1
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Kropp DR, Rainville JR, Glover ME, Tsyglakova M, Samanta R, Hage TR, Carlson AE, Clinton SM, Hodes GE. Chronic variable stress leads to sex specific gut microbiome alterations in mice. Brain Behav Immun Health 2024; 37:100755. [PMID: 38618010 PMCID: PMC11010943 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2024.100755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Stress has been implicated in the incidence and severity of psychiatric and gastrointestinal disorders. The immune system is capable of modulating the activity and composition of the gut following stress and vice versa. In this study we sought to examine the sequential relationship between immune signaling and microbiome composition occurring in male and female mice over time using a variable stress paradigm. Tissue was collected prior to, during, and after the stress paradigm from the same mice. Cytokines from plasma and brain were quantified using a multiplexed cytokine assay. Fecal samples were collected at the same timepoints and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was performed to determine the relative abundance of microbiota residing in the guts of stressed and control mice. We found sex differences in the response of the gut microbiota to stress following 28 days of chronic variable stress but not 6 days of sub-chronic variable stress. Immune activation was quantified in the nucleus accumbens immediately following Sub-chronic variable when alterations of gut composition had not yet occurred. In both sexes, 28 days of stress induced significant changes in the proportion of Erysipelotrichaceae and Lactobacillaceae, but in opposite directions for male and female mice. Alterations to the gut microbiome in both sexes were associated with changes in cytokines related to eosinophilic immune activity. Our use of an animal stress model reveals the immune mechanisms that may underly changes in gut microbiome composition during and after stress. This study reveals potential drug targets and microbiota of interest for the intervention of stress related conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawson R. Kropp
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Jennifer R. Rainville
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Matthew E. Glover
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Mariya Tsyglakova
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Rupabali Samanta
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Tamer R. Hage
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Audrey E. Carlson
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Sarah M. Clinton
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Georgia E. Hodes
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
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2
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Strain MM, Conley NJ, Kauffman LS, Espinoza L, Fedorchak S, Martinez PC, Crook ME, Jalil M, Hodes GE, Abbott SB, Güler AD, Campbell JN, Boychuk CR. Dorsal motor vagal neurons can elicit bradycardia and reduce anxiety-like behavior. iScience 2024; 27:109137. [PMID: 38420585 PMCID: PMC10901094 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109137] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Cardiovagal neurons (CVNs) innervate cardiac ganglia through the vagus nerve to control cardiac function. Although the cardioinhibitory role of CVNs in nucleus ambiguus (CVNNA) is well established, the nature and functionality of CVNs in dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (CVNDMV) is less clear. We therefore aimed to characterize CVNDMV anatomically, physiologically, and functionally. Optogenetically activating cholinergic DMV neurons resulted in robust bradycardia through peripheral muscarinic (parasympathetic) and nicotinic (ganglionic) acetylcholine receptors, but not beta-1-adrenergic (sympathetic) receptors. Retrograde tracing from the cardiac fat pad labeled CVNNA and CVNDMV through the vagus nerve. Using whole-cell patch-clamp, CVNDMV demonstrated greater hyperexcitability and spontaneous action potential firing ex vivo despite similar resting membrane potentials, compared to CVNNA. Chemogenetically activating DMV also caused significant bradycardia with a correlated reduction in anxiety-like behavior. Thus, DMV contains uniquely hyperexcitable CVNs and is capable of cardioinhibition and robust anxiolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misty M. Strain
- Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | | | - Lily S. Kauffman
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Liliana Espinoza
- Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Stephanie Fedorchak
- Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | | | - Maisie E. Crook
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Maira Jalil
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Georgia E. Hodes
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Stephen B.G. Abbott
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Ali D. Güler
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - John N. Campbell
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Carie R. Boychuk
- Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
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3
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Lindenmuth M, Hodes GE, Herd T, Casas B, Kim-Spoon J. Longitudinal associations between dimensions of maltreatment and internalizing symptoms in late adolescence: The role of inflammation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brain Behav Immun Health 2024; 35:100719. [PMID: 38261884 PMCID: PMC10796806 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100719] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Childhood adversity and depression have been linked with heightened inflammation. However, few longitudinal studies examine how dimensions of maltreatment (i.e., abuse and neglect) differentially impact pathways to heightened inflammation and internalizing symptoms. The present study examined effects of abuse and neglect on (1) internalizing symptoms through inflammation, and (2) on inflammation through internalizing symptoms across 3 years of adolescence in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a sample of 78 adolescents, significant indirect effects revealed that childhood abuse, not neglect, significantly predicted future internalizing symptoms, which predicted future heighted C-reactive protein (CRP). Using prospective longitudinal data, these findings emphasize the importance of examining distinct forms of maltreatment in understanding the developmental pathways connecting early adversity, internalizing symptoms, and inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Toria Herd
- College of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Brooks Casas
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Roanoke, VA, USA
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Dalla C, Jaric I, Pavlidi P, Hodes GE, Kokras N, Bespalov A, Kas MJ, Steckler T, Kabbaj M, Würbel H, Marrocco J, Tollkuhn J, Shansky R, Bangasser D, Becker JB, McCarthy M, Ferland-Beckham C. Practical solutions for including sex as a biological variable (SABV) in preclinical neuropsychopharmacological research. J Neurosci Methods 2024; 401:110003. [PMID: 37918446 PMCID: PMC10842858 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.110003] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Recently, many funding agencies have released guidelines on the importance of considering sex as a biological variable (SABV) as an experimental factor, aiming to address sex differences and avoid possible sex biases to enhance the reproducibility and translational relevance of preclinical research. In neuroscience and pharmacology, the female sex is often omitted from experimental designs, with researchers generalizing male-driven outcomes to both sexes, risking a biased or limited understanding of disease mechanisms and thus potentially ineffective therapeutics. Herein, we describe key methodological aspects that should be considered when sex is factored into in vitro and in vivo experiments and provide practical knowledge for researchers to incorporate SABV into preclinical research. Both age and sex significantly influence biological and behavioral processes due to critical changes at different timepoints of development for males and females and due to hormonal fluctuations across the rodent lifespan. We show that including both sexes does not require larger sample sizes, and even if sex is included as an independent variable in the study design, a moderate increase in sample size is sufficient. Moreover, the importance of tracking hormone levels in both sexes and the differentiation between sex differences and sex-related strategy in behaviors are explained. Finally, the lack of robust data on how biological sex influences the pharmacokinetic (PK), pharmacodynamic (PD), or toxicological effects of various preclinically administered drugs to animals due to the exclusion of female animals is discussed, and methodological strategies to enhance the rigor and translational relevance of preclinical research are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Dalla
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.
| | - Ivana Jaric
- Animal Welfare Division, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Pavlina Pavlidi
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Nikolaos Kokras
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece; First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - Anton Bespalov
- Partnership for Assessment and Accreditation of Scientific Practice (PAASP GmbH), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Martien J Kas
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Mohamed Kabbaj
- Department of Biomedical Sciences & Neurosciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, USA
| | - Hanno Würbel
- Animal Welfare Division, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jordan Marrocco
- Department of Biology, Touro University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | | | - Rebecca Shansky
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02128, USA
| | - Debra Bangasser
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Jill B Becker
- Department of Psychology and Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Margaret McCarthy
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Baltimore MD, USA
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5
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Hodes GE, Bangasser D, Sotiropoulos I, Kokras N, Dalla C. Sex Differences in Stress Response: Classical Mechanisms and Beyond. Curr Neuropharmacol 2024; 22:475-494. [PMID: 37855285 PMCID: PMC10845083 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x22666231005090134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuropsychiatric disorders, which are associated with stress hormone dysregulation, occur at different rates in men and women. Moreover, nowadays, preclinical and clinical evidence demonstrates that sex and gender can lead to differences in stress responses that predispose males and females to different expressions of similar pathologies. In this curated review, we focus on what is known about sex differences in classic mechanisms of stress response, such as glucocorticoid hormones and corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF), which are components of the hypothalamicpituitary- adrenal (HPA) axis. Then, we present sex differences in neurotransmitter levels, such as serotonin, dopamine, glutamate and GABA, as well as indices of neurodegeneration, such as amyloid β and Tau. Gonadal hormone effects, such as estrogens and testosterone, are also discussed throughout the review. We also review in detail preclinical data investigating sex differences caused by recentlyrecognized regulators of stress and disease, such as the immune system, genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, as well neurosteroids. Finally, we discuss how understanding sex differences in stress responses, as well as in pharmacology, can be leveraged into novel, more efficacious therapeutics for all. Based on the supporting evidence, it is obvious that incorporating sex as a biological variable into preclinical research is imperative for the understanding and treatment of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety and Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Debra Bangasser
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ioannis Sotiropoulos
- Institute of Biosciences & Applications NCSR “Demokritos”, Athens, Greece
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
| | - Nikolaos Kokras
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Christina Dalla
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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6
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Strain MM, Conley NJ, Kauffman LS, Espinoza L, Fedorchak S, Martinez PC, Crook ME, Jalil M, Hodes GE, Abbott SBG, Güler AD, Campbell JN, Boychuk CR. Dorsal Motor Vagal Neurons Can Elicit Bradycardia and Reduce Anxiety-Like Behavior. bioRxiv 2023:2023.11.14.566855. [PMID: 38014247 PMCID: PMC10680764 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.14.566855] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Cardiovagal neurons (CVNs) innervate cardiac ganglia through the vagus nerve to control cardiac function. Although the cardioinhibitory role of CVNs in nucleus ambiguus (CVNNA) is well established, the nature and functionality of CVNs in dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (CVNDMV) is less clear. We therefore aimed to characterize CVNDMV anatomically, physiologically, and functionally. Optogenetically activating cholinergic DMV neurons resulted in robust bradycardia through peripheral muscarinic (parasympathetic) and nicotinic (ganglionic) acetylcholine receptors, but not beta-1-adrenergic (sympathetic) receptors. Retrograde tracing from the cardiac fat pad labeled CVNNA and CVNDMV through the vagus nerve. Using whole cell patch clamp, CVNDMV demonstrated greater hyperexcitability and spontaneous action potential firing ex vivo despite similar resting membrane potentials, compared to CVNNA. Chemogenetically activating DMV also caused significant bradycardia with a correlated reduction in anxiety-like behavior. Thus, DMV contains uniquely hyperexcitable CVNs capable of cardioinhibition and robust anxiolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misty M. Strain
- Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
| | | | - Lily S. Kauffman
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Liliana Espinoza
- Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
| | - Stephanie Fedorchak
- Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
| | | | - Maisie E. Crook
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Maira Jalil
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Georgia E. Hodes
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
| | | | - Ali D. Güler
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - John N. Campbell
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
| | - Carie R. Boychuk
- Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
- Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
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7
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Swilley C, Lin Y, Zheng Y, Xu X, Liu M, Jarome T, Hodes GE, Xie H. Sex linked behavioral and hippocampal transcriptomic changes in mice with cell-type specific Egr1 loss. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1240209. [PMID: 37928724 PMCID: PMC10623684 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1240209] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The transcription factor EGR1 is instrumental in numerous neurological processes, encompassing learning and memory as well as the reaction to stress. Egr1 complete knockout mice demonstrate decreased depressive or anxiety-like behavior and impaired performance in spatial learning and memory. Nevertheless, the specific functions of Egr1 in distinct cell types have been largely underexplored. In this study, we cataloged the behavioral and transcriptomic character of Nestin-Cre mediated Egr1 conditional knockout (Egr1cKO) mice together with their controls. Although the conditional knockout did not change nociceptive or anxiety responses, it triggered changes in female exploratory activity during anxiety testing. Hippocampus-dependent spatial learning in the object location task was unaffected, but female Egr1cKO mice did exhibit poorer retention during testing on a contextual fear conditioning task compared to males. RNA-seq data analyses revealed that the presence of the floxed Egr1 cassette or Nestin-Cre driver alone exerts a subtle influence on hippocampal gene expression. The sex-related differences were amplified in Nestin-Cre mediated Egr1 conditional knockout mice and female mice are more sensitive to the loss of Egr1 gene. Differentially expressed genes resulted from the loss of Egr1 in neuronal cell lineage were significantly associated with the regulation of Wnt signaling pathway, extracellular matrix, and axon guidance. Altogether, our results demonstrate that Nestin-Cre and the loss of Egr1 in neuronal cell lineage have distinct impacts on hippocampal gene expression in a sex-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody Swilley
