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Quiñones-Labernik P, Blocklinger KL, Bruce MR, Ferri SL. Excess neonatal testosterone causes male-specific social and fear memory deficits in wild-type mice. bioRxiv 2024:2023.10.18.562939. [PMID: 37905064 PMCID: PMC10614869 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.18.562939] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (ND) disproportionately affect males compared to females, and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in particular exhibits a 4:1 male bias. The biological mechanisms of this female protection or male susceptibility have not been identified. There is some evidence to suggest that fetal/neonatal gonadal hormones, which play pivotal roles in many aspects of development, may contribute. Here, we investigate the role of testosterone administration during a critical period of development, and its effects on social approach and fear learning in C57BL/6J wildtype mice. Male, but not female mice treated with testosterone on the day of birth (PN0) exhibited deficits in both social behavior and contextual fear conditioning, whereas mice treated with the same dose of testosterone on postnatal day 18 (PN18) did not display such impairments. Testosterone administration did not induce anxiogenic effects or lead to changes in body weight compared to the vehicle-treated group. These impairmeants are relevant to ND and may help identify novel treatment targets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Sarah L Ferri
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
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Bruce MR, Couch ACM, Grant S, McLellan J, Ku K, Chang C, Bachman A, Matson M, Berman RF, Maddock RJ, Rowland D, Kim E, Ponzini MD, Harvey D, Taylor SL, Vernon AC, Bauman MD, Van de Water J. Altered behavior, brain structure, and neurometabolites in a rat model of autism-specific maternal autoantibody exposure. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:2136-2147. [PMID: 36973347 PMCID: PMC10575787 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02020-3] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
Maternal immune dysregulation is a prenatal risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Importantly, a clinically relevant connection exists between inflammation and metabolic stress that can result in aberrant cytokine signaling and autoimmunity. In this study we examined the potential for maternal autoantibodies (aAbs) to disrupt metabolic signaling and induce neuroanatomical changes in the brains of exposed offspring. To accomplish this, we developed a model of maternal aAb exposure in rats based on the clinical phenomenon of maternal autoantibody-related ASD (MAR-ASD). Following confirmation of aAb production in rat dams and antigen-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) transfer to offspring, we assessed offspring behavior and brain structure longitudinally. MAR-ASD rat offspring displayed a reduction in pup ultrasonic vocalizations and a pronounced deficit in social play behavior when allowed to freely interact with a novel partner. Additionally, longitudinal in vivo structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) at postnatal day 30 (PND30) and PND70, conducted in a separate cohort of animals, revealed sex-specific differences in total and regional brain volume. Treatment-specific effects by region appeared to converge on midbrain and cerebellar structures in MAR-ASD offspring. Simultaneously, in vivo 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) data were collected to examine brain metabolite levels in the medial prefrontal cortex. Results showed that MAR-ASD offspring displayed decreased levels of choline-containing compounds and glutathione, accompanied by increased taurine compared to control animals. Overall, we found that rats exposed to MAR-ASD aAbs present with alterations in behavior, brain structure, and neurometabolites; reminiscent of findings observed in clinical ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Bruce
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Clinical Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Amalie C M Couch
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Simone Grant
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Janna McLellan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Clinical Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Katherine Ku
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Christina Chang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Angelica Bachman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Matthew Matson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Robert F Berman
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
- MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Richard J Maddock
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Douglas Rowland
- Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Eugene Kim
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew D Ponzini
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Danielle Harvey
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Sandra L Taylor
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Anthony C Vernon
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Melissa D Bauman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
- MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Judy Van de Water
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Clinical Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
- MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
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