Brandwein C, Leenaars CHC, Becker L, Pfeiffer N, Iorgu AM, Hahn M, Vairani GA, Lewejohann L, Bleich A, Mallien AS, Gass P. A systematic mapping review of the evolution of the rat Forced Swim Test: Protocols and outcome parameters. Pharmacol Res 2023; 196:106917. [PMID: 37690532 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
As depression is projected to become the leading mental disease burden globally by 2030, understanding the underlying pathology, as well as screening potential anti-depressants with a higher efficacy, faster onset of action, and/or fewer side-effects is essential. A commonly used test for screening novel antidepressants and studying depression-linked aspects in rodents is the Porsolt Forced Swim Test. The present systematic mappping review gives a comprehensive overview of the evolution and of the most prevalently used set-ups of this test in rats, including the choice of animals (strain, sex, and age), technical aspects of protocol and environment, as well as reported outcome measures. Additionally, we provide an accessible list of all existing publications, to support informed decision-making for procedural and technical aspects of the test, to thereby enhance reproducibility and comparability. This should further contribute to reducing the number of unnecessarily replicated experiments, and consequently, reduce the number of animals used in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christiane Brandwein
- Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Cathalijn H C Leenaars
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Laura Becker
- Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Natascha Pfeiffer
- Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ana-Maria Iorgu
- Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Melissa Hahn
- Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Gaia A Vairani
- Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), German Center for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Max‑Dohrn‑Str. 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany; Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Institute of Animal Welfare, Freie Universität Berlin, Königsweg 67, 14163 Berlin, Germany
| | - André Bleich
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Anne S Mallien
- Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Peter Gass
- Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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Mallien AS, Pfeiffer N, Brandwein C, Inta D, Sprengel R, Palme R, Talbot SR, Gass P. Comparative Severity Assessment of Genetic, Stress-Based, and Pharmacological Mouse Models of Depression. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:908366. [PMID: 35783227 PMCID: PMC9245036 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.908366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of animals in neurosciences is pivotal to gaining insights into complex functions and dysfunctions of behavior. For example, various forms of physical and/or psychological stress are inherent to various animal models for psychiatric disorders, e.g., depression. Regarding animal welfare, it would be mandatory to use models that inflict the least amount of stress necessary to address the underlying scientific question. This study compared the severity of different approaches to induce depression in mice: mutagenesis in GluA1 knockout, immobilization stress, and stress-induction via stress hormone treatment. While genetic alterations potentially represent a lifelong burden, the temporary intervention only affects the animals for a limited time. Therefore, we used home cage-based behavioral and physiological parameters, including nest building, burrowing, body weight, and fecal corticosterone metabolites, to determine the well-being of male and female mice. In addition, we performed an evidence-based estimate of severity using a composite score for relative severity assessment (RELSA) with this data. We found that even though restraint stress and supplementation of corticosterone in the diet both aimed at depression-related precipitating stress effects, the latter affected the well-being much stronger, especially in females. Restraint leads to less noticeable well-being impairments but causes depression-associated anhedonic behavior. Mice of both sexes recovered well from the stress treatment. GluA1 KO and their littermates showed diminished well-being, comparable to the immobilization experiments. However, since this is a lifelong condition, this burden is not reversible and potentially accumulative. In line with the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement), the process of choosing the most suitable model should ideally include an evidence-based severity assessment to be able to opt for the least severe alternative, which still induces the desired effect. Promoting refinement, in our study, this would be the restraint stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Stephanie Mallien
- Research Group (RG) Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Anne Stephanie Mallien,
| | - Natascha Pfeiffer
- Research Group (RG) Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christiane Brandwein
- Research Group (RG) Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dragos Inta
- Research Group (RG) Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department for Community Health, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Rolf Sprengel
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research (MPIMF), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Steven R. Talbot
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Peter Gass
- Research Group (RG) Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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Schmidt M, Rossetti AC, Brandwein C, Riva MA, Gass P, Elsner P, Hesse-Macabata J, Hipler UC, Smesny S, Milleit B. Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor Deficiency is Associated with Cognitive Impairment and Elevated Phospholipase A2 Activity in Plasma of Mice. Neuroscience 2022; 480:167-177. [PMID: 34801657 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.11.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Decreased levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) are a common finding in schizophrenia. Another well-documented protein linked to schizophrenia is intracellular Ca2+-independent Phospholipase (PLA2). However, the potential association between PLA2 and BDNF with regard to schizophrenia has yet to be examined. In the present study, male and female BDNF knockout mice, a possible genetic model of schizophrenia, were exposed to prenatal stress and tested in the nest test, open field test and T-maze. Following behavioral tests, whole brain and plasma samples were harvested to measure the activity of PLA2. BDNF knockout mice showed cognitive deficits in the T-maze. Furthermore, there was a quadratic association of PLA2 with performance in the open field test. Moreover, BDNF deficiency and female sex were associated with elevated plasma PLA2 levels. The cognitive impairment of BDNF heterozygous mice as well as their increased PLA2 activity in plasma is consistent with findings in schizophrenia patients. The particular elevation of PLA2 activity in females may partly explain sex differences of clinical symptoms in schizophrenia (e.g. age of onset, severity of symptoms). Additionally, PLA2 was significantly correlated with body and adrenal weight after weaning, whereby the latter emphasizes the possible connection of PLA2 with steroidogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Schmidt
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Andrea Carlo Rossetti
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti, 9, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Christiane Brandwein
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Marco Andrea Riva
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti, 9, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Peter Gass
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Peter Elsner
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Jena, D-07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Jana Hesse-Macabata
