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Laine MA, Greiner EM, Shansky RM. Sex differences in the rodent medial prefrontal cortex - What Do and Don't we know? Neuropharmacology 2024; 248:109867. [PMID: 38387553 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.109867] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex, particularly its medial subregions (mPFC), mediates critical functions such as executive control, behavioral inhibition, and memory formation, with relevance for everyday functioning and psychopathology. Despite broad characterization of the mPFC in multiple model organisms, the extent to which mPFC structure and function vary according to an individual's sex is unclear - a knowledge gap that can be attributed to a historical bias for male subjects in neuroscience research. Recent efforts to consider sex as a biological variable in basic science highlight the great need to close this gap. Here we review the knowns and unknowns about how rodents categorized as male or female compare in mPFC neuroanatomy, pharmacology, as well as in aversive, appetitive, and goal- or habit-directed behaviors that recruit the mPFC. We propose that long-standing dogmatic concepts of mPFC structure and function may not remain supported when we move beyond male-only studies, and that empirical challenges to these dogmas are warranted. Additionally, we note some common pitfalls in this work. Most preclinical studies operationalize sex as a binary categorization, and while this approach has furthered the inclusion of non-male rodents it is not as such generalizable to what we know of sex as a multidimensional, dynamic variable. Exploration of sex variability may uncover both sex differences and sex similarities, but care must be taken in their interpretation. Including females in preclinical research needs to go beyond the investigation of sex differences, improving our knowledge of how this brain region and its subregions mediate behavior and health. This article is part of the Special Issue on "PFC circuit function in psychiatric disease and relevant models".
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Laine
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - E M Greiner
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - R M Shansky
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
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2
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Li Z, Lee CS, Peng HY, Lin TB, Hsieh MC, Lai CY, Chou D. Lights at night mediate depression-like behavioral and molecular phenotypes in a glucocorticoid-dependent manner in male rats. Neuropharmacology 2024; 248:109888. [PMID: 38403262 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.109888] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Nocturnal light pollution, an underappreciated mood manipulator, disturbs the circadian rhythms of individuals in modern society. Preclinical and clinical studies have suggested that exposure to lights at night (LANs) results in depression-like phenotypes. However, the mechanism underlying the action of LANs remains unclear. Therefore, this study explored the potential influence of LANs on depression-related brain regions by testing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), synaptic transmission, and plasticity in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Depression-related behavioral tests, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and intracellular and extracellular electrophysiological recordings were performed. Resultantly, rats exposed to either white or blue LAN for 5 or 21 days exhibited depression-like behaviors. Both white and blue LANs reduced BDNF expression in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG). Moreover, both lights at night (LANs) elevated the plasma corticosterone levels. Pharmacologically, the activation of glucocorticoid receptors mimics the LAN-mediated effects on depression-like behaviors and reduces BDNF levels, whereas the inhibition of glucocorticoid receptors blocks LAN-mediated behavioral and molecular actions. Electrophysiologically, both LANs attenuated the stimulation-response curve, increased the paired-pulse ratio, and decreased the frequency and amplitude of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents in the vlPAG. In the mPFC, LANs attenuate long-term potentiation and long-term depression. Collectively, these results suggested that white and blue LANs disturbed BDNF expression, synaptic transmission, and plasticity in the vlPAG and mPFC in a glucocorticoid-dependent manner. The results of the present study provide a theoretical basis for understanding the effects of nocturnal light exposure on depression-like phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenlong Li
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhuhai Campus of Zunyi Medical University, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China.
| | - Chau-Shoun Lee
- Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Hsien-Yu Peng
- Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Biomedical Sciences, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Tzer-Bin Lin
- Institute of New Drug Development, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Cell Physiology and Molecular Image Research Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Ming-Chun Hsieh
- Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Cheng-Yuan Lai
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Dylan Chou
- Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei, Taiwan.