- Epigenomics and Computational Biology Lab, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Yu Lin
- Epigenomics and Computational Biology Lab, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Genetics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Yuze Zheng
- Epigenomics and Computational Biology Lab, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Xiguang Xu
- Epigenomics and Computational Biology Lab, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Min Liu
- Epigenomics and Computational Biology Lab, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Timothy Jarome
- School of Animal Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Georgia E. Hodes
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Hehuang Xie
- Epigenomics and Computational Biology Lab, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Genetics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
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Abstract
Depression is a heterogenous disorder with symptoms that present differently across individuals. In a subset of people depression is associated with alterations of the immune system that may contribute to disorder onset and symptomology. Women are twice as likely to develop depression and on average have a more sensitive adaptive and innate immune system when compared to men. Sex differences in pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), cell populations, and circulating cytokines play a critical role in inflammation onset. Sex differences in innate and adaptive immunity change the response of and repair to damage caused by dangerous pathogens or molecules in the body. This article reviews the evidence for sex specific immune responses that contribute to the sex differences in symptoms of depression that may account for the higher rate of depression in women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawson R Kropp
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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9
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Walker DM, Zhou X, Cunningham AM, Ramakrishnan A, Cates HM, Lardner CK, Peña CJ, Bagot RC, Issler O, Van der Zee Y, Lipschultz AP, Godino A, Browne CJ, Hodes GE, Parise EM, Torres-Berrio A, Kennedy PJ, Shen L, Zhang B, Nestler EJ. Crystallin Mu in Medial Amygdala Mediates the Effect of Social Experience on Cocaine Seeking in Males but Not in Females. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 92:895-906. [PMID: 36182529 PMCID: PMC9828478 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.06.026] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social experiences influence susceptibility to substance use disorder. The adolescent period is associated with the development of social reward and is exceptionally sensitive to disruptions to reward-associated behaviors by social experiences. Social isolation (SI) during adolescence alters anxiety- and reward-related behaviors in adult males, but little is known about females. The medial amygdala (meA) is a likely candidate for the modulation of social influence on drug reward because it regulates social reward, develops during adolescence, and is sensitive to social stress. However, little is known regarding how the meA responds to drugs of abuse. METHODS We used adolescent SI coupled with RNA sequencing to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying meA regulation of social influence on reward. RESULTS We show that SI in adolescence, a well-established preclinical model for addiction susceptibility, enhances preference for cocaine in male but not in female mice and alters cocaine-induced protein and transcriptional profiles within the adult meA particularly in males. To determine whether transcriptional mechanisms within the meA are important for these behavioral effects, we manipulated Crym expression, a sex-specific key driver gene identified through differential gene expression and coexpression network analyses, specifically in meA neurons. Overexpression of Crym, but not another key driver that did not meet our sex-specific criteria, recapitulated the behavioral and transcriptional effects of adolescent SI. CONCLUSIONS These results show that the meA is essential for modulating the sex-specific effects of social experience on drug reward and establish Crym as a critical mediator of sex-specific behavioral and transcriptional plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deena M Walker
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Xianxiao Zhou
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Ashley M Cunningham
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Aarthi Ramakrishnan
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Hannah M Cates
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Casey K Lardner
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Catherine J Peña
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Rosemary C Bagot
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Orna Issler
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Yentl Van der Zee
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Andrew P Lipschultz
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Arthur Godino
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Caleb J Browne
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Eric M Parise
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Angelica Torres-Berrio
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Pamela J Kennedy
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Li Shen
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Icahn Genomics Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Eric J Nestler
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
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10
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Rainville JR, Lipuma T, Hodes GE. Translating the Transcriptome: Sex Differences in the Mechanisms of Depression and Stress, Revisited. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:25-35. [PMID: 33865609 PMCID: PMC10197090 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The past decade has produced a plethora of studies examining sex differences in the transcriptional profiles of stress and mood disorders. As we move forward from accepting the existence of extensive molecular sex differences in the brain to exploring the purpose of these sex differences, our approach must become more systemic and less reductionist. Earlier studies have examined specific brain regions and/or cell types. To use this knowledge to develop the next generation of personalized medicine, we need to comprehend how transcriptional changes across the brain and/or the body relate to each other. We provide an overview of the relationships between baseline and depression/stress-related transcriptional sex differences and explore contributions of preclinically identified mechanisms and their impacts on behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer R Rainville
- Department of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Timothy Lipuma
- Department of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Department of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia.
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11
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Tsyglakova M, Huskey AM, Hurst EH, Telep NM, Wilding MC, Babington ME, Rainville JR, Hodes GE. Sex and region-specific effects of variable stress on microglia morphology. Brain Behav Immun Health 2021; 18:100378. [PMID: 34820640 PMCID: PMC8600001 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [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: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a common and debilitating mood disorder that is more prevalent in women than men. In humans, PET imaging of microglia activation is currently being explored as a potential biomarker of MDD and suicidal ideation. Stress is a trigger for many mood disorders, including MDD. Microglial changes in morphology and activation state in response to stress has been reported in various brain regions, but most studies only examined male subjects. Here we report changes in microglia morphology in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and subregions of the hippocampus (HPC) in both male and female mice following variable stress of 6 or 28 days in duration. Our data demonstrate that after 6 days of stress, microglia in the female NAc and dentate gyrus have a reduction in homeostatic associated morphology and an increase in primed microglia. After 28 days some of these sex specific stress effects were still present in microglia within the NAc but not the dentate gyrus. There were no effects of stress in either sex at either timepoint in CA1. In female mice, anti-inflammatory activation of microglia using rosiglitazone promoted sociability behavior after 6 days of stress. Furthermore, both drug and stress have impact on microglia morphology and activation state in the NAc. These data suggest that microglia morphology and activation state are altered by 6 days of variable stress in a region-specific manner and may contribute to, or potentially compensate for, the onset of stress susceptibility rather than impacting long term exposure to stress. There are region and sex specific effects of stress on microglia. Female microglia respond more strongly to shorter periods of stress. Rosiglitazone increases social interaction in stressed female mice. Rosiglitazone does not block stress induced microglia activation in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariya Tsyglakova
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Graduate Program in Translational Biology, Medicine and Health, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Alisa M Huskey
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Emily H Hurst
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Natalie M Telep
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Mary C Wilding
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Meghan E Babington
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Jennifer R Rainville
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
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12
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Glover ME, Cohen JL, Singer JR, Sabbagh MN, Rainville JR, Hyland MT, Morrow CD, Weaver CT, Hodes GE, Kerman IA, Clinton SM. Examining the Role of Microbiota in Emotional Behavior: Antibiotic Treatment Exacerbates Anxiety in High Anxiety-Prone Male Rats. Neuroscience 2021; 459:179-197. [PMID: 33540050 PMCID: PMC7965353 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.01.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Intestinal microbiota are essential for healthy gastrointestinal function and also broadly influence brain function and behavior, in part, through changes in immune function. Gastrointestinal disorders are highly comorbid with psychiatric disorders, although biological mechanisms linking these disorders are poorly understood. The present study utilized rats bred for distinct emotional behavior phenotypes to examine relationships between emotionality, the microbiome, and immune markers. Prior work showed that Low Novelty Responder (LR) rats exhibit high levels of anxiety- and depression-related behaviors as well as myriad neurobiological differences compared to High Novelty Responders (HRs). Here, we hypothesized that the divergent HR/LR phenotypes are accompanied by changes in fecal microbiome composition. We used next-generation sequencing to assess the HR/LR microbiomes and then treated adult HR/LR males with an antibiotic cocktail to test whether it altered behavior. Given known connections between the microbiome and immune system, we also analyzed circulating cytokines and metabolic factors to determine relationships between peripheral immune markers, gut microbiome components, and behavioral measures. There were no baseline HR/LR microbiome differences, and antibiotic treatment disrupted the microbiome in both HR and LR rats. Antibiotic treatment exacerbated aspects of HR/LR behavior, increasing LRs' already high levels of anxiety-like behavior while reducing passive stress coping in both strains. Our results highlight the importance of an individual's phenotype to their response to antibiotics, contributing to the understanding of the complex interplay between gut microbes, immune function, and an individual's emotional phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Glover
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
| | - J L Cohen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - J R Singer
- MD/PhD Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - M N Sabbagh
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - J R Rainville
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - M T Hyland
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - C D Morrow
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - C T Weaver
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - G E Hodes
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Ilan A Kerman
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA; Behavioral Health Service Line, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Health System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - S M Clinton
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
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13
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Kumar M, Rainville JR, Williams K, Lile JA, Hodes GE, Vassoler FM, Turner JR. Sexually dimorphic neuroimmune response to chronic opioid treatment and withdrawal. Neuropharmacology 2021; 186:108469. [PMID: 33485944 PMCID: PMC7988821 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Opioid use disorder is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Increasing pre-clinical and clinical evidence demonstrates sex differences in opioid use and dependence. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms contributing to these effects, including neuroinflammation, are still obscure. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of oxycodone exposure and withdrawal on sex- and region-specific neuroimmune response. Real-time PCR and multiplex cytokine array analysis demonstrated elevated neuroinflammation with increased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, and aberrant oligodendroglial response in reward neurocircuitry, following withdrawal from chronic oxycodone treatment. Chronic oxycodone and withdrawal treated male mice had lower mRNA expression of TMEM119 along with elevated protein levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines and growth factors (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-7, IL-9, IL-12, IL-15, IL17, M-CSF, VEGF) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) as compared to their female counterparts. In contrast, reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-9, IL-12, CCL11) was observed in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of oxycodone and withdrawal-treated males as compared to female mice. No treatment specific effects were observed on the mRNA expression of putative microglial activation markers (Iba1, CD68), but an overall sex specific decrease in the mRNA expression of Iba1 and CD68 was found in the PFC and NAc of male mice as compared to females. Moreover, a sex and region-specific increase in the mRNA levels of oligodendrocyte lineage markers (NG2, Sox10) was also observed in oxycodone and withdrawal treated animals. These findings may open a new avenue for the development of sex-specific precision therapeutics for opioid dependence by targeting region-specific neuroimmune signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohit Kumar
- University of Kentucky, College of Pharmacy, KY, USA
| | - Jennifer R Rainville
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, School of Neuroscience, VA, USA
| | - Kori Williams
- University of Kentucky, College of Pharmacy, KY, USA
| | - Joshua A Lile
- University of Kentucky, College of Medicine, KY, USA
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, School of Neuroscience, VA, USA
| | - Fair M Vassoler
- Tufts University, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, MA, USA
| | - Jill R Turner
- University of Kentucky, College of Pharmacy, KY, USA.