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Jena, Erfurter Straße 35, D-07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Uta-Christina Hipler
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Jena, Erfurter Straße 35, D-07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Stefan Smesny
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Jena, D-07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Berko Milleit
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Jena, D-07743 Jena, Germany; Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Jena, Erfurter Straße 35, D-07743 Jena, Germany
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Begni V, Sanson A, Pfeiffer N, Brandwein C, Inta D, Talbot SR, Riva MA, Gass P, Mallien AS. Correction: Social isolation in rats: Effects on animal welfare and molecular markers for neuroplasticity. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0248070. [PMID: 33635901 PMCID: PMC7909701 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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Sensini F, Inta D, Palme R, Brandwein C, Pfeiffer N, Riva MA, Gass P, Mallien AS. The impact of handling technique and handling frequency on laboratory mouse welfare is sex-specific. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17281. [PMID: 33057118 PMCID: PMC7560820 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74279-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Handling is a well-known source of stress to laboratory animals and can affect variability of results and even compromise animal welfare. The conventional tail handling in mice has been shown to induce aversion and anxiety-like behaviour. Recent findings demonstrate that the use of alternative handling techniques, e.g. tunnel handling, can mitigate negative handling-induced effects. Here, we show that technique and frequency of handling influence affective behaviour and stress hormone release of subjects in a sex-dependent manner. While frequent tail handling led to a reduction of wellbeing-associated burrowing and increased despair-like behaviour in male mice, females seemed unaffected. Instead, they displayed a stress response to a low handling frequency, which was not detectable in males. This could suggest that in terms of refinement, the impact in handling could differ between the sexes. Independently from this observation, both sexes preferred to interact with the tunnel. Mice generally explored the tunnel more often than the tail-handling hands of the experimenter and showed more positively rated approaches, e.g. touching or climbing, and at the same time, less defensive burrowing, indicating a strong preference for the tunnel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Sensini
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Dragos Inta
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry (UPK), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christiane Brandwein
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Natascha Pfeiffer
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Marco Andrea Riva
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Peter Gass
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Anne Stephanie Mallien
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
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Mallien AS, Häger C, Palme R, Talbot SR, Vogt MA, Pfeiffer N, Brandwein C, Struve B, Inta D, Chourbaji S, Hellweg R, Vollmayr B, Bleich A, Gass P. Systematic analysis of severity in a widely used cognitive depression model for mice. Lab Anim 2019; 54:40-49. [PMID: 31575329 DOI: 10.1177/0023677219874831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Animal models in psychiatric research are indispensable for insights into mechanisms of behaviour and mental disorders. Distress is an important aetiological factor in psychiatric diseases, especially depression, and is often used to mimic the human condition. Modern bioethics requires balancing scientific progress with animal welfare concerns. Therefore, scientifically based severity assessment of procedures is a prerequisite for choosing the least compromising paradigm according to the 3Rs principle. Evidence-based severity assessment in psychiatric animal models is scarce, particularly in depression research. Here, we assessed severity in a cognitive depression model by analysing indicators of stress and well-being, including physiological (body weight and corticosterone metabolite concentrations) and behavioural (nesting and burrowing behaviour) parameters. Additionally, a novel approach for objective individualised severity grading was employed using clustering of voluntary wheel running (VWR) behaviour. Exposure to the paradigm evoked a transient elevation of corticosterone, but neither affected body weight, nesting or burrowing behaviour. However, the performance in VWR was impaired after recurrent stress exposure, and the individual severity level increased, indicating that this method is more sensitive in detecting compromised welfare. Interestingly, the direct comparison to a somatic, chemically induced colitis model indicates less distress in the depression model. Further objective severity assessment studies are needed to classify the severity of psychiatric animal models in order to balance validity and welfare, reduce the stress load and thus promote refinement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne S Mallien
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Germany
| | - Christine Häger
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Steven R Talbot
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Miriam A Vogt
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility (IBF), University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Natascha Pfeiffer
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Germany
| | - Christiane Brandwein
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Germany
| | - Birgitta Struve
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Dragos Inta
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry (UPK), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Chourbaji
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility (IBF), University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rainer Hellweg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany
| | - Barbara Vollmayr
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Germany
| | - Andre Bleich
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Peter Gass
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Germany
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Mallien AS, Soukup ST, Pfeiffer N, Brandwein C, Kulling SE, Chourbaji S, Gass P. Effects of Soy in Laboratory Rodent Diets on the Basal, Affective, and Cognitive Behavior of C57BL/6 Mice. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 2019; 58:532-541. [PMID: 31466555 DOI: 10.30802/aalas-jaalas-18-000129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Soy is one of the most common sources of protein in many commercial formulas for laboratory rodent diets. Soy contains isoflavones, which are estrogenic. Therefore, soy-containing animal diets might influence estrogen-regulated systems, including basal behavioral domains, as well as affective behavior and cognition. Furthermore, the isoflavone content of soy varies, potentially unpredictably confounding behavioral results. Therefore researchers are increasingly considering completely avoiding dietary soy to circumvent this problem. Several animal studies have investigated the effects of soy free diets but produced inconsistent results. In addition, most of these previous studies were performed in outbred rat or mouse strains. In the current study, we assessed whether a soy-free diet altered locomotion, exploration, nesting, anxiety-related behaviors, learning, and memory in C57BL/6 mice, the most common inbred strain used in biomedical research. The parameters evaluated address measures of basic health, natural behavior, and affective state that also are landmarks for animal welfare. We found minor differences between feeding groups but no indications of altered welfare. We therefore suggest that a soy-free diet can be used as a standard diet to prevent undesirable side effects of isoflavones and to further optimize diet standardization, quality assurance, and ultimately increase the reproducibility of experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne S Mallien