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Tagliaferri M, Amorosino G, Voltolini L, Giampiccolo D, Avesani P, Cattaneo L. A revision of the dorsal origin of the frontal aslant tract (FAT) in the superior frontal gyrus: a DWI-tractographic study. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:987-999. [PMID: 38502328 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02778-4] [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: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
The frontal aslant tract (FAT) is a white matter tract connecting the superior frontal gyrus (SFG) to the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Its dorsal origin is identified in humans in the medial wall of the SFG, in the supplementary motor complex (SM-complex). However, empirical observation shows that many FAT fibres appear to originate from the dorsal, rather than medial, portion of the SFG. We quantitatively investigated the actual origin of FAT fibres in the SFG, specifically discriminating between terminations in the medial wall and in the convexity of the SFG. We analysed data from 105 subjects obtained from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) database. We parcelled the cortex of the IFG, dorsal SFG and medial SFG in several regions of interest (ROIs) ordered in a caudal-rostral direction, which served as seed locations for the generation of streamlines. Diffusion imaging data (DWI) was processed using a multi-shell multi-tissue CSD-based algorithm. Results showed that the number of streamlines originating from the dorsal wall of the SFG significantly exceeds those from the medial wall of the SFG. Connectivity patterns between ROIs indicated that FAT sub-bundles are segregated in parallel circuits ordered in a caudal-rostral direction. Such high degree of coherence in the streamline trajectory allows to establish pairs of homologous cortical parcels in the SFG and IFG. We conclude that the frontal origin of the FAT is found in both dorsal and medial surfaces of the superior frontal gyrus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Tagliaferri
- Centro Interdipartimentale Mente e Cervello (CIMeC), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Gabriele Amorosino
- Centro Interdipartimentale Mente e Cervello (CIMeC), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- Neuroinformatics Laboratory, Center for Digital Health & Well Being, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trento, Italy
| | - Linda Voltolini
- Centro Interdipartimentale Mente e Cervello (CIMeC), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Davide Giampiccolo
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Victor Horsley Department of Neurosurgery, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK
- Institute of Neuroscience, Cleveland Clinic London, Grosvenor Place, London, UK
| | - Paolo Avesani
- Centro Interdipartimentale Mente e Cervello (CIMeC), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- Neuroinformatics Laboratory, Center for Digital Health & Well Being, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trento, Italy
| | - Luigi Cattaneo
- Centro Interdipartimentale Mente e Cervello (CIMeC), University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
- Centro Interdipartimentale di Scienze Mediche (CISMed) - University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC) - Center for Medical Sciences (CISMed), University of Trento Center for Medical Sciences (CISMed), Via delle Regole 101, Trento, 38123, Italy.
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Yao R, Yamada K, Izawa S, Kito T, Sawada H, Chihara T, Aizu N, Iwata D, Nishii K. FNDC5/irisin mediates the protective effects of Innovative theta-shaking exercise on mouse memory. Heliyon 2024; 10:e29090. [PMID: 38638979 PMCID: PMC11024559 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29090] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
As a passive motion and non-invasive treatment, theta-shaking exercise is considered an alternative to traditional active exercise for slowing down brain ageing. Here, we studied the influence of theta-shaking exercise on fibronectin type III domain containing 5/irisin (FNDC5/irisin) in the anterior nucleus of the thalamus, hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex (ATN-HPC-MPFC). Further, we assessed memory in senescence-accelerated prone mice (SAMP-10 mice) using a behavioural test to confirm the protective effect of theta-shaking exercise against age-related memory decline. SAMP-10 mice were subjected to theta-shaking exercise for 9-30 weeks. Mice then performed the T-maze test and passive avoidance task. Immunohistochemical analysis and ELISA were used to assess FNDC5/irisin, nerve growth factor (NGF), and neurotrophin 4/5 (NT4/5) expression in the ATN-HPC-MPFC. In the shaking group, FNDC5 was locally upregulated within the hippocampus and MPFC area rather than exhibiting even distribution throughout brain tissue. Irisin levels were generally higher in the control group. Meanwhile, hippocampal NGF levels were significantly higher in the shaking group, with no differences noted in neurotrophin levels. Theta-shaking preserved normal neurons in certain sub-regions. However, no beneficial changes in neuronal density were noted in the ATN. Theta-shaking exercise positively affects memory function in SAMP-10 mice. FNDC5 upregulation and higher levels of NGF, along with the potential involvement of irisin, may have contributed to the preservation of normal neuronal density in the hippocampus and MPFC subregions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runhong Yao