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14
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Johnson A, Rainville JR, Rivero-Ballon GN, Dhimitri K, Hodes GE. Testing the Limits of Sex Differences Using Variable Stress. Neuroscience 2020; 454:72-84. [PMID: 31917340 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.12.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [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: 06/01/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Depression is a chronic disease that affects nearly twice as many women as men, and symptoms can differ by sex. Preclinical models disproportionately use male subjects and test a single behavioral endpoint immediately at the cessation of stress. We conducted variable stress in male and female mice for 6, 28, and 56 days, and measured behavior with a battery chosen to match research domain criteria. To examine individual differences, we generated a composite z score to measure stress susceptibility across behavioral tests. We also tested behavior following a 30-day recovery period to evaluate the duration of the stress effects. Females, but not males, were susceptible to 6 days of variable stress when behavioral testing started 24 h later. If behavioral testing was conducted 30 days later both males and females expressed stress related behaviors. Males and females were stress susceptible to 28 days of variable stress and effects were long lasting. Both sexes habituated to 56 days of variable stress, but anxiety associated measures still showed persistence. Performance on specific behavioral tests was often different between individuals and between sexes, and not all stressed animals were susceptible to all tested behaviors. These studies confirm that behavioral sex differences are detected in response to variable stress, and reveal information about individual differences. Use of a test battery that measures varying endophenotypes can be combined into a single stress susceptibility score as a tool similar to the scales/inventories used for the study of depression in humans. We present these data with the goal of furthering the field's understanding sex differences and how they shape the biology of mood disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa Johnson
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Jennifer R Rainville
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - G Nicole Rivero-Ballon
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Katerina Dhimitri
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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15
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Pfau ML, Menard C, Cathomas F, Desland F, Kana V, Chan KL, Shimo Y, LeClair K, Flanigan ME, Aleyasin H, Walker DM, Bouchard S, Mack M, Hodes GE, Merad MM, Russo SJ. Role of Monocyte-Derived MicroRNA106b∼25 in Resilience to Social Stress. Biol Psychiatry 2019; 86:474-482. [PMID: 31101319 PMCID: PMC6717005 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [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: 08/13/2018] [Revised: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clinical studies suggest that heightened peripheral inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of stress-related disorders, including major depressive disorder. However, the molecular mechanisms within peripheral immune cells that mediate enhanced stress vulnerability are not well known. Because microRNAs (miRs) are important regulators of immune response, we sought to examine their role in mediating inflammatory and behavioral responses to repeated social defeat stress (RSDS), a mouse model of stress vulnerability that produces susceptible and resilient phenotypes. METHODS We isolated Ly6chigh monocytes via fluorescence-activated cell sorting in the blood of susceptible and resilient mice following RSDS and profiled miR expression via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Bone marrow chimeric mice were generated to confirm a causal role of the miR-106b∼25 cluster in bone marrow-derived leukocytes in mediating stress resilience versus susceptibility. RESULTS We found that RSDS produces an increase in circulating Ly6chigh inflammatory monocytes in both susceptible and resilient mice. We next investigated whether intrinsic leukocyte posttranscriptional mechanisms contribute to individual differences in stress response and the resilient phenotype. Of the miRs profiled in our panel, eight were significantly regulated by RSDS within Ly6chigh monocytes, including miR-25-3p, a member of the miR-106b∼25 cluster. Selective knockout of the miR-106b∼25 cluster in peripheral leukocytes promoted behavioral resilience to RSDS. CONCLUSIONS Our results identify the miR-106b∼25 cluster as a key regulator of stress-induced inflammation and depression that may represent a novel therapeutic target for drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline L Pfau
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Center for Affective Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Caroline Menard
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Cervo Brain Research Center, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Flurin Cathomas
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Center for Affective Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Fiona Desland
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Oncological Science, Tisch Cancer Institute and Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Veronika Kana
- Department of Oncological Science, Tisch Cancer Institute and Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Kenny L Chan
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Center for Affective Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Yusuke Shimo
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Center for Affective Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Katherine LeClair
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Center for Affective Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Meghan E Flanigan
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Center for Affective Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Hossein Aleyasin
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Center for Affective Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Deena M Walker
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Center for Affective Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Sylvain Bouchard
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Matthias Mack
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Miriam M Merad
- Department of Oncological Science, Tisch Cancer Institute and Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Scott J Russo
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Center for Affective Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
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16
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Hodes GE, Epperson CN. Sex Differences in Vulnerability and Resilience to Stress Across the Life Span. Biol Psychiatry 2019; 86:421-432. [PMID: 31221426 PMCID: PMC8630768 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.04.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 223] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.6] [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: 01/03/2019] [Revised: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Susceptibility and resilience to stress depend on 1) the timing of the exposure with respect to development, 2) the time across the life span at which effects are measured, and 3) the behavioral or biological phenotype under consideration. This translational review examines preclinical stress models that provide clues to causal mechanisms and their relationship to the more complex phenomenon of stress-related psychiatric and cognitive disorders in humans. We examine how genetic sex and epigenetic regulation of hormones contribute to the proximal and distal effects of stress at different epochs of life. Stress during the prenatal period and early postnatal life puts male offspring at risk of developing diseases involving socialization, such as autism spectrum disorder, and attention and cognition, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. While female offspring show resilience to some of the proximal effects of prenatal and early postnatal stress, there is evidence that risk associated with developmental insults is unmasked in female offspring following periods of hormonal activation and flux, including puberty, pregnancy, and perimenopause. Likewise, stress exposures during puberty have stronger proximal effects on girls, including an increased risk of developing mood-related and stress-related illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Hormonal changes during menopause and andropause impact the processes of memory and emotion in women and men, though women are preferentially at risk for dementia, and childhood adversity further impacts estradiol effects on neural function. We propose that studies to determine mechanisms for stress risk and resilience across the life span must consider the nature and timing of stress exposures as well as the sex of the organism under investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia E. Hodes
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - C. Neill Epperson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
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17
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Mariottini C, Munari L, Gunzel E, Seco JM, Tzavaras N, Hansen J, Stern SA, Gao V, Aleyasin H, Sharma A, Azeloglu EU, Hodes GE, Russo SJ, Huff V, Birtwistle MR, Blitzer RD, Alberini CM, Iyengar R. Wilm's tumor 1 promotes memory flexibility. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3756. [PMID: 31434897 PMCID: PMC6704057 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11781-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Under physiological conditions, strength and persistence of memory must be regulated in order to produce behavioral flexibility. In fact, impairments in memory flexibility are associated with pathologies such as post-traumatic stress disorder or autism; however, the underlying mechanisms that enable memory flexibility are still poorly understood. Here, we identify transcriptional repressor Wilm's Tumor 1 (WT1) as a critical synaptic plasticity regulator that decreases memory strength, promoting memory flexibility. WT1 is activated in the hippocampus following induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) or learning. WT1 knockdown enhances CA1 neuronal excitability, LTP and long-term memory whereas its overexpression weakens memory retention. Moreover, forebrain WT1-deficient mice show deficits in both reversal, sequential learning tasks and contextual fear extinction, exhibiting impaired memory flexibility. We conclude that WT1 limits memory strength or promotes memory weakening, thus enabling memory flexibility, a process that is critical for learning from new experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Mariottini
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA.
- Systems Biology Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA.
| | - Leonardo Munari
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
| | - Ellen Gunzel
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
- Systems Biology Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
| | - Joseph M Seco
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
| | - Nikos Tzavaras
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
| | - Jens Hansen
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
- Systems Biology Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
| | - Sarah A Stern
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, 10003, NY, USA
| | - Virginia Gao
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, 10003, NY, USA
| | - Hossein Aleyasin
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
| | - Ali Sharma
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
| | - Evren U Azeloglu
- Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
| | - Scott J Russo
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
| | - Vicki Huff
- Department of Genetics, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, 77030, TX, USA
| | - Marc R Birtwistle
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
- Systems Biology Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
| | - Robert D Blitzer
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA
| | - Cristina M Alberini
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA.
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, 10003, NY, USA.
| | - Ravi Iyengar
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA.
- Systems Biology Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, 10029, NY, USA.