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany;,
| | - Sebastian T Soukup
- Department of Safety and Quality of Fruit and Vegetables, Max Rubner Institut, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Natascha Pfeiffer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Christiane Brandwein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Sabine E Kulling
- Department of Safety and Quality of Fruit and Vegetables, Max Rubner Institut, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Sabine Chourbaji
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Peter Gass
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
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Lima-Ojeda JM, Mallien AS, Brandwein C, Lang UE, Hefter D, Inta D. Altered prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response in BDNF-deficient mice in a model of early postnatal hypoxia: implications for schizophrenia. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2019; 269:439-447. [PMID: 29453493 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-018-0882-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a major proliferative agent in the nervous system. Both BDNF-deficiency and perinatal hypoxia represent genetic/environmental risk factors for schizophrenia. Moreover, a decreased BDNF response to birth hypoxia was associated with the disease. BDNF expression is influenced by neuronal activity and environmental conditions such as hypoxia. Thus, it may partake in neuroprotective and reparative mechanisms in acute or chronic neuronal insults. However, the interaction of hypoxia and BDNF is insufficiently understood and the behavioral outcome unknown. Therefore, we conducted a battery of behavioral tests in a classical model of chronic early postnatal mild hypoxia (10% O2), known to significantly impair brain development, in BDNF-deficient mice. We found selective deficits in measures associated with sensorimotor gating, namely enhanced acoustic startle response (ASR) and reduced prepulse inhibition (PPI) of ASR in BDNF-deficient mice. Unexpectedly, the alterations of sensorimotor gating were caused only by BDNF-deficiency alone, whereas hypoxia failed to evoke severe deficits and even leads to a milder phenotype in BDNF-deficient mice. As deficits in sensorimotor gating are present in schizophrenia and animal models of the disease, our results are of relevance regarding the involvement of BDNF in its pathogenesis. On the other hand, they suggest that the effect of perinatal hypoxia on long-term brain abnormalities is complex, ranging from protective to deleterious actions, and may critically depend on the degree of hypoxia. Therefore, future studies may refine existing hypoxia protocols to better understand neurodevelopmental consequences associated with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan M Lima-Ojeda
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Anne S Mallien
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christiane Brandwein
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Undine E Lang
- Department of Psychiatry (UPK), University of Basel, Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4012, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dimitri Hefter
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dragos Inta
- RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. .,Department of Psychiatry (UPK), University of Basel, Wilhelm Klein-Strasse 27, 4012, Basel, Switzerland.
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11
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Schmidt M, Lax E, Zhou R, Cheishvili D, Ruder AM, Ludiro A, Lapert F, Macedo da Cruz A, Sandrini P, Calzoni T, Vaisheva F, Brandwein C, Luoni A, Massart R, Lanfumey L, Riva MA, Deuschle M, Gass P, Szyf M. Fetal glucocorticoid receptor (Nr3c1) deficiency alters the landscape of DNA methylation of murine placenta in a sex-dependent manner and is associated to anxiety-like behavior in adulthood. Transl Psychiatry 2019; 9:23. [PMID: 30655507 PMCID: PMC6336883 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-018-0348-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal stress defines long-term phenotypes through epigenetic programming of the offspring. These effects are potentially mediated by glucocorticoid release and by sex. We hypothesized that the glucocorticoid receptor (Gr, Nr3c1) fashions the DNA methylation profile of offspring. Consistent with this hypothesis, fetal Nr3c1 heterozygosity leads to altered DNA methylation landscape in fetal placenta in a sex-specific manner. There was a significant overlap of differentially methylated genes in fetal placenta and adult frontal cortex in Nr3c1 heterozygotes. Phenotypically, Nr3c1 heterozygotes show significantly more anxiety-like behavior than wildtype. DNA methylation status of fetal placental tissue is significantly correlated with anxiety-like behavior of the same animals in adulthood. Thus, placental DNA methylation might predict behavioral phenotypes in adulthood. Our data supports the hypothesis that Nr3c1 influences DNA methylation at birth and that DNA methylation in placenta correlates with adult frontal cortex DNA methylation and anxiety-like phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Schmidt
- Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Elad Lax
- 0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bDepartment of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada ,0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bSackler Program for Epigenetics and Psychobiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada
| | - Rudy Zhou
- 0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bDepartment of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada
| | - David Cheishvili
- 0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bDepartment of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada ,0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bSackler Program for Epigenetics and Psychobiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada
| | - Arne Mathias Ruder
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Alessia Ludiro
- 0000 0004 1757 2822grid.4708.bDepartment of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti, 9, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Florian Lapert
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Anna Macedo da Cruz
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Paolo Sandrini
- 0000 0004 1757 2822grid.4708.bDepartment of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti, 9, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Teresa Calzoni
- 0000 0004 1757 2822grid.4708.bDepartment of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti, 9, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Farida Vaisheva
- 0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bDepartment of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada
| | - Christiane Brandwein
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Alessia Luoni
- 0000 0004 1757 2822grid.4708.bDepartment of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti, 9, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Renaud Massart
- 0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bSackler Program for Epigenetics and Psychobiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada ,0000 0004 0638 6979grid.417896.5Inserm, U894, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Laurence Lanfumey
- 0000 0004 0638 6979grid.417896.5Inserm, U894, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, 75014 Paris, France ,0000 0001 2188 0914grid.10992.33Université Paris Descartes, UMRS894, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Marco Andrea Riva
- 0000 0004 1757 2822grid.4708.bDepartment of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti, 9, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Michael Deuschle