- Physical Therapy Course, Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nihon Institute of Medical Science, Irumagun, Saitama 350-0435, Japan
| | - Kouji Yamada
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan
| | - Sho Izawa
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan
| | - Takumi Kito
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kinjo University, Hakusan, Ishikawa 924-8511, Japan
| | - Hirohide Sawada
- Department of Medical Technology, School of Nursing and Medical Care, Yokkaichi Nursing and Medical Care University, Yokkaichi, Mie 512-8045, Japan
| | - Takeshi Chihara
- Department of Medical Technology, School of Nursing and Medical Care, Yokkaichi Nursing and Medical Care University, Yokkaichi, Mie 512-8045, Japan
| | - Naoki Aizu
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan
| | - Daiki Iwata
- Department of Medical Technology, School of Nursing and Medical Care, Yokkaichi Nursing and Medical Care University, Yokkaichi, Mie 512-8045, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Nishii
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan
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Jiang Y, Xu L, Cao Y, Meng F, Jiang S, Yang M, Zheng Z, Zhang Y, Yang L, Wang M, Sun G, Liu J, Li C, Cui M. Effects of Interleukin-19 overexpression in the medial prefrontal cortex on anxiety-related behaviors, BDNF expression and p38/JNK/ERK pathways. Brain Res Bull 2024; 212:110952. [PMID: 38636611 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2024.110952] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Anxiety is a prevalent mental illness known for its high incidence, comorbidity, and tendency to recur, posing significant societal and individual burdens. Studies have highlighted Interleukin-19 (IL-19) as having potential relevance in neuropsychiatric disorders. Our previous research revealed that IL-19 overexpression in colonies exacerbated anxiety-related behaviors induced by dextran sodium sulfate/stress. However, the precise role and molecular mechanisms of IL-19 in anxiety regulation remain uncertain. In this study, we initiated an acute restraint stress (ARS)-induced anxious mouse model and identified heightened expression of IL-19 and IL-20Rα in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of ARS mice. Notably, IL-19 and IL-20Rα were predominantly present in the excitatory pyramidal neurons of the mPFC under both basal and ARS conditions. Utilizing the adeno-associated virus (AAV) strategy, we demonstrated that IL-19 overexpression in the mPFC induced anxiety-related behaviors and elevated stress susceptibility. Additionally, we observed decreased protein levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) in the mPFC of IL-19 overexpression mice, accompanied by reduced phosphorylation of in the p38, JNK, and Erk signaling pathways. These findings emphasize the role of IL-19 in modulating anxiety-related behaviors within the mPFC and suggest its potential as a pathological gene and therapeutic target for anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Jiang
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China; Medical Research Center, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Lihong Xu
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China; Medical Research Center, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Yifan Cao
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China; Medical Research Center, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Fantao Meng
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China; Medical Research Center, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Shujun Jiang
- Department of Physiology, Binzhou Medical University, Shandong, China
| | - Mengyu Yang
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China; Medical Research Center, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Ziteng Zheng
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China; Medical Research Center, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China; Medical Research Center, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Lu Yang
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China; Medical Research Center, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Meiqin Wang
- Medical Research Center, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China; Department of Physiology, Binzhou Medical University, Shandong, China
| | - Guizhi Sun
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China; Medical Research Center, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China.
| | - Chen Li
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China; Medical Research Center, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China.
| | - Minghu Cui
- Department of Psychology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China; Medical Research Center, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China.