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18
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Hodes GE. Sex similarities in the immune response to social stress. Brain Behav Immun 2019; 79:10-11. [PMID: 30851379 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Georgia E Hodes
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, United States
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19
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Tsyglakova M, McDaniel D, Hodes GE. Immune mechanisms of stress susceptibility and resilience: Lessons from animal models. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 54:100771. [PMID: 31325456 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [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: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Stress has an impact on the brain and the body. A growing literature demonstrates that feedback between the peripheral immune system and the brain contributes to individual differences in the behavioral response to stress. Here we examine preclinical literature to demonstrate a holistic vision of risk and resilience to stress. We identify a variety of cellular, cytokine and molecular mechanisms in adult animals that act in concert to produce a stress susceptible individual response. We discuss how cross talk between immune cells in the brain and in the periphery act together to increase permeability across the blood brain barrier or block it, resulting in susceptible or stress resilient phenotype. These preclinical studies have importance for understanding how individual differences in the immune response to stress may be contributing to mood related disorders such as depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariya Tsyglakova
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA; Graduate Program in Translational Biology, Medicine and Health, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Dylan McDaniel
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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20
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Kokras N, Hodes GE, Bangasser DA, Dalla C. Sex differences in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: An obstacle to antidepressant drug development? Br J Pharmacol 2019; 176:4090-4106. [PMID: 31093959 DOI: 10.1111/bph.14710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Revised: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction has long been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression, and HPA axis-based compounds have served as potential new therapeutic targets, but with no success. This review details sex differences from animal and human studies in the function of HPA axis elements (glucocorticoids, corticotropin releasing factor, and vasopressin) and related compounds tested as candidate antidepressants. We propose that sex differences contribute to the failure of novel HPA axis-based drugs in clinical trials. Compounds studied preclinically in males were tested in clinical trials that recruited more, if not exclusively, women, and did not control, but rather adjusted, for potential sex differences. Indeed, clinical trials of antidepressants are usually not stratified by sex or other important factors, although preclinical and epidemiological data support such stratification. In conclusion, we suggest that clinical testing of HPA axis-related compounds creates an opportunity for targeted, personalized antidepressant treatments based on sex. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on The Importance of Sex Differences in Pharmacology Research. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v176.21/issuetoc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos Kokras
- Department of Pharmacology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.,First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
| | - Debra A Bangasser
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Christina Dalla
- Department of Pharmacology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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21
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Rainville JR, Tsyglakova M, Hodes GE. Deciphering sex differences in the immune system and depression. Front Neuroendocrinol 2018; 50:67-90. [PMID: 29288680 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2017.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [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: 08/14/2017] [Revised: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Certain mood disorders and autoimmune diseases are predominately female diseases but we do not know why. Here, we explore the relationship between depression and the immune system from a sex-based perspective. This review characterizes sex differences in the immune system in health and disease. We explore the contribution of gonadal and stress hormones to immune function at the cellular and molecular level in the brain and body. We propose hormonal and genetic sex specific immune mechanisms that may contribute to the etiology of mood disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer R Rainville
- Department of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1981 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Mariya Tsyglakova
- Department of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1981 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Department of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1981 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA.
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22
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Lorsch ZS, Loh YHE, Purushothaman I, Walker DM, Parise EM, Salery M, Cahill ME, Hodes GE, Pfau ML, Kronman H, Hamilton PJ, Issler O, Labonté B, Symonds AE, Zucker M, Zhang TY, Meaney MJ, Russo SJ, Shen L, Bagot RC, Nestler EJ. Estrogen receptor α drives pro-resilient transcription in mouse models of depression. Nat Commun 2018; 9:1116. [PMID: 29549264 PMCID: PMC5856766 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03567-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Most people exposed to stress do not develop depression. Animal models have shown that stress resilience is an active state that requires broad transcriptional adaptations, but how this homeostatic process is regulated remains poorly understood. In this study, we analyze upstream regulators of genes differentially expressed after chronic social defeat stress. We identify estrogen receptor α (ERα) as the top regulator of pro-resilient transcriptional changes in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key brain reward region implicated in depression. In accordance with these findings, nuclear ERα protein levels are altered by stress in male and female mice. Further, overexpression of ERα in the NAc promotes stress resilience in both sexes. Subsequent RNA-sequencing reveals that ERα overexpression in NAc reproduces the transcriptional signature of resilience in male, but not female, mice. These results indicate that NAc ERα is an important regulator of pro-resilient transcriptional changes, but with sex-specific downstream targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary S Lorsch
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Yong-Hwee Eddie Loh
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Immanuel Purushothaman
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Deena M Walker
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Eric M Parise
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Marine Salery
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Michael E Cahill
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1981 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Madeline L Pfau
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Hope Kronman
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Peter J Hamilton
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Orna Issler
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Benoit Labonté
- Department of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, 2601 Chemin de la Canardière Québec, QC, G1J 2G3, Canada
| | - Ann E Symonds
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Matthew Zucker
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Tie Yuan Zhang
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Institute, Sackler Program for Epigenetics and Psychobiology, Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, 6875 Boulevard Lasalle, Montréal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Michael J Meaney
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Institute, Sackler Program for Epigenetics and Psychobiology, Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, 6875 Boulevard Lasalle, Montréal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Scott J Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Li Shen
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Rosemary C Bagot
- Departments of Psychology & Psychiatry, Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, McGill University, 1205 Avenue Dr Penfield, Montréal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Eric J Nestler
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
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23
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Zhang S, Zhang H, Ku SM, Juarez B, Morel C, Tzavaras N, Montgomery S, Hodes GE, Brancato A, Russo SJ, Cao JL, Han MH. Sex Differences in the Neuroadaptations of Reward-related Circuits in Response to Subchronic Variable Stress. Neuroscience 2018; 376:108-116. [PMID: 29476894 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [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: 08/23/2017] [Revised: 02/09/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder. However, fewer studies in rodent models of depression have used female animals, leading to a relative lack of understanding of the female brain's response to stress, especially at a neural circuit level. In this study, we utilized a 6-day subchronic variable stress (SCVS) mouse model and measured novelty suppressed feeding as behavioral criteria to evaluate susceptibility to SCVS in male and female mice. First, we showed that SCVS induced a decrease in latency to eat (susceptible phenotype) in female mice, but not in males (resilient phenotype). After determining behavioral phenotypes, we investigated the firing activities of dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), as well as the neurons that project from lateral habenula (LHb) to the VTA and from locus coeruleus (LC) to the VTA. Utilizing retrograding lumafluor fluorescent tracers and electrophysiology techniques, we performed cell type- and circuit-specific measures of neuronal firing rates. Our data show that SCVS significantly increased the firing rate of LHb-VTA circuit neurons in female mice when compared to that of their female controls, an effect that was absent in SCVS-exposed males. Interestingly, SCVS did not induce significant firing alterations in VTA DA neurons and LC-VTA circuit neurons in either female mice or male mice when compared to their stress-naïve controls. Overall, our data show sex differences in the LHb-VTA circuit responses to SCVS, and implicates a potential role of this projection in mediating vulnerability of female mice to stress-induced depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Zhang
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Institute for Systems Biomedicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004, China; Department of Anesthesiology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200000, China
| | - Hongxing Zhang
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Institute for Systems Biomedicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004, China
| | - Stacy M Ku
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Institute for Systems Biomedicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Neuroscience Program, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Barbara Juarez
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Institute for Systems Biomedicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Neuroscience Program, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Carole Morel
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Institute for Systems Biomedicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Nikos Tzavaras
- Microscopy CORE, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Sarah Montgomery
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Institute for Systems Biomedicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Anna Brancato
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Scott J Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Jun-Li Cao
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004, China.
| | - Ming-Hu Han
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Institute for Systems Biomedicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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24
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Wang J, Hodes GE, Zhang H, Zhang S, Zhao W, Golden SA, Bi W, Menard C, Kana V, Leboeuf M, Xie M, Bregman D, Pfau ML, Flanigan ME, Esteban-Fernández A, Yemul S, Sharma A, Ho L, Dixon R, Merad M, Han MH, Russo SJ, Pasinetti GM. Epigenetic modulation of inflammation and synaptic plasticity promotes resilience against stress in mice. Nat Commun 2018; 9:477. [PMID: 29396460 PMCID: PMC5797143 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02794-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [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: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 12/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Major depressive disorder is associated with abnormalities in the brain and the immune system. Chronic stress in animals showed that epigenetic and inflammatory mechanisms play important roles in mediating resilience and susceptibility to depression. Here, through a high-throughput screening, we identify two phytochemicals, dihydrocaffeic acid (DHCA) and malvidin-3′-O-glucoside (Mal-gluc) that are effective in promoting resilience against stress by modulating brain synaptic plasticity and peripheral inflammation. DHCA/Mal-gluc also significantly reduces depression-like phenotypes in a mouse model of increased systemic inflammation induced by transplantation of hematopoietic progenitor cells from stress-susceptible mice. DHCA reduces pro-inflammatory interleukin 6 (IL-6) generations by inhibiting DNA methylation at the CpG-rich IL-6 sequences introns 1 and 3, while Mal-gluc modulates synaptic plasticity by increasing histone acetylation of the regulatory sequences of the Rac1 gene. Peripheral inflammation and synaptic maladaptation are in line with newly hypothesized clinical intervention targets for depression that are not addressed by currently available antidepressants. Polyphenols have partial antidepressant effect without known mechanism. Here, the authors identify two phytochemicals from bioactive dietary polyphenols, show their antidepressant effect in a rodent model of depression, and that this effect is mediated by epigenetic and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Wang
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Hongxing Zhang
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Song Zhang
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Wei Zhao
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Sam A Golden
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Weina Bi
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Caroline Menard
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Veronika Kana
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute and Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Marylene Leboeuf
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute and Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Marc Xie
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Dana Bregman
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Madeline L Pfau
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Meghan E Flanigan
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | | | - Shrishailam Yemul
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Ali Sharma
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Lap Ho
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Richard Dixon
- Department of Biological Science, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, 76203, USA
| | - Miriam Merad
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute and Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Ming-Hu Han
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Scott J Russo
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Giulio M Pasinetti
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA. .,Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA.
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25
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Heshmati M, Aleyasin H, Menard C, Christoffel DJ, Flanigan ME, Pfau ML, Hodes GE, Lepack AE, Bicks LK, Takahashi A, Chandra R, Turecki G, Lobo MK, Maze I, Golden SA, Russo SJ. Cell-type-specific role for nucleus accumbens neuroligin-2 in depression and stress susceptibility. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:1111-1116. [PMID: 29339486 PMCID: PMC5798379 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1719014115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral coping strategies are critical for active resilience to stress and depression; here we describe a role for neuroligin-2 (NLGN-2) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Neuroligins (NLGN) are a family of neuronal postsynaptic cell adhesion proteins that are constituents of the excitatory and inhibitory synapse. Importantly, NLGN-3 and NLGN-4 mutations are strongly implicated as candidates underlying the development of neuropsychiatric disorders with social disturbances such as autism, but the role of NLGN-2 in neuropsychiatric disease states is unclear. Here we show a reduction in NLGN-2 gene expression in the NAc of patients with major depressive disorder. Chronic social defeat stress in mice also decreases NLGN-2 selectively in dopamine D1-positive cells, but not dopamine D2-positive cells, within the NAc of stress-susceptible mice. Functional NLGN-2 knockdown produces bidirectional, cell-type-specific effects: knockdown in dopamine D1-positive cells promotes subordination and stress susceptibility, whereas knockdown in dopamine D2-positive cells mediates active defensive behavior. These findings establish a behavioral role for NAc NLGN-2 in stress and depression; provide a basis for targeted, cell-type specific therapy; and highlight the role of active behavioral coping mechanisms in stress susceptibility.