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Peter Gass
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Moshe Szyf
- 0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bDepartment of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada ,0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bSackler Program for Epigenetics and Psychobiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada
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12
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Vogt MA, Pfeiffer N, Le Guisquet AM, Brandwein C, Brizard B, Gass P, Belzung C, Chourbaji S. May the use of different background strains 'strain' the stress-related phenotype of GR +/- mice? Behav Brain Res 2017; 335:71-79. [PMID: 28782590 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.07.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2017] [Revised: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Genetically altered mice are available on different background strains. While respective backcrosses are often performed for pragmatic reasons, e.g. references, comparability, or existing protocols, the interaction between the mutations per se and the background strain often remains a neglected factor. The heterozygous mutation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene (GR) represents a well-examined model for depressive-like behavior in mice. To address the question in how far a robust depressive-like phenotype on a distinct background strain may allow a generalized conclusion, we analyzed respective phenotypes in two commonly used inbred strains: i.) C57BL/6N and ii.) BALB/c. Beside the use of different genetic models, we also extended our approach by applying two alternative paradigms to induce a depressive-like phenotype. Our study therefore comprised the model of 'unpredictable chronic mild stress' (UCMS) for four weeks and 'learned helplessness' (LH), which were used to study the role of GR, a key player in the development of depression. In the course of the experiment two cohorts of male GR+/- mice on either C57BL/6N or BALB/c background strain underwent a behavioral test battery to assess basal and depressive-like features. While both stress paradigms were functional in inducing depressive-like changes, the results were strictly strain-dependent. The genetic consequences became even more obvious under non-stress conditions with significant effects detected in BALB/c mice, which indicates a different basal stress predisposition due to differences in the genetic background.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam A Vogt
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Central Institute of Mental Health, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Medical Faculty of Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Natascha Pfeiffer
- Central Institute of Mental Health, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Medical Faculty of Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Anne Marie Le Guisquet
- Brain & Imaging (INSERM - UMR 930), Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Christiane Brandwein
- Central Institute of Mental Health, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Medical Faculty of Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Bruno Brizard
- Brain & Imaging (INSERM - UMR 930), Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Peter Gass
- Central Institute of Mental Health, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Medical Faculty of Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Catherine Belzung
- Brain & Imaging (INSERM - UMR 930), Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Sabine Chourbaji
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Central Institute of Mental Health, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Medical Faculty of Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
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13
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Schmidt M, Lapert F, Brandwein C, Deuschle M, Kasperk C, Grimsley JM, Gass P. Prenatal stress changes courtship vocalizations and bone mineral density in mice. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2017; 75:203-212. [PMID: 27838514 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2016] [Revised: 11/03/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Stress during the prenatal period has various effects on social and sexual behavior in both human and animal offspring. The present study examines the effects of chronic restraint stress in the second vs third trimester in pregnancy and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) heterozygous mutation on C57BL/6N male offspring's vocal courtship behavior in adulthood by applying a novel analyzing method. Finally, corticosterone and testosterone levels as well as bone mineral density were measured. Prenatal stress in the third, but not in the second trimester caused a significant qualitative change in males' courtship vocalizations, independent of their GR genotype. Bone mineral density was decreased also by prenatal stress exclusively in the third trimester in GR mutant and wildtype mice and - in contrast to corticosterone and testosterone - highly correlated with courtship vocalizations. In Gr+/- males corticosterone serum levels were significantly increased in animals that had experienced prenatal stress in the third trimester. Testosterone serum levels were overall increased in Gr+/- males in comparison to wildtypes as a tendency - whereas prenatal stress had no influence. Prenatal stress alters adult males' courtship vocalizations exclusively when applied in the third trimester, with closely related changes in bone mineral density. Bone mineral density seems to reflect best the complex neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying the production of courtship vocalizations. Besides, we demonstrated for the first time elevated basal corticosterone levels in Gr+/- males after prenatal stress which suggests that the Gr+/- mouse model of depression might also serve as a model of prenatal stress in male offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Schmidt
- Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Florian Lapert
- Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Christiane Brandwein
- Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Michael Deuschle
- Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Christian Kasperk
- Department of Medicine I and Clinical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jasmine M Grimsley
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH 44272, USA
| | - Peter Gass
- Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany
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14
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Lerch S, Tolksdorf G, Schütz P, Brandwein C, Dormann C, Gass P, Chourbaji S. Effects of Embryo Transfer on Emotional Behaviors in C57BL/6 Mice. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 2016; 55:510-519. [PMID: 27657704 PMCID: PMC5029820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2015] [Revised: 02/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Microbiologic standardization plays a key role in the management of animal facilities because contamination of stock could affect the health status and wellbeing of animals and thereby induce artifacts in biomedical research. One common method to avoid the dissemination of pathogens is embryo transfer (ET). Although disturbances in the perinatal environment may cause long-lasting effects on the behavior and physiology of mouse offspring, the influences of ET during this sensitive phase have not yet been addressed. Our study investigated the effects of various components of ET (anesthesia, surgery, recipient strain) on the behavior of dams (exploration, nest-building) and offspring (nest-building, exploration, anxiety, and social and depressive-like behaviors). For ET, the donor strain C57BL/6N and a standard protocol were used. Whereas treatment with anesthesia-analgesia did not affect maternal behavior, female offspring demonstrated overall effects on weight gain and corticosterone levels. Compared with naturally delivered female offspring, dams obtained through ET demonstrated decreased exploration and nest-building. In addition, female ET-derived offspring had enhanced levels of anxiety and increased social interest. Furthermore, ET-derived dams obtained by using NMRI as the recipient strain showed increased exploratory behavior compared with that of dams obtained by using C57 mice as recipients. Compared with using C57 as recipients, both sexes of offspring transferred into NMRI recipients weighed more, and female mice showed a depressive-like phenotype. Our findings suggest that ET, now considered to be a routine procedure in animal husbandry, bears the risk of introducing artifacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Lerch