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6
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Tran KH, Luki J, Hanstock S, Hanstock CC, Seres P, Aitchison K, Shandro T, Le Melledo JM. The impact of matching for reproductive status on the comparison of magnetic spectroscopic measurements of glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid + in the medial prefrontal cortex of women with major depression. J Affect Disord 2024; 351:396-402. [PMID: 38244791 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.140] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The role played by medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) glutamate (Glu) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the pathophysiology and the treatment of major depression (MD) is increasingly recognized. Although measurements of MPFC GABA and Glu have been shown to be sensitive to physiological fluctuations of female hormones, none of the magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) investigations of MPFC Glu and GABA in MD have controlled for possible bias effect of the reproductive stage of the women included. METHODS MPFC Glu and GABA+ (which include homocarnosine and macromolecules) referenced to creatine and phosphocreatine, were measured via magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) using a 3-Tesla magnet in 24 women with MD and 24 healthy women paired for reproductive status. All participants were unmedicated. RESULTS There were no statistical differences in either MPFC Glu [95 % CI: (-0.025, 0.034)] or MPFC GABA+ [95 % CI: (-0.005, 0.017)] between women with MD and healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS Our investigation does not support abnormalities in measurement of MPFC Glu and GABA in MD women when stringent control for reproductive status is performed. As a result of the inherent limitations of MRS methodology, our results do not preclude glutamatergic and GABAergic dysregulations in the MPFC of women with MD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim H Tran
- University of Alberta, Department of Psychiatry, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jessica Luki
- University of Alberta, Department of Psychiatry, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Sarah Hanstock
- University of Alberta, Department of Psychiatry, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | - Peter Seres
- University of Alberta, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Katherine Aitchison
- University of Alberta, Department of Psychiatry, Edmonton, AB, Canada; University of Alberta, Department of Medical Genetics, Edmonton, AB, Canada; University of Alberta, Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, Edmonton, AB, Canada; University of Alberta, Women and Children's Research Institute, Edmonton, AB, Canada; Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Division of Clinical Sciences, Psychiatry Section, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada
| | - Tami Shandro
- Lois Hole Hospital for Women, Royal Alexandra Hospital, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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Rozov S, Saarreharju R, Khirug S, Storvik M, Rivera C, Rantamäki T. Effects of nitrous oxide and ketamine on electrophysiological and molecular responses in the prefrontal cortex of mice: A comparative study. Eur J Pharmacol 2024; 968:176426. [PMID: 38387719 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2024.176426] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Nitrous oxide (N2O; laughing gas) has recently reported to produce rapid antidepressant effects, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. We performed transcriptomics, in situ hybridization, and electrophysiological studies to examine the potential shared signatures induced by 1 h inhalation of 50% N2O and a single subanesthetic dose of ketamine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in adult mice. Both treatments similarly affected the transcription of several negative regulators of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), namely, dual specificity phosphatases (DUSPs). The effects were primarily located in the pyramidal cells. Notably, the overall effects of N2O on mRNA expression were much more prominent and widespread compared to ketamine. Ketamine caused an elevation of the spiking frequency of putative pyramidal neurons and increased gamma activity (30-100 Hz) of cortical local field potentials. However, N2O produced no such effects. Spiking amplitudes and spike-to-local field potential phase locking of putative pyramidal neurons and interneurons in this brain area showed no uniform changes across treatments. Our findings suggest that N2O and subanesthetic-dose ketamine target MAPK pathway in the mPFC but produce varying acute electrophysiological responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislav Rozov
- Laboratory of Neurotherapeutics, Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland; SleepWell Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland.