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MESH Headings
- Aggression
- Animals
- Antidepressive Agents/pharmacology
- Behavior, Animal
- Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal/metabolism
- Cell Line
- Depressive Disorder, Major/physiopathology
- Disease Models, Animal
- Dominance-Subordination
- Heterozygote
- Humans
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Transgenic
- MicroRNAs/metabolism
- Nerve Tissue Proteins/metabolism
- Nucleus Accumbens/metabolism
- RNA, Messenger/metabolism
- Receptors, Dopamine D1/metabolism
- Receptors, Dopamine D2/metabolism
- Social Behavior
- Stress, Psychological/physiopathology
- Synapses/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitra Heshmati
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Hossein Aleyasin
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Caroline Menard
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Daniel J Christoffel
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Meghan E Flanigan
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Madeline L Pfau
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Ashley E Lepack
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Lucy K Bicks
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Aki Takahashi
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| | - Ramesh Chandra
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201
| | - Gustavo Turecki
- McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
| | - Mary Kay Lobo
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201
| | - Ian Maze
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Sam A Golden
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA-NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224
| | - Scott J Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029;
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
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26
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Menard C, Pfau ML, Hodes GE, Kana V, Wang VX, Bouchard S, Takahashi A, Flanigan ME, Aleyasin H, LeClair KB, Janssen WG, Labonté B, Parise EM, Lorsch ZS, Golden SA, Heshmati M, Tamminga C, Turecki G, Campbell M, Fayad ZA, Tang CY, Merad M, Russo SJ. Social stress induces neurovascular pathology promoting depression. Nat Neurosci 2017; 20:1752-1760. [PMID: 29184215 PMCID: PMC5726568 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-017-0010-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 520] [Impact Index Per Article: 74.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Studies suggest that heightened peripheral inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder. We investigated the effect of chronic social defeat stress, a mouse model of depression, on blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and infiltration of peripheral immune signals. We found reduced expression of the endothelial cell tight junction protein claudin-5 (Cldn5) and abnormal blood vessel morphology in nucleus accumbens (NAc) of stress-susceptible but not resilient mice. CLDN5 expression was also decreased in NAc of depressed patients. Cldn5 downregulation was sufficient to induce depression-like behaviors following subthreshold social stress whereas chronic antidepressant treatment rescued Cldn5 loss and promoted resilience. Reduced BBB integrity in NAc of stress-susceptible or mice injected with adeno-associated virus expressing shRNA against Cldn5 caused infiltration of the peripheral cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) into brain parenchyma and subsequent expression of depression-like behaviors. These findings suggest that chronic social stress alters BBB integrity through loss of tight junction protein Cldn5, promoting peripheral IL-6 passage across the BBB and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Menard
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Département de psychiatrie et neurosciences, Faculté de médecine and CERVO Brain Research Centre, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Madeline L Pfau
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Veronika Kana
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute and Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Victoria X Wang
- Department of Radiology, Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sylvain Bouchard
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Aki Takahashi
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Meghan E Flanigan
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hossein Aleyasin
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Katherine B LeClair
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - William G Janssen
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Benoit Labonté
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Eric M Parise
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Zachary S Lorsch
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sam A Golden
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mitra Heshmati
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Carol Tamminga
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Gustavo Turecki
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute and McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Matthew Campbell
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Zahi A Fayad
- Department of Radiology, Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Cheuk Ying Tang
- Department of Radiology, Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Miriam Merad
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute and Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Scott J Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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27
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Liu J, Dietz K, Hodes GE, Russo SJ, Casaccia P. Widespread transcriptional alternations in oligodendrocytes in the adult mouse brain following chronic stress. Dev Neurobiol 2017; 78:152-162. [PMID: 28884925 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2017] [Revised: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Emerging evidence shows that oligodendrogenesis and myelination are highly responsive to behavioral experience, including physical activity and social experience. This form of myelin plasticity is being increasingly appreciated and examined in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a critical brain region involved in complex emotional and cognitive behavior. However, it remains unclear whether myelination in other brain regions is affected by behavioral experience. Here we report that exposure to 4 weeks of chronic variable stress induced anxiety- and depressive-like behavior in male adult mice. In concert with these behavioral responses, transcriptional analysis of PFC, and nucleus accumbens (NAc)-a brain region critical for reward response-revealed downregulation of transcripts encoding for myelin genes and oligodendrocyte-specific genes. In contrast, upregulation of myelin-related transcripts was observed in the corpus callosum (CC), whereas the amygdala (AMG) did not show significant changes. Shorter exposure to the same stressors induced behavioral changes to a less extent and was followed by a stress habituation period. However, reduced myelin and oligodendrocyte-specific gene transcripts were detected as early as one week following stress exposure in the PFC and NAc. These data indicate that oligodendrocyte and their progenitors in multiple brain regions are responsive to stressful experiences and show distinctive and region-specific patterns of gene expression. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 78: 152-162, 2018.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Liu
- Neuroscience Initiative, Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York, 10031.,Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, 10029
| | - Karen Dietz
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, 10029
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, 10029.,Department of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, 20460
| | - Scott J Russo
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, 10029
| | - Patrizia Casaccia
- Neuroscience Initiative, Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York, 10031.,Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, 10029
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28
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Labonté B, Engmann O, Purushothaman I, Menard C, Wang J, Tan C, Scarpa JR, Moy G, Loh YHE, Cahill M, Lorsch ZS, Hamilton PJ, Calipari ES, Hodes GE, Issler O, Kronman H, Pfau M, Obradovic ALJ, Dong Y, Neve RL, Russo S, Kazarskis A, Tamminga C, Mechawar N, Turecki G, Zhang B, Shen L, Nestler EJ. Sex-specific transcriptional signatures in human depression. Nat Med 2017; 23:1102-1111. [PMID: 28825715 DOI: 10.1038/nm.4386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 450] [Impact Index Per Article: 64.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 07/17/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disease burden worldwide. While the incidence, symptoms and treatment of MDD all point toward major sex differences, the molecular mechanisms underlying this sexual dimorphism remain largely unknown. Here, combining differential expression and gene coexpression network analyses, we provide a comprehensive characterization of male and female transcriptional profiles associated with MDD across six brain regions. We overlap our human profiles with those from a mouse model, chronic variable stress, and capitalize on converging pathways to define molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying the expression of stress susceptibility in males and females. Our results show a major rearrangement of transcriptional patterns in MDD, with limited overlap between males and females, an effect seen in both depressed humans and stressed mice. We identify key regulators of sex-specific gene networks underlying MDD and confirm their sex-specific impact as mediators of stress susceptibility. For example, downregulation of the female-specific hub gene Dusp6 in mouse prefrontal cortex mimicked stress susceptibility in females, but not males, by increasing ERK signaling and pyramidal neuron excitability. Such Dusp6 downregulation also recapitulated the transcriptional remodeling that occurs in prefrontal cortex of depressed females. Together our findings reveal marked sexual dimorphism at the transcriptional level in MDD and highlight the importance of studying sex-specific treatments for this disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoit Labonté
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Olivia Engmann
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Immanuel Purushothaman
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Caroline Menard
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Junshi Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Chunfeng Tan
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Joseph R Scarpa
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.,Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Gregory Moy
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Yong-Hwee E Loh
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Michael Cahill
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Zachary S Lorsch
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Peter J Hamilton
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Erin S Calipari
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Orna Issler
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Hope Kronman
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Madeline Pfau
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Aleksandar L J Obradovic
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Yan Dong
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Rachael L Neve
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Scott Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Andrew Kazarskis
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Carol Tamminga
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Naguib Mechawar
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.,McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Gustavo Turecki
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.,McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Li Shen
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Eric J Nestler
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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29
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Nugent BM, Wright CL, Shetty AC, Hodes GE, Lenz KM, Mahurkar A, Russo SJ, Devine SE, McCarthy MM. Corrigendum: Brain feminization requires active repression of masculinization via DNA methylation. Nat Neurosci 2017; 20:896. [PMID: 28542152 DOI: 10.1038/nn0617-896a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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30
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Brancato A, Bregman D, Ahn HF, Pfau ML, Menard C, Cannizzaro C, Russo SJ, Hodes GE. Sub-chronic variable stress induces sex-specific effects on glutamatergic synapses in the nucleus accumbens. Neuroscience 2017; 350:180-189. [PMID: 28323008 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Revised: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Men and women manifest different symptoms of depression and under current diagnostic criteria, depression is twice as prevalent in woman. However, little is known of the mechanisms contributing to these important sex differences. Sub-chronic variable stress (SCVS), a rodent model of depression, induces depression-like behaviors in female mice only, modeling clinical evidence of higher susceptibility to mood disorders in women. Accumulating evidence indicates that altered neuroplasticity of excitatory synapses in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key pathophysiological feature of susceptibility to social stress in males. Here we investigated the effects of SCVS on pre- and post-synaptic protein levels and morphology of glutamatergic synapses of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the NAc of female and male mice. Animals underwent six-day exposure to alternating stressors including shock, tail suspension and restraint. MSNs from the NAc were filled with a Lucifer yellow dye and spine density and type were examined using NeuronStudio. In a separate group of animals, immunofluorescence staining was performed for vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGLUT1) and vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2), in order to label cortical and subcortical glutamatergic terminals. Immunostaining for post-synaptic density 95 (PSD95) was employed to evaluate post-synaptic density. Females demonstrated circuit-specific pre-synaptic alterations in VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 containing synapses that may contribute to stress susceptibility in the absence of post-synaptic alterations in PSD95 puncta, spine density or type. These data indicate that susceptibility to stress in females is associated with changes in the frequency of distinct glutamatergic inputs to the NAc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Brancato
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother and Child Care, University of Palermo, Palermo 90127, Italy
| | - Dana Bregman
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - H Francisica Ahn
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Madeline L Pfau
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Caroline Menard
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Carla Cannizzaro
- Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother and Child Care, University of Palermo, Palermo 90127, Italy
| | - Scott J Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Virgina Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 20460, USA.