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Gabriele Tolksdorf
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Patrizia Schütz
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Christof Dormann
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Peter Gass
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sabine Chourbaji
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility, University of Heidelberg, Germany; chourbaji@uni-heidelberg
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15
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Schmidt M, Brandwein C, Luoni A, Sandrini P, Calzoni T, Deuschle M, Cirulli F, Riva M, Gass P. Morc1 knockout evokes a depression-like phenotype in mice. Behav Brain Res 2016; 296:7-14. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2015] [Revised: 08/01/2015] [Accepted: 08/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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16
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Lerch S, Dormann C, Brandwein C, Gass P, Chourbaji S. The scent of stress: environmental challenge in the peripartum environment of mice affects emotional behaviours of the adult offspring in a sex-specific manner. Lab Anim 2015; 50:167-78. [PMID: 26408077 DOI: 10.1177/0023677215603260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Early adverse experiences are known to influence the risk of developing psychiatric disorders later. To shed further light on the development of laboratory mice, we systematically examined the influence of a prenatal or postnatal olfactory stressor, namely unfamiliar male mouse faeces, presented to pregnant or nursing mouse dams. Maternal and offspring behaviours were then examined. Maternal behaviours relative to controls revealed changes in nest building by the pregnant dams exposed to the unfamiliar faeces. There were no differences among groups on pup retrieval or exploration by the dams. Behavioural phenotyping of male and female offspring as adults included measures of exploration, anxiety, social and depressive-like behaviours. Additionally, serum corticosterone was assessed as a marker of physiological stress response. Group differences were dependent on the sex of the adult offspring. Males raised by dams that were stressed during pregnancy presented elevated emotionality as indicated by increased numbers of faecal boluses in the open field paradigm. Consistent with the effects of prenatal stress on the males only the prenatally stressed females had higher body weights than their respective controls. Indeed, males in both experimental groups had higher circulating corticosterone levels. By contrast, female offspring of dams exposed to the olfactory stressor after parturition were more anxious in the O-maze as indicated by increased latencies in entering the exposed areas of the maze. These findings emphasize the necessity for researchers to consider the pre- and postnatal environments, even of mice with almost identical genetic backgrounds, in designing experiments and interpreting their data.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Lerch
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility (IBF), University of Heidelberg, Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI) Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - C Dormann
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility (IBF), University of Heidelberg, Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI) Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - C Brandwein
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility (IBF), University of Heidelberg, Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI) Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - P Gass
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility (IBF), University of Heidelberg, Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI) Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - S Chourbaji
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility (IBF), University of Heidelberg, Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI) Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
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17
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Lerch S, Brandwein C, Dormann C, Gass P, Chourbaji S. Mice age - Does the age of the mother predict offspring behaviour? Physiol Behav 2015; 147:157-62. [PMID: 25914174 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.04.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2015] [Revised: 04/20/2015] [Accepted: 04/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Increasing paternal age is known to be associated with a great variety of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia or autism. Hence the factor "age" may be taken as strategic tool to analyse specific scientific hypotheses. Additionally, this finding also needs to be addressed in rather pragmatically performed breeding protocols of model organisms, since otherwise artefacts may challenge the validity of the results. Our study was performed to investigate influences of advanced age of mouse dams (30 vs. 16weeks) on maternal- and offspring behaviour. Adult offspring of both sexes was analysed in a test battery comprising paradigms for exploration, anxiety and depressive-like behaviours. Final blood sampling was conducted for stressphysiological analysis. Interestingly, advanced age of the mothers was associated with increased nest-building quality while maternal activity was unaffected. Moreover "maternal (mice) age" (MA) affected emotionality in the offspring, which became apparent in the dark-light box and the social recognition paradigm. These findings not only emphasize MA to model a potent risk factor with regard to emotional stability, but also underscore the vast necessity to include information about breeding protocols into the methods section of any animal study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Lerch
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility (IBF), University of Heidelberg, Germany; Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christiane Brandwein
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility (IBF), University of Heidelberg, Germany; Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christof Dormann
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility (IBF), University of Heidelberg, Germany; Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Peter Gass
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility (IBF), University of Heidelberg, Germany; Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sabine Chourbaji
- Interfaculty Biomedical Research Facility (IBF), University of Heidelberg, Germany; Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
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18