| | - Roosa Saarreharju
- Laboratory of Neurotherapeutics, Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland; SleepWell Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Stanislav Khirug
- Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | | | - Claudio Rivera
- Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland; Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, INMED, Marseille, 13007, France
| | - Tomi Rantamäki
- Laboratory of Neurotherapeutics, Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland; SleepWell Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
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Lopez MR, Wasberg SMH, Gagliardi CM, Normandin ME, Muzzio IA. Mystery of the memory engram: History, current knowledge, and unanswered questions. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 159:105574. [PMID: 38331127 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105574] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
The quest to understand the memory engram has intrigued humans for centuries. Recent technological advances, including genetic labelling, imaging, optogenetic and chemogenetic techniques, have propelled the field of memory research forward. These tools have enabled researchers to create and erase memory components. While these innovative techniques have yielded invaluable insights, they often focus on specific elements of the memory trace. Genetic labelling may rely on a particular immediate early gene as a marker of activity, optogenetics may activate or inhibit one specific type of neuron, and imaging may capture activity snapshots in a given brain region at specific times. Yet, memories are multifaceted, involving diverse arrays of neuronal subpopulations, circuits, and regions that work in concert to create, store, and retrieve information. Consideration of contributions of both excitatory and inhibitory neurons, micro and macro circuits across brain regions, the dynamic nature of active ensembles, and representational drift is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the complex nature of memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- M R Lopez
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - S M H Wasberg
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - C M Gagliardi
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - M E Normandin
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - I A Muzzio
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
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9
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Lu Y, Mu L, Elstrott J, Fu C, Sun C, Su T, Ma X, Yan J, Jiang H, Hanson JE, Geng Y, Chen Y. Differential depletion of GluN2A induces heterogeneous schizophrenia-related phenotypes in mice. EBioMedicine 2024; 102:105045. [PMID: 38471394 PMCID: PMC10943646 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105045] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia, a debilitating psychiatric disorder, displays considerable interindividual variation in clinical presentations. The ongoing debate revolves around whether this heterogeneity signifies a continuum of severity linked to a singular causative factor or a collection of distinct subtypes with unique origins. Within the realm of schizophrenia, the functional impairment of GluN2A, a subtype of the NMDA receptor, has been associated with an elevated risk. Despite GluN2A's expression across various neuronal types throughout the brain, its specific contributions to schizophrenia and its involvement in particular cell types or brain regions remain unexplored. METHODS We generated age-specific, cell type-specific or brain region-specific conditional knockout mice targeting GluN2A and conducted a comprehensive analysis using tests measuring phenotypes relevant to schizophrenia. FINDINGS Through the induction of germline ablation of GluN2A, we observed the emergence of numerous schizophrenia-associated abnormalities in adult mice. Intriguingly, GluN2A knockout performed at different ages, in specific cell types and within distinct brain regions, we observed overlapping yet distinct schizophrenia-related phenotypes in mice. INTERPRETATION Our interpretation suggests that the dysfunction of GluN2A is sufficient to evoke heterogeneous manifestations associated with schizophrenia, indicating that GluN2A stands as a prominent risk factor and a potential therapeutic target for schizophrenia. FUNDING This project received support from the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project (Grant No. 2019SHZDZX02) awarded to Y.C. and the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (Grant No. 19ZR1468600 and 201409003800) awarded to G.Y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Lu
- Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.100 Haike Rd., Pudong New District, Shanghai 201210, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Longyu Mu
- Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.100 Haike Rd., Pudong New District, Shanghai 201210, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Justin Elstrott
- Department of Translational Imaging, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Chaoying Fu
- Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.100 Haike Rd., Pudong New District, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Cailu Sun
- Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.100 Haike Rd., Pudong New District, Shanghai 201210, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Tonghui Su
- Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.100 Haike Rd., Pudong New District, Shanghai 201210, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiaofan Ma
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Jia Yan
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Hong Jiang
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Jesse E Hanson
- Department of Neuroscience, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Yang Geng
- Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.100 Haike Rd., Pudong New District, Shanghai 201210, China.
| | - Yelin Chen
- Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.100 Haike Rd., Pudong New District, Shanghai 201210, China.
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Addicott MA, Kinney KR, Saldana S, Ip EHS, DeMaioNewton H, Bickel WK, Hanlon CA. A randomized controlled trial of intermittent theta burst stimulation to the medial prefrontal cortex for tobacco use disorder: Clinical efficacy and safety. Drug Alcohol Depend 2024; 258:111278. [PMID: 38579605 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.111278] [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] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of administering intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) to the medial prefrontal cortex for tobacco use disorder. METHODS A randomized sham-controlled trial was conducted, with 38 participants receiving 28 sessions of active (n=25) or sham (n=13) iTBS (2 sessions/day, 600 pulses/session, 110% resting motor threshold, AFz target) along with smoking cessation education (Forever Free © booklets) over 14 visits. Primary outcomes included self-reported cigarette consumption and abstinence, verified by urinary cotinine tests. Secondary outcomes included symptoms of tobacco use disorder, negative mood, and safety/tolerability. RESULTS Both active and sham groups reported reduced cigarette consumption (β = -0.12, p = 0.015), cigarette craving (β = -0.16, p = 0.002), and tobacco withdrawal symptoms (β = -0.05, p < 0.001). However, there were no significant time x group interaction effects for any measure. Similarly, the two groups had no significant differences in urinary cotinine-verified abstinence. Adverse events occurred with similar frequency in both groups. CONCLUSION There were no differences in cigarette consumption between the active and sham iTBS groups, both groups decreased cigarette consumption similarly. Further research is needed to compare iTBS to standard high-frequency rTMS and explore the potential differences in efficacy. Despite limitations, this study contributes to experimental design considerations for TMS as a novel intervention for tobacco and other substance use disorders, emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the stimulation parameters and target sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merideth A Addicott
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA.