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31
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Kiraly DD, Horn SR, Van Dam NT, Costi S, Schwartz J, Kim-Schulze S, Patel M, Hodes GE, Russo SJ, Merad M, Iosifescu DV, Charney DS, Murrough JW. Altered peripheral immune profiles in treatment-resistant depression: response to ketamine and prediction of treatment outcome. Transl Psychiatry 2017; 7:e1065. [PMID: 28323284 PMCID: PMC5416674 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2017.31] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.9] [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: 07/27/2016] [Revised: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
A subset of patients with depression have elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines, and some studies demonstrate interaction between inflammatory factors and treatment outcome. However, most studies focus on only a narrow subset of factors in a patient sample. In the current study, we analyzed broad immune profiles in blood from patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) at baseline and following treatment with the glutamate modulator ketamine. Serum was analyzed from 26 healthy control and 33 actively depressed TRD patients free of antidepressant medication, and matched for age, sex and body mass index. All subjects provided baseline blood samples, and TRD subjects had additional blood draw at 4 and 24 h following intravenous infusion of ketamine (0.5 mg kg-1). Samples underwent multiplex analysis of 41 cytokines, chemokines and growth factors using quantitative immunoassay technology. Our a priori hypothesis was that TRD patients would show elevations in canonical pro-inflammatory cytokines; analyses demonstrated significant elevation of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6. Further exploratory analyses revealed significant regulation of four additional soluble factors in patients with TRD. Several cytokines showed transient changes in level after ketamine, but none correlated with treatment response. Low pretreatment levels of fibroblast growth factor 2 were associated with ketamine treatment response. In sum, we found that patients with TRD demonstrate a unique pattern of increased inflammatory mediators, chemokines and colony-stimulating factors, providing support for the immune hypothesis of TRD. These patterns suggest novel treatment targets for the subset of patients with TRD who evidence dysregulated immune functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- D D Kiraly
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - S R Horn
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - N T Van Dam
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - S Costi
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - J Schwartz
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - S Kim-Schulze
- The Immunology Institute, Human Immune Monitoring Core, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - M Patel
- The Immunology Institute, Human Immune Monitoring Core, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - G E Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - S J Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - M Merad
- The Immunology Institute, Human Immune Monitoring Core, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - D V Iosifescu
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - D S Charney
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - J W Murrough
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1230, New York, NY 10029, USA. E-mail:
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32
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Hodes GE, Walker DM, Labonté B, Nestler EJ, Russo SJ. Understanding the epigenetic basis of sex differences in depression. J Neurosci Res 2017; 95:692-702. [PMID: 27870456 PMCID: PMC5130105 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2016] [Revised: 07/13/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetics refers to potentially heritable processes that can mediate both lasting and transient changes in gene expression in the absence of genome sequence alterations. The field of epigenetics has introduced a novel understanding of the mechanisms through which the environment can shape an individual and potentially its offspring. This Mini-Review examines the current literature exploring the role of epigenetics in the development of mood disorders such as depression. Depression is twofold more common in females, yet the majority of preclinical research has been conducted exclusively in male subjects. Here we discuss what is known about sex differences in epigenetic regulation and function and how this may contribute to the etiology and onset of mood disorders. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia E. Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Deena M. Walker
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Benoit Labonté
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Eric J. Nestler
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Scott J. Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
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33
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Pfau ML, Purushothaman I, Feng J, Golden SA, Aleyasin H, Lorsch ZS, Cates HM, Flanigan ME, Menard C, Heshmati M, Wang Z, Ma'ayan A, Shen L, Hodes GE, Russo SJ. Integrative Analysis of Sex-Specific microRNA Networks Following Stress in Mouse Nucleus Accumbens. Front Mol Neurosci 2016; 9:144. [PMID: 28066174 PMCID: PMC5179560 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2016.00144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Adult women are twice as likely as men to suffer from affective and anxiety disorders, although the mechanisms underlying heightened female stress susceptibility are incompletely understood. Recent findings in mouse Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) suggest a role for DNA methylation-driven sex differences in genome-wide transcriptional profiles. However, the role of another epigenetic process-microRNA (miR) regulation-has yet to be explored. We exposed male and female mice to Subchronic Variable Stress (SCVS), a stress paradigm that produces depression-like behavior in female, but not male, mice, and performed next generation mRNA and miR sequencing on NAc tissue. We applied a combination of differential expression, miR-mRNA network and functional enrichment analyses to characterize the transcriptional and post-transcriptional landscape of sex differences in NAc stress response. We find that male and female mice exhibit largely non-overlapping miR and mRNA profiles following SCVS. The two sexes also show enrichment of different molecular pathways and functions. Collectively, our results suggest that males and females mount fundamentally different transcriptional and post-transcriptional responses to SCVS and engage sex-specific molecular processes following stress. These findings have implications for the pathophysiology and treatment of stress-related disorders in women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline L Pfau
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York, NY, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York, NY, USA
| | - Immanuel Purushothaman
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA
| | - Jian Feng
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA
| | - Sam A Golden
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York, NY, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York, NY, USA
| | - Hossein Aleyasin
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA
| | - Zachary S Lorsch
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York, NY, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York, NY, USA
| | - Hannah M Cates
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York, NY, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York, NY, USA
| | - Meghan E Flanigan
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York, NY, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York, NY, USA
| | - Caroline Menard
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA
| | - Mitra Heshmati
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York, NY, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York, NY, USA
| | - Zichen Wang
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York, NY, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, BD2K-LINCS Data Coordination and Integration Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York, NY, USA
| | - Avi Ma'ayan
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, BD2K-LINCS Data Coordination and Integration Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA
| | - Li Shen
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA
| | - Scott J Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA
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34
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Golden SA, Heshmati M, Flanigan M, Christoffel DJ, Guise K, Pfau ML, Aleyasin H, Menard C, Zhang H, Hodes GE, Bregman D, Khibnik L, Tai J, Rebusi N, Krawitz B, Chaudhury D, Walsh JJ, Han MH, Shapiro ML, Russo SJ. Basal forebrain projections to the lateral habenula modulate aggression reward. Nature 2016; 534:688-92. [PMID: 27357796 PMCID: PMC4930107 DOI: 10.1038/nature18601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2015] [Accepted: 05/17/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Maladaptive aggressive behaviour is associated with a number of neuropsychiatric disorders and is thought to result partly from the inappropriate activation of brain reward systems in response to aggressive or violent social stimuli. Nuclei within the ventromedial hypothalamus, extended amygdala and limbic circuits are known to encode initiation of aggression; however, little is known about the neural mechanisms that directly modulate the motivational component of aggressive behaviour. Here we established a mouse model to measure the valence of aggressive inter-male social interaction with a smaller subordinate intruder as reinforcement for the development of conditioned place preference (CPP). Aggressors develop a CPP, whereas non-aggressors develop a conditioned place aversion to the intruder-paired context. Furthermore, we identify a functional GABAergic projection from the basal forebrain (BF) to the lateral habenula (lHb) that bi-directionally controls the valence of aggressive interactions. Circuit-specific silencing of GABAergic BF-lHb terminals of aggressors with halorhodopsin (NpHR3.0) increases lHb neuronal firing and abolishes CPP to the intruder-paired context. Activation of GABAergic BF-lHb terminals of non-aggressors with channelrhodopsin (ChR2) decreases lHb neuronal firing and promotes CPP to the intruder-paired context. Finally, we show that altering inhibitory transmission at BF-lHb terminals does not control the initiation of aggressive behaviour. These results demonstrate that the BF-lHb circuit has a critical role in regulating the valence of inter-male aggressive behaviour and provide novel mechanistic insight into the neural circuits modulating aggression reward processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam A. Golden
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mitra Heshmati
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Meghan Flanigan
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dan J. Christoffel
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Kevin Guise
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Madeline L. Pfau
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hossein Aleyasin
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Caroline Menard
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hongxing Zhang
- Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics and Institute for Systems Biomedicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Georgia E. Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dana Bregman
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lena Khibnik
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jonathan Tai
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nicole Rebusi
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Brian Krawitz
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dipesh Chaudhury
- Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics and Institute for Systems Biomedicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jessica J. Walsh
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Ming-Hu Han
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics and Institute for Systems Biomedicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Matt L. Shapiro
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Scott J. Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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Hodes GE, Ménard C, Russo SJ. Integrating Interleukin-6 into depression diagnosis and treatment. Neurobiol Stress 2016; 4:15-22. [PMID: 27981186 PMCID: PMC5146277 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2016.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 164] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [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: 12/16/2015] [Revised: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is growing evidence of a relationship between inflammation and psychiatric illness. In particular, the cytokine Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been linked to stress-related disorders such as depression and anxiety. Here we discuss evidence from preclinical and clinical studies examining the role of IL-6 in mood disorders. We focus on the functional role of peripheral and central release of IL-6 on the development of stress susceptibility and depression-associated behavior. By examining the contribution of both peripheral and central IL-6 to manifestations of stress-related symptomatology, we hope to broaden the way the field thinks about diagnosing and treating mood disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia E Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Caroline Ménard
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Scott J Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
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Hodes GE, Kana V, Menard C, Merad M, Russo SJ. Neuroimmune mechanisms of depression. Nat Neurosci 2015; 18:1386-93. [PMID: 26404713 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 368] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Current diagnosis of depression is based solely on behavioral symptomatology. The available US Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments for depression have come from serendipitous discovery and are ineffective in nearly 30-50% of patients, which is thought to reflect a lack of specificity in targeting underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. Recent evidence has identified depression-related disruptions in a neuroimmune axis that interfaces the immune system and CNS to control behavior. This Review examines the evidence in patients and in animal models of depression that demonstrates how the peripheral immune system acts on the brain to alter an individual's response to stress, ultimately contributing to their vulnerability to mood disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia E Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Veronika Kana