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Chourbaji S, Hoyer C, Richter SH, Brandwein C, Pfeiffer N, Vogt MA, Vollmayr B, Gass P. Differences in mouse maternal care behavior - is there a genetic impact of the glucocorticoid receptor? PLoS One 2011; 6:e19218. [PMID: 21552522 PMCID: PMC3084270 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2011] [Accepted: 03/22/2011] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Depressive episodes are frequently preceded by stressful life events. Evidence from genetic association studies suggests a role for the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), an essential element in the regulation of stress responses, in the pathophysiology of the disorder. Since the stress response system is affected by pregnancy and postpartum-associated changes, it has also been implicated in the pathophysiology of postpartum depression. Using a 2×2 factorial design, we investigated whether a heterozygous deletion of GR would influence maternal care behavior in C57BL/6 and Balb/c mice, two inbred strains known to display qualitative differences in this behavior. Behavioral observation was carried out between postnatal days 1 and 7, followed by a pup retrieval test on postnatal days 7 or 8. While previously noted inter-strain differences were confirmed for different manifestations of caring behavior, self-maintenance and neglecting behaviors as well as the pup retrieval test, no strain-independent effect of the GR mutation was noted. However, an interaction between GR genotype and licking/grooming behavior was observed: it was down-regulated in heterozygous C57BL/6 mice to the level recorded for Balb/c mice. Home cage observation poses minimal disturbance of the dam and her litter as compared to more invasive assessments of dams' emotional behavior. This might be a reason for the absence of any overall effects of the GR mutation, particularly since GR heterozygous animals display a depressive-like phenotype under stressful conditions only. Still, the subtle effect we observed may point towards a role of GR in postpartum affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Carolin Hoyer
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Peter Gass
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany
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19
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Richter SH, Garner JP, Zipser B, Lewejohann L, Sachser N, Touma C, Schindler B, Chourbaji S, Brandwein C, Gass P, van Stipdonk N, van der Harst J, Spruijt B, Võikar V, Wolfer DP, Würbel H. Effect of population heterogenization on the reproducibility of mouse behavior: a multi-laboratory study. PLoS One 2011; 6:e16461. [PMID: 21305027 PMCID: PMC3031565 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0016461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2010] [Accepted: 12/17/2010] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
In animal experiments, animals, husbandry and test procedures are traditionally standardized to maximize test sensitivity and minimize animal use, assuming that this will also guarantee reproducibility. However, by reducing within-experiment variation, standardization may limit inference to the specific experimental conditions. Indeed, we have recently shown in mice that standardization may generate spurious results in behavioral tests, accounting for poor reproducibility, and that this can be avoided by population heterogenization through systematic variation of experimental conditions. Here, we examined whether a simple form of heterogenization effectively improves reproducibility of test results in a multi-laboratory situation. Each of six laboratories independently ordered 64 female mice of two inbred strains (C57BL/6NCrl, DBA/2NCrl) and examined them for strain differences in five commonly used behavioral tests under two different experimental designs. In the standardized design, experimental conditions were standardized as much as possible in each laboratory, while they were systematically varied with respect to the animals' test age and cage enrichment in the heterogenized design. Although heterogenization tended to improve reproducibility by increasing within-experiment variation relative to between-experiment variation, the effect was too weak to account for the large variation between laboratories. However, our findings confirm the potential of systematic heterogenization for improving reproducibility of animal experiments and highlight the need for effective and practicable heterogenization strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Helene Richter
- Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Mannheim, Germany
- Animal Welfare and Ethology, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Behavioural Biology, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
| | - Joseph P. Garner
- Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Benjamin Zipser
- Behavioural Biology, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- Behavioural Biology, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
| | - Norbert Sachser
- Behavioural Biology, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
| | - Chadi Touma
- Psychoneuroendocrinology, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Britta Schindler
- Psychoneuroendocrinology, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Sabine Chourbaji
- Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Mannheim, Germany
| | - Christiane Brandwein
- Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Mannheim, Germany
| | - Peter Gass
- Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Mannheim, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Vootele Võikar
- Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - David P. Wolfer
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Hanno Würbel
- Animal Welfare and Ethology, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- * E-mail:
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20
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Chourbaji S, Brandwein C, Gass P. Altering BDNF expression by genetics and/or environment: impact for emotional and depression-like behaviour in laboratory mice. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2010; 35:599-611. [PMID: 20621121 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2010] [Revised: 07/01/2010] [Accepted: 07/02/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
According to the "neurotrophin hypothesis", brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is an important candidate gene in depression. Moreover, environmental stress is known to represent a risk factor in the pathophysiology and treatment of this disease. To elucidate, whether changes of BDNF availability signify cause or consequence of depressive-like alterations, it is essential to look for endophenotypes under distinct genetic conditions (e.g. altered BDNF expression). Furthermore it is crucial to examine environment-driven BDNF regulation and its effect on depressive-linked features. Consequently, gene × environment studies investigating prospective genetic mouse models of depression in different environmental contexts become increasingly important. The present review summarizes recent findings in BDNF-mutant mice, which have been controversially discussed as models of depression and anxiety. It furthermore illustrates the potential of environment to serve as naturalistic stressor with the potential to modulate the phenotype in wildtype and mutant mice. Moreover, environment may exert protective effects by regulating BDNF levels as attributed to "environmental enrichment". The effect of this beneficial condition will also be discussed with regard to probable "curative/therapeutic" approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Chourbaji
- Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), University of Heidelberg, Germany.
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21