| | - Kaitlin R Kinney
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Santiago Saldana
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Edward Hak-Sing Ip
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Hannah DeMaioNewton
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Warren K Bickel
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA
| | - Colleen A Hanlon
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA; BrainsWay, Burlington, MA 01803, USA
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Tan S, Jia Y, Jariwala N, Zhang Z, Brent K, Houde J, Nagarajan S, Subramaniam K. A randomised controlled trial investigating the causal role of the medial prefrontal cortex in mediating self-agency during speech monitoring and reality monitoring. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5108. [PMID: 38429404 PMCID: PMC10907680 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55275-3] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Self-agency is the awareness of being the agent of one's own thoughts and actions. Self-agency is essential for interacting with the outside world (reality-monitoring). The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is thought to be one neural correlate of self-agency. We investigated whether mPFC activity can causally modulate self-agency on two different tasks of speech-monitoring and reality-monitoring. The experience of self-agency is thought to result from making reliable predictions about the expected outcomes of one's own actions. This self-prediction ability is necessary for the encoding and memory retrieval of one's own thoughts during reality-monitoring to enable accurate judgments of self-agency. This self-prediction ability is also necessary for speech-monitoring where speakers consistently compare auditory feedback (what we hear ourselves say) with what we expect to hear while speaking. In this study, 30 healthy participants are assigned to either 10 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to enhance mPFC excitability (N = 15) or 10 Hz rTMS targeting a distal temporoparietal site (N = 15). High-frequency rTMS to mPFC enhanced self-predictions during speech-monitoring that predicted improved self-agency judgments during reality-monitoring. This is the first study to provide robust evidence for mPFC underlying a causal role in self-agency, that results from the fundamental ability of improving self-predictions across two different tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songyuan Tan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 513 Parnassus Avenue, HSE604, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Yingxin Jia
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 513 Parnassus Avenue, HSE604, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Namasvi Jariwala
- Department of Psychology, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Zoey Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kurtis Brent
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - John Houde
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Srikantan Nagarajan
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Karuna Subramaniam
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, 513 Parnassus Avenue, HSE604, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
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12
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Wen Y, Jiang J, Zhai F, Fan F, Lu J. Sleep-wake dependent hippocampal regulation of fear memory. Sleep Med 2024; 115:162-173. [PMID: 38367358 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2024.02.022] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
The hippocampus (HPC) plays a pivotal role in fear learning and memory. Our two recent studies suggest that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep via the HPC downregulates fear memory consolidation and promotes fear extinction. However, it is not clear whether and how the dorsal and the ventral HPC regulates fear memory differently; and how the HPC in wake regulates fear memory. By chemogenetic stimulating in the HPC directly and its afferent entorhinal cortex that selectively activated the HPC in REM sleep for 3-6 h post-fear-acquisition, we found that HPC activation in REM sleep consolidated fear extinction memory. In particular, dorsal HPC (dHPC) stimulation in REM sleep virtually eliminated fear memory by enhancing fear extinction and reducing fear memory consolidation. By contrast, chemogenetic stimulating HPC afferent the supramammillary nucleus (SUM) induced 3-hr wake with HPC activation impaired fear extinction. Finally, desipramine (DMI) injection that selectively eliminated REM sleep for >6 h impaired fear extinction. Our results demonstrate that the HPC is critical for fear memory regulation; and wake HPC and REM sleep HPC have an opposite role in fear extinction of respective impairment and consolidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujun Wen
- Ningxia Key Laboratory of Craniocerebral Diseases, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China; Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, USA.
| | - Jinhong Jiang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory in Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China; Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, USA
| | - Feng Zhai
- Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China; Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, USA
| | - Fangfang Fan
- Stroke Center and Department of Neurology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China; Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, USA
| | - Jun Lu
- Stroke Center and Department of Neurology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China; Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, USA.