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute and Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Caroline Menard
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Miriam Merad
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute and Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Scott J Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) will affect one out of every five people in their lifetime and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Nevertheless, mechanisms associated with the pathogenesis of MDD have yet to be completely understood and current treatments remain ineffective in a large subset of patients. In this review, we summarize the most recent discoveries and insights for which parallel findings have been obtained in human depressed subjects and rodent models of mood disorders in order to examine the potential etiology of depression. These mechanisms range from synaptic plasticity mechanisms to epigenetics and the immune system where there is strong evidence to support a functional role in the development of specific depression symptomology. Ultimately we conclude by discussing how novel therapeutic strategies targeting central and peripheral processes might ultimately aid in the development of effective new treatments for MDD and related stress disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Ménard
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - G E Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - S J Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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Stelzhammer V, Ozcan S, Gottschalk MG, Steeb H, Hodes GE, Guest PC, Rahmoune H, Wong EH, Russo SJ, Bahn S. Central and peripheral changes underlying susceptibility and resistance to social defeat stress – A proteomic profiling study. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dineu.2015.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [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] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Hodes GE, Pfau ML, Leboeuf M, Golden SA, Christoffel DJ, Bregman D, Rebusi N, Heshmati M, Aleyasin H, Warren BL, Lebonté B, Horn S, Lapidus KA, Stelzhammer V, Wong EHF, Bahn S, Krishnan V, Bolaños-Guzman CA, Murrough JW, Merad M, Russo SJ. Individual differences in the peripheral immune system promote resilience versus susceptibility to social stress. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014. [PMID: 25331895 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1415191111/-/dcsupplemental] [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] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Depression and anxiety disorders are associated with increased release of peripheral cytokines; however, their functional relevance remains unknown. Using a social stress model in mice, we find preexisting individual differences in the sensitivity of the peripheral immune system that predict and promote vulnerability to social stress. Cytokine profiles were obtained 20 min after the first social stress exposure. Of the cytokines regulated by stress, IL-6 was most highly up-regulated only in mice that ultimately developed a susceptible behavioral phenotype following a subsequent chronic stress, and levels remained elevated for at least 1 mo. We confirmed a similar elevation of serum IL-6 in two separate cohorts of patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. Before any physical contact in mice, we observed individual differences in IL-6 levels from ex vivo stimulated leukocytes that predict susceptibility versus resilience to a subsequent stressor. To shift the sensitivity of the peripheral immune system to a pro- or antidepressant state, bone marrow (BM) chimeras were generated by transplanting hematopoietic progenitor cells from stress-susceptible mice releasing high IL-6 or from IL-6 knockout (IL-6(-/-)) mice. Stress-susceptible BM chimeras exhibited increased social avoidance behavior after exposure to either subthreshold repeated social defeat stress (RSDS) or a purely emotional stressor termed witness defeat. IL-6(-/-) BM chimeric and IL-6(-/-) mice, as well as those treated with a systemic IL-6 monoclonal antibody, were resilient to social stress. These data establish that preexisting differences in stress-responsive IL-6 release from BM-derived leukocytes functionally contribute to social stress-induced behavioral abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia E Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Madeline L Pfau
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Marylene Leboeuf
- Departments of Gene and Cell Medicine, Oncological Sciences, and
| | - Sam A Golden
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Daniel J Christoffel
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Dana Bregman
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Nicole Rebusi
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Mitra Heshmati
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Hossein Aleyasin
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Brandon L Warren
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4301
| | - Benoit Lebonté
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Sarah Horn
- Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Kyle A Lapidus
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029; Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Viktoria Stelzhammer
- Institute of Biotechnology, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QT, United Kingdom; Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, NL 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Erik H F Wong
- CNS-Pain Innovative Medicine Unit, External Science, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Wilmington, DE 19850; and
| | - Sabine Bahn
- Institute of Biotechnology, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QT, United Kingdom; Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, NL 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Vaishnav Krishnan
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02215
| | | | - James W Murrough
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029; Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Miriam Merad
- Departments of Gene and Cell Medicine, Oncological Sciences, and
| | - Scott J Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029;
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Hodes GE, Russo SJ. The Neurobiology of Depression and Anxiety: How Do We Change from Models of Drug Efficacy to Understanding Mood and Anxiety Disorders? Drug Discovery for Psychiatric Disorders 2012. [DOI: 10.1039/9781849734943-00159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Current treatments for depression and anxiety disorders are only effective in approximately half of the patient population. Effective treatments have negative side-effects including sexual dysfunction, weight gain and gastrointestinal problems. Furthermore, even when patients achieve remission, they often need to increase dosage or change treatment across their lifetime as efficacy weakens. The majority of treatments being used today are based on the monoamine hypothesis of depression, a theory of depression that was based on the effectiveness of drugs discovered by chance to alleviate the symptoms of depression. This chapter provides an overview of the neurobiology of depression and anxiety disorders within the context of drug discovery. The chapter starts with what we currently know about these disorders through the lens of the monoamine hypothesis of depression. We then provide a background into the animal models of depression and anxiety that are being used to understand the underlying biology of these disorders and test new treatments. Work conducted using these animal models has directed human imagining and has provided us with new information about both the molecular and cellular mechanism of depression and anxiety as well as the neural circuitry controlling these disorders. Finally, we will conclude with a discussion of new treatments being developed based on empirical evidence about the neurobiology of depression and anxiety and the need to develop more personalized treatments in the future. It is hoped that these new drugs will be able to provide effective treatment for more people, with fewer negative side-effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia E. Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute Mount Sinai School of Medicine 1425 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10029 USA
| | - Scott J. Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Freidman Brain Institute Mount Sinai School of Medicine 1425 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10029 USA
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Christoffel DJ, Golden SA, Heshmati M, Graham A, Birnbaum S, Neve RL, Hodes GE, Russo SJ. Effects of inhibitor of κB kinase activity in the nucleus accumbens on emotional behavior. Neuropsychopharmacology 2012; 37:2615-23. [PMID: 22781845 PMCID: PMC3473326 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2012.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [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] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Inhibitor of κB kinase (IκK) has historically been studied in the context of immune response and inflammation, but recent evidence demonstrates that IκK activity is necessary and sufficient for regulation of neuronal function. Chronic social defeat stress of mice increases IκK activity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and this increase is strongly correlated to depression-like behaviors. Inhibition of IκK signaling results in a reversal of chronic social defeat stress-induced social avoidance behavior. Here, we more completely define the role of IκK in anxiety and depressive-like behaviors. Mice underwent stereotaxic microinjection of a herpes simplex virus expressing either green fluorescent protein, a constitutively active form of IκK (IκKca), or a dominant negative form of IκK into the NAc. Of all three experimental groups, only mice expressing IκKca show a behavioral phenotype. Expression of IκKca results in a decrease in the time spent in the non-periphery zones of an open field arena and increased time spent immobile during a forced swim test. No baseline differences in sucrose preference were observed, but following the acute swim stress we noted a marked reduction in sucrose preference. To determine whether IκK activity alters responses to other acute stressors, we examined behavior and spine morphology in mice undergoing an acute social defeat stress. We found that IκKca enhanced social avoidance behavior and promoted thin spine formation. These data show that IκK in NAc is a critical regulator of both depressive- and anxiety-like states and may do so by promoting the formation of immature excitatory synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Christoffel
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sam A Golden
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mitra Heshmati
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ami Graham
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Shari Birnbaum
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Rachael L Neve
- McGovern Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Georgia E Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Scott J Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA,Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave Levy Place, Icahn 10-26A, 10029-6574 New York, NY, USA, Tel: +212 659 5917, Fax: +212 659 8510, E-mail:
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Dietz DM, Sun H, Lobo MK, Cahill ME, Chadwick B, Gao V, Koo JW, Mazei-Robison MS, Dias C, Maze I, Damez-Werno D, Dietz KC, Scobie KN, Ferguson D, Christoffel D, Ohnishi Y, Hodes GE, Zheng Y, Neve RL, Hahn KM, Russo SJ, Nestler EJ. Rac1 is essential in cocaine-induced structural plasticity of nucleus accumbens neurons. Nat Neurosci 2012; 15:891-6. [PMID: 22522400 PMCID: PMC3565539 DOI: 10.1038/nn.3094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [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: 02/13/2012] [Accepted: 03/21/2012] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Repeated cocaine administration increases the dendritic arborization of nucleus accumbens neurons, but the underlying signaling events remain unknown. Here we show that repeated exposure to cocaine negatively regulates the active form of Rac1, a small GTPase that controls actin remodeling in other systems. Further, we show, using viral-mediated gene transfer, that overexpression of a dominant negative mutant of Rac1 or local knockout of Rac1 is sufficient to increase the density of immature dendritic spines on nucleus accumbens neurons, whereas overexpression of a constitutively active Rac1 or light activation of a photoactivatable form of Rac1 blocks the ability of repeated cocaine exposure to produce this effect. Downregulation of Rac1 activity likewise promotes behavioral responses to cocaine exposure, with activation of Rac1 producing the opposite effect. These findings establish that Rac1 signaling mediates structural and behavioral plasticity in response to cocaine exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Dietz
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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Hodes GE, Brookshire BR, Hill-Smith TE, Teegarden SL, Berton O, Lucki I. Strain differences in the effects of chronic corticosterone exposure in the hippocampus. Neuroscience 2012; 222:269-80. [PMID: 22735575 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2012] [Revised: 05/18/2012] [Accepted: 06/07/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Stress hormones are thought to be involved in the etiology of depression, in part, because animal models show they cause morphological damage to the brain, an effect that can be reversed by chronic antidepressant treatment. The current study examined two mouse strains selected for naturalistic variation of tissue regeneration after injury for resistance to the effects of chronic corticosterone (CORT) exposure on cell proliferation and neurotrophin mobilization. The wound healer MRL/MpJ and control C57BL/6J mice were implanted subcutaneously with pellets that released CORT for 7 days. MRL/MpJ mice were resistant to reductions of hippocampal cell proliferation by chronic exposure to CORT when compared to vulnerable C57BL/6J mice. Chronic CORT exposure also reduced protein levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus of C57BL/6J but not MRL/MpJ mice. CORT pellet exposure increased circulating levels of CORT in the plasma of both strains in a dose-dependent manner although MRL/MpJ mice may have larger changes from baseline. The strains did not differ in circulating levels of corticosterone binding globulin (CBG). There were also no strain differences in CORT levels in the hippocampus, nor did CORT exposure alter glucocorticoid receptor or mineralocorticoid receptor expression in a strain-dependent manner. Strain differences were found in the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, and BDNF I and IV promoters. Strain and CORT exposure interacted to alter tropomyosine-receptor-kinase B (TrkB) expression and this may be a potential mechanism protecting MRL/MpJ mice. In addition, differences in the inflammatory response of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) may also contribute to these strain differences in resistance to the deleterious effects of CORT to the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- G E Hodes