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Molteni R, Calabrese F, Chourbaji S, Brandwein C, Racagni G, Gass P, Riva MA. Depression-prone mice with reduced glucocorticoid receptor expression display an altered stress-dependent regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein. J Psychopharmacol 2010; 24:595-603. [PMID: 19074532 DOI: 10.1177/0269881108099815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that depression is characterised by impaired brain plasticity that might originate from the interaction between genetic and environmental risk factors. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate changes in neuroplasticity following exposure to stress, an environmental condition highly relevant to psychiatric disorders, in glucocorticoid receptor-deficient mice (GR(+/-)), a genetic model of predisposition to depression. Specifically, we have analysed the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the immediate-early gene activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein (Arc), two closely related molecules that can contribute to neuroplastic and morphological changes observed in depression. We found a region-specific influence of the GR-genotype on BDNF levels both under basal and stress conditions. Steady-state levels of BDNF mRNA were unchanged in hippocampus while up-regulated in frontal lobe of GR(+/-) mice. Following exposure to an acute stress, increased processing from pro- to mature BDNF was observed in hippocampal synaptosomes of wild-type mice, but not in GR mutants. Furthermore, the stress-dependent modulation of Arc was impaired in the hippocampus of GR(+/-) mice. These results indicate that GR(+/-) mice show overt differences in the stress-induced modulation of neuroplastic proteins, which may contribute to pathologic conditions that may originate following gene x environment interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Molteni
- Center of Neuropharmacology, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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22
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Trajkovska V, Kirkegaard L, Krey G, Marcussen AB, Thomsen MS, Chourbaji S, Brandwein C, Ridder S, Halldin C, Gass P, Knudsen GM, Aznar S. Activation of glucocorticoid receptors increases 5-HT2A receptor levels. Exp Neurol 2009; 218:83-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2009.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2008] [Revised: 04/02/2009] [Accepted: 04/07/2009] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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23
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Chourbaji S, Vogt MA, Fumagalli F, Sohr R, Frasca A, Brandwein C, Hörtnagl H, Riva MA, Sprengel R, Gass P. AMPA receptor subunit 1 (GluR-A) knockout mice model the glutamate hypothesis of depression. FASEB J 2008; 22:3129-34. [PMID: 18492725 DOI: 10.1096/fj.08-106450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Recent evidence indicates that glutamate homeostasis and neurotransmission are altered in major depressive disorder, but the nature of the disruption and the mechanisms by which it contributes to the syndrome are unclear. Glutamate can act via AMPA, NMDA, or metabotropic receptors. Using targeted mutagenesis, we demonstrate here that mice with deletion of the main AMPA receptor subunit GluR-A represent a depression model with good face and construct validity, showing behavioral and neurochemical features of depression also postulated for human patients. GluR-A(-/-) mice display increased learned helplessness, decreased serotonin and norepinephrine levels, and disturbed glutamate homeostasis with increased glutamate levels and increased NMDA receptor expression. These results correspond well with current concepts regarding the role of AMPA and NMDA receptors in depression, postulating that compounds that augment AMPA receptor signaling or decrease NMDA receptor functions have antidepressant effects. GluR-A(-/-) mice represent a model to investigate the pathophysiology underlying the depressive phenotype and to identify changes in neural plasticity and resilience evoked by the genetic alterations in glutamatergic function. Furthermore, GluR-A(-/-) mice may be a valuable tool to study biological mechanisms of AMPA receptor modulators and the efficacy of NMDA antagonists in reducing behavioral or biochemical changes that correlate with increased helplessness.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Chourbaji
- Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
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24
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Vogt M, Chourbaji S, Brandwein C, Dormann C, Sprengel R, Gass P. Suitability of tamoxifen-induced mutagenesis for behavioral phenotyping. Exp Neurol 2008; 211:25-33. [DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2007.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2007] [Revised: 11/30/2007] [Accepted: 12/04/2007] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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25
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Chourbaji S, Brandwein C, Vogt MA, Dormann C, Gass P. Evaluation of effects of previous exposure to an acute stressor before testing for depression-like behaviours in mice. Stress 2008; 11:170-5. [PMID: 18311605 DOI: 10.1080/10253890701560119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Test batteries are an essential and broadly used tool for behavioural phenotyping, especially with regard to mouse models of particular diseases, such as depression. Facing the problem of an often limited number of mutant animals, it therefore seems crucial to develop and optimise such test batteries in terms of an ideal throughput of subjects. This study aimed to characterize several common stressors, which are used for the investigation of depressive-like features with regard to their capability of each of them to affect performance in a subsequent behavioural test. Here we investigated swim-, restraint- and footshock-stress in male C57/BL6 mice, focusing on post-stress corticosterone elevations as well as potential effects on the behavioural level. The stressors increased circulating corticosterone levels when assessed 1 h after exposure. On the behavioural level, no test interactions could be detected, which suggests, that in general, combining these test conditions in experiments with a restricted availability of animals seems to be rather unproblematic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Chourbaji
- Department of Behavioural Biology, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.
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26
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Belz T, Liu HK, Bock D, Takacs A, Vogt M, Wintermantel T, Brandwein C, Gass P, Greiner E, Schütz G. Inactivation of the gene for the nuclear receptor tailless in the brain preserving its function in the eye. Eur J Neurosci 2007; 26:2222-7. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2007.05841.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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27
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Chourbaji S, Brandwein C, Gau D, Depner M, Saam C, Johansson C, Schalling M, Partonen T, Kasper S, Adolfsson R, Urani A, Lemberger T, Schütz G, Schumann G, Gass P. CREB-regulated diurnal activity patterns are not indicative for depression-like symptoms in mice and men. Med Hypotheses 2007; 70:117-21. [PMID: 17574346 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2007.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2006] [Accepted: 04/04/2007] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Activation of the transcription factor CREB by Ser142 phosphorylation is implicated in synchronizing circadian rhythmicity, which is disturbed in many depressive patients. Hence, one could assume that emotional behaviour and neuroendocrinological markers would be altered in CREB(S142A) mice, in which serine 142 is replaced by alanine, preventing phosphorylation at this residue. Moreover, associations of CREB Ser142 and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) might be detectable by the analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CREB gene close to the Ser142 residue in SAD patients. However, neither CREB(S142A) mice demonstrate features of depression, nor there is evidence for an association of SAD with the CREB genotypes. Nevertheless, in humans there is an association of a global seasonality score and circadian rhythmicity with the CREB genotypes in healthy control probands, but not SAD patients. This parallels the phenotype of CREB(S142A) mice, presenting alterations of circadian rhythm and light-induced entrainment. Thus it is reasonable to assume that CREB Ser142 represents a molecular switch in mice and men, which is responsible for the (dys)regulation of circadian rhythms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Chourbaji
- Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), University of Heidelberg, Germany.