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13
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Cho JY, Rumschlag JA, Tsvetkov E, Proper DS, Lang H, Berto S, Assali A, Cowan CW. MEF2C Hypofunction in GABAergic Cells Alters Sociability and Prefrontal Cortex Inhibitory Synaptic Transmission in a Sex-Dependent Manner. Biol Psychiatry Glob Open Sci 2024; 4:100289. [PMID: 38390348 PMCID: PMC10881314 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2024.100289] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Heterozygous mutations or deletions of MEF2C cause a neurodevelopmental disorder termed MEF2C haploinsufficiency syndrome (MCHS), characterized by autism spectrum disorder and neurological symptoms. In mice, global Mef2c heterozygosity has produced multiple MCHS-like phenotypes. MEF2C is highly expressed in multiple cell types of the developing brain, including GABAergic (gamma-aminobutyric acidergic) inhibitory neurons, but the influence of MEF2C hypofunction in GABAergic neurons on MCHS-like phenotypes remains unclear. Methods We employed GABAergic cell type-specific manipulations to study mouse Mef2c heterozygosity in a battery of MCHS-like behaviors. We also performed electroencephalography, single-cell transcriptomics, and patch-clamp electrophysiology and optogenetics to assess the impact of Mef2c haploinsufficiency on gene expression and prefrontal cortex microcircuits. Results Mef2c heterozygosity in developing GABAergic cells produced female-specific deficits in social preference and altered approach-avoidance behavior. In female, but not male, mice, we observed that Mef2c heterozygosity in developing GABAergic cells produced 1) differentially expressed genes in multiple cell types, including parvalbumin-expressing GABAergic neurons, 2) baseline and social-related frontocortical network activity alterations, and 3) reductions in parvalbumin cell intrinsic excitability and inhibitory synaptic transmission onto deep-layer pyramidal neurons. Conclusions MEF2C hypofunction in female, but not male, developing GABAergic cells is important for typical sociability and approach-avoidance behaviors and normal parvalbumin inhibitory neuron function in the prefrontal cortex of mice. While there is no apparent sex bias in autism spectrum disorder symptoms of MCHS, our findings suggest that GABAergic cell-specific dysfunction in females with MCHS may contribute disproportionately to sociability symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Y Cho
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Jeffrey A Rumschlag
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Evgeny Tsvetkov
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Divya S Proper
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Hainan Lang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Stefano Berto
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Ahlem Assali
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Christopher W Cowan
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
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14
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Bai W, Liu Y, Liu A, Xu X, Zheng X, Tian X, Liu T. Hippocampal-prefrontal high-gamma flow during performance of a spatial working memory. Brain Res Bull 2024; 207:110887. [PMID: 38280642 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2024.110887] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Working memory refers to a system that provides temporary storage and manipulation of the information necessary for complex cognitive tasks. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HPC) are major structures contributing to working memory. Accumulating evidence suggests that the HPC-PFC interactions are critical for the successful execution of working memory tasks. Nevertheless, the directional information transmission within the HPC-PFC pathway remains unclear. Using simultaneous multi-electrode recordings, we recorded local field potentials (LFPs) from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and ventral hippocampus (vHPC) while the rats performed a spatial working memory task in a Y-maze. The directionality of functional interactions between mPFC and vHPC was assessed using the phase-slope index (PSI). Our findings revealed a frequency-specific oscillatory synchrony in the two regions during the spatial working memory task. Furthermore, an increased high-gamma flow from vHPC to mPFC manifested exclusively during correctly performed trials, not observed during incorrect ones. This suggests that the enhanced high-gamma flow reflects behavioral performance in working memory. Consequently, our results indicate an major role of directional frequency-specific communication in the hippocampal-frontal circuit during spatial working memory, providing a potential mechanism for working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenwen Bai
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Yinglong Liu
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Aili Liu
- School of Basic Medicine