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
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Dietz DM, LaPlant Q, Watts EL, Hodes GE, Russo SJ, Feng J, Oosting RS, Vialou V, Nestler EJ. Paternal transmission of stress-induced pathologies. Biol Psychiatry 2011; 70:408-14. [PMID: 21679926 PMCID: PMC3217197 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 225] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [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: 03/16/2011] [Revised: 05/02/2011] [Accepted: 05/03/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There has been recent interest in the possibility that epigenetic mechanisms might contribute to the transgenerational transmission of stress-induced vulnerability. Here, we focused on possible paternal transmission with the social defeat stress paradigm. METHODS Adult male mice exposed to chronic social defeat stress or control nondefeated mice were bred with normal female mice, and their offspring were assessed behaviorally for depressive- and anxiety-like measures. Plasma levels of corticosterone and vascular endothelial growth factor were also assayed. To directly assess the role of epigenetic mechanisms, we used in vitro fertilization (IVF); behavioral assessments were conducted on offspring of mice from IVF-control and IVF-defeated fathers. RESULTS We show that both male and female offspring from defeated fathers exhibit increased measures of several depression- and anxiety-like behaviors. The male offspring of defeated fathers also display increased baseline plasma levels of corticosterone and decreased levels of vascular endothelial growth factor. However, most of these behavioral changes were not observed when offspring were generated through IVF. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that, although behavioral adaptations that occur after chronic social defeat stress can be transmitted from the father to his male and female F1 progeny, only very subtle changes might be transmitted epigenetically under the conditions tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M. Dietz
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Quincey LaPlant
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Emily L. Watts
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Georgia E. Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Scott J. Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jian Feng
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Ronald S. Oosting
- Department of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Vincent Vialou
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Eric J. Nestler
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA,Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to Dr. Eric J. Nestler ()
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Cohen JW, Louneva N, Han LY, Hodes GE, Wilson RS, Bennett DA, Lucki I, Arnold SE. Chronic corticosterone exposure alters postsynaptic protein levels of PSD-95, NR1, and synaptopodin in the mouse brain. Synapse 2011; 65:763-70. [PMID: 21190219 DOI: 10.1002/syn.20900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2010] [Accepted: 12/02/2010] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Animal models provide compelling evidence that chronic stress is associated with biochemical and morphological changes in the brain, many of which are mediated by corticosterone, a principal glucocorticoid synthesized in the rodent adrenal cortex and secreted in response to stress. To better characterize the effects of chronic corticosterone at the synaptic and subsynaptic level, we implanted three-month-old male C57B/6 mice with 2 × 5 mg corticosterone pellets (CORT group, n = 14), 21 day release formulation (20 mg/kg/day dose) or placebo pellets (Placebo group, n = 14), 21-day release formulation. After 20 days, brains were removed. One hemisphere was frozen for biochemical analysis by synaptosomal fractionation with Western blotting, and the other hemisphere was fixed for immunohistochemistry. Localization and expression levels for PSD-95, NR1, and synaptopodin proteins were assessed. Biochemical analysis revealed lower protein levels of PSD-95 (32% decrease, P < 0.001), NR1 (47%, P = 0.01), and synaptopodin (65%, P < 0.001) in the postsynaptic density subsynaptic fraction of the CORT group. Optical densitometry in immunohistochemically labeled sections also found lower levels of PSD-95 in synaptic fields of the dentate gyrus (PSD-95, 33% decrease, P < 0.001; NR1, 31%, P < 0.001; synaptopodin, 40%, P < 0.001) and the CA3 stratum lucidum (36%, P < 0.001, 40%, P < 0.001, and 35%, P < 0.001) of the CORT group. While mechanistic relationships for these changes are not yet known, we speculate that synaptopodin, which is involved in regulation of spine calcium kinetics and posttranslational modification and transport of locally synthesized proteins, may play an important role in the changes of PSD-95 and NR1 protein levels and other synaptic alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia W Cohen
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
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Hodes GE, Hill-Smith TE, Suckow RF, Cooper TB, Lucki I. Sex-specific effects of chronic fluoxetine treatment on neuroplasticity and pharmacokinetics in mice. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2009; 332:266-73. [PMID: 19828877 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.109.158717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurogenesis is a mechanism through which antidepressants may produce therapeutic effects. There is a dearth of information regarding the effects of antidepressants on neurogenesis and neurotrophin mobilization in females. This study examined sex differences in the alteration of cell proliferation and survival in multiple regions of the brain. Additional experiments examined brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and pharmacokinetics of fluoxetine to determine whether they mediate sex differences. MRL/MpJ mice were treated with fluoxetine (5 and 10 mg/kg b.i.d.) for 21 days and received injections of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (200 mg/kg) to measure DNA synthesis. In the hippocampus, fluoxetine increased cell proliferation at both doses; females treated with 10 mg/kg produced more new cells than males. Fluoxetine did not alter survival in males, but 10 mg/kg reduced survival in females. In the frontal cortex, fluoxetine increased cell proliferation and survival in males treated with 10 mg/kg. In the cerebellum and amygdala, 10 mg/kg fluoxetine increased cell proliferation in both sexes but did not alter the incorporation of the new cells. Fluoxetine increased BDNF levels in the hippocampus of both sexes. BDNF levels correlated with cell proliferation in males but not females. Brain and plasma levels indicated that females metabolized fluoxetine faster than males and produced more of the metabolite norfluoxetine. These data suggest that fluoxetine acts on multiple areas of the brain to increase cell proliferation, and the pattern of activation differs between males and females. Sex-specific effects of fluoxetine on neurotrophin mobilization and pharmacokinetics may contribute to these differences in neural plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia E Hodes
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
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Hodes GE, Yang L, Van Kooy J, Santollo J, Shors TJ. Prozac during puberty: distinctive effects on neurogenesis as a function of age and sex. Neuroscience 2009; 163:609-17. [PMID: 19576966 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.06.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2009] [Revised: 06/24/2009] [Accepted: 06/27/2009] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Neurogenesis is a possible substrate through which antidepressants alleviate symptoms of depression. In adult male rodents and primates, chronic treatment with fluoxetine increases neurogenesis in the hippocampal formation. Little is known about the effects of the antidepressant on neurogenesis during puberty or in female animals at any age. Therefore we examined the effects of chronic fluoxetine treatment on cell proliferation and survival in male and female rats during puberty and adulthood. Adult and peri-pubescent male and female rats were treated chronically with fluoxetine (Prozac, 5 mg/kg) or saline. Subsequently rats received a single injection of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU; 200 mg/kg) to label DNA synthesis. Rats were sacrificed 2 h, 24 h, or 28 days after BrdU injection to examine cell proliferation, survival and cell fate. Fluoxetine increased cell proliferation in adult male rats but not in peri-pubescent males or female rats of any age or stage of the estrous cycle. Treatment did not alter the number of surviving cells in the male hippocampus but decreased survival in the female hippocampus. Thus, fluoxetine has distinctive effects on neurogenesis as a function of age and sex. Circulating levels of the stress hormone corticosterone were also examined. Treatment of female rats with fluoxetine during puberty decreased circulating levels of corticosterone in adults, even in the absence of the drug suggesting disruption of maturation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- G E Hodes
- Department of Psychology and Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
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Balu DT, Hodes GE, Hill TE, Ho N, Rahman Z, Bender CN, Ring RH, Dwyer JM, Rosenzweig-Lipson S, Hughes ZA, Schechter LE, Lucki I. Flow cytometric analysis of BrdU incorporation as a high-throughput method for measuring adult neurogenesis in the mouse. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods 2008; 59:100-7. [PMID: 19121403 DOI: 10.1016/j.vascn.2008.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2008] [Accepted: 12/04/2008] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The generation of new neurons occurs throughout adulthood in discrete brain regions, and may be regulated by neuropsychiatric diseases and therapeutic drug treatments. Most current methods that study this process measure the labeling of newborn cells by 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) using immunohistochemical methods followed by the microscopic counting of BrdU positive cells. This method is time consuming and labor intensive, typically taking several weeks to analyze. METHODS Therefore, we characterized a method to measure BrdU incorporation in the adult mouse hippocampus in vivo by using flow cytometry, which normally allows analysis of data within a single day. RESULTS The present study compared multiple BrdU dosing and loading protocols to determine a dosing strategy that produced the best signal to noise ratio. BrdU incorporation was also compared across different brain regions. The method was sensitive to a number of experimental disease manipulations. Induction of type-1 diabetes and depletion of norepinephrine reduced hippocampal cell proliferation. In contrast, chronic administration of electroconvulsive shock, a somatic treatment for depression, as well as chronic treatment with the antidepressant fluoxetine elevated hippocampal cell proliferation. This increase in cell proliferation with fluoxetine was detected as early as 14 days into treatment. Moreover, comparing measures of cell proliferation obtained by immunohistochemical and flow cytometric methods within the same animals were convergent and significantly correlated to each other. Flow cytometry was also sufficiently sensitive to quantify the survival of newly born cells. DISCUSSION These experiments validate the utility of flow cytometry in analyzing hippocampal cell proliferation and survival in a reliable and high-throughput fashion. The speedy analysis afforded by flow cytometry lends itself to be utilized in novel drug discovery and physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darrick T Balu
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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Abstract
Acute stressful experience enhances subsequent learning in males and impairs learning in females. These sex differences emerge soon after puberty in adulthood. Whether these opposite effects of stress on learning extend into older age is unknown. To examine this, young adult (2-3 months) and middle aged (17-18 months) Fischer 344 rats of both sexes were exposed to an acute stressor of brief tailshocks and trained 24 h later with classical eyeblink conditioning using a trace paradigm. Whereas stressful experience enhanced conditioning in adult males and impaired conditioning in adult females, it had no effect whatsoever on conditioning in the aging animals of either sex. There was no effect of aging itself on acquisition of the conditioned response, suggesting that trace conditioning is not necessarily compromised during this period of life. Together, these data indicate that associative learning in the aging animal is resistant to both the negative and positive consequences of stressful experience.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tracey J. Shors
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 732 445 6968; fax: +1 732 445 2263. (T.J. Shors)
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Abstract
Puberty is a time of significant change in preparation for adulthood. Here, we examined how stressful experience affects cognitive and related hormonal responses in male and female rats prior to, during and after puberty. Groups were exposed to an acute stressor of brief periodic tailshocks and tested 24 h later in an associative memory task of trace eyeblink conditioning. Exposure to the stressor did not alter conditioning in males or females prior to puberty but enhanced conditioning in both males and females during puberty. The enhancement occurred in pubescent females irrespective of the estrous cycle. In adulthood, sex differences in trace conditioning and the response to stress emerged: females outperformed males under unstressed conditions, but after stressor exposure, trace conditioning in females was impaired whereas that in males was enhanced. These differences were not related to changes in gross motor activity or other nonspecific measures of performance. The effects of acute stress on corticosterone, estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone were also measured. Stressor exposure increased the concentration of corticosterone in all age groups, although sex differences were only evident in adults. All reproductive hormones except estradiol increased with age in a predictable and sex dependent fashion and none were affected by stressor exposure. Estradiol decreased in male rats across age, and remained stable for female rats. Together, these data indicate that males and female respond similarly to learning opportunities and stressful experience before and during puberty; it is in adulthood that sex differences and the opposite responses to stress arise.
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