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28
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Schulte-Herbrüggen O, Hellweg R, Chourbaji S, Ridder S, Brandwein C, Gass P, Hörtnagl H. Differential regulation of neurotrophins and serotonergic function in mice with genetically reduced glucocorticoid receptor expression. Exp Neurol 2007; 204:307-16. [PMID: 17208231 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2006.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2006] [Revised: 10/13/2006] [Accepted: 11/17/2006] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The neurotrophin and serotonin (5-HT) hypotheses of depression were studied in a mouse model of reduced glucocorticoid receptor (GR) function (GR(+/-) mice), which recently has been proven as a murine model of predisposition for depressive behaviour under stressful conditions. In this model we studied diurnal changes in neurotrophins and serotonergic function in candidate brain regions mediating depressive behaviour. Morning and evening levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), 5-HT and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were analyzed in representative brain regions of GR(+/-) and wildtype mice. The diurnal variation of hippocampal BDNF in wildtypes with higher levels in the morning was absent in GR(+/-) mice. Hypothalamus and parietal cortex displayed enhanced BDNF levels in GR(+/-) mice. In the frontal cortex, striatum and hypothalamus NGF increased from morning to evening in both genotypes, with an exaggeration in GR(+/-) mice. The diurnal variation of 5-HT levels and turnover did not differ significantly between genotypes. It was only in the hypothalamus that the evening level of 5-HIAA was lower in GR(+/-) mice than in wildtype mice. In conclusion, the present data indicate a contribution of altered BDNF and NGF protein levels to the predisposition for depressive behaviour in the GR(+/-) mouse model of depression, but argue against an eminent role of the serotonergic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olaf Schulte-Herbrüggen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
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29
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Schulte-Herbrüggen O, Chourbaji S, Müller H, Danker-Hopfe H, Brandwein C, Gass P, Hellweg R. Differential regulation of nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in a mouse model of learned helplessness. Exp Neurol 2006; 202:404-9. [PMID: 16914143 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2006.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2006] [Revised: 06/29/2006] [Accepted: 07/06/2006] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Stress-induced helplessness in rodents constitutes a well-defined model to investigate neurobiological mechanisms of depression. Neurotrophins like nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have both been shown to be involved in neurobiological changes of physiological and pathological reactions to stress. In this study we investigated NGF and BDNF protein levels in the frontal cortex and hippocampus in mice treated with an established model of inducible helplessness via electric footshocks compared to untreated controls at various times (0 h up to 14 days after treatment). NGF levels were transiently decreased by one forth in the frontal cortex of shocked mice at 6 h after the stress treatment, whereas BDNF levels remained unchanged in the brain areas investigated throughout the time course. In addition, frontal cortex BDNF levels showed a significantly higher concentration in the right compared to the left hemisphere (up to 3-fold). This effect was detectable independently of treatment, namely in shocked and control mice at any time point measured. In conclusion, a transient decrease of frontal NGF constitutes the most striking correlate of neurobiological changes in this animal model of stress-induced change of behaviour. Interhemispherical differences of BDNF content in the frontal cortex are a new finding that might reflect intracerebral side dominance. Thus, subsequent studies of frontal cortex BDNF expression should carefully consider an interhemispherical variance to avoid misinterpretation.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Schulte-Herbrüggen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Eschenallee 3, 14050 Berlin, Germany
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30
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Schulte-Herbrüggen O, Chourbaji S, Ridder S, Brandwein C, Gass P, Hörtnagl H, Hellweg R. Stress-resistant mice overexpressing glucocorticoid receptors display enhanced BDNF in the amygdala and hippocampus with unchanged NGF and serotonergic function. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2006; 31:1266-77. [PMID: 17098367 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2006.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2006] [Revised: 09/19/2006] [Accepted: 09/20/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Dysfunctional glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling has been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of depressive behavior in mice and humans. In accordance with this hypothesis GR overexpressing mice are less susceptible to develop depressive-like behavior when subjected to stressful events. Here, we analyzed GR overexpressing mice for morning and evening content of nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the tissue levels of serotonin and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid) in brain areas suspected to be involved in stress adaptation. BDNF concentrations in the hippocampus and amygdala/piriform cortex were significantly enhanced in GR overexpressing mice (by maximally +103%) compared to wildtype animals. Diurnal variations, as detected for NGF in the hypothalamus, for BDNF in the frontal cortex and striatum and for serotonergic function in the frontal cortex and hypothalamus, were not affected by the genotype. In conclusion, GR overexpression-dependent increases of hippocampal and amygdala BDNF content presumably represent a dynamic correlate of enhanced stress resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olaf Schulte-Herbrüggen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Eschenallee 3, 14050 Berlin, Germany
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31
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Chourbaji S, Urani A, Inta I, Sanchis-Segura C, Brandwein C, Zink M, Schwaninger M, Gass P. IL-6 knockout mice exhibit resistance to stress-induced development of depression-like behaviors. Neurobiol Dis 2006; 23:587-94. [PMID: 16843000 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2006.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 179] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2006] [Revised: 05/02/2006] [Accepted: 05/17/2006] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytokine-dependent mechanisms in the CNS have been implicated in the pathogenesis of depression. Interleukin-6 is upregulated in depressed patients and dowregulated by antidepressants. It is, however, unknown whether IL-6 is involved in the pathogenesis of depression. We subjected IL-6-deficient mice (IL-6(-/-)) to depression-related tests (learned helplessness, forced swimming, tail suspension, sucrose preference). We also investigated IL-6 in the hippocampus of stressed wild-type mice. IL-6(-/-) mice showed reduced despair in the forced swim, and tail suspension test, and enhanced hedonic behavior. Moreover, IL-6(-/-) mice exhibited resistance to helplessness. This resistance may be caused by the lack of IL-6, because stress increased IL-6 expression in wild-type hippocampi. This suggests that IL-6 is a component in molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of depression. IL-6(-/-) mice represent tools to study IL-6-dependent signaling pathways in the pathophysiology of depression in vivo. Moreover, these mice may support the screening of compounds for depression by altering cytokine-mediated signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Chourbaji
- Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI), J5, Mannheim D-68159, Germany.
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Abstract
A case of Crohn's disease with carcinoma of the rectum is reported, bringing the number of reported cases to 44. Although the exact incidence of carcinoma arising in a segment of Crohn's disease is not known, a review of the literature emphasizes that there does seem to be a definite increased risk.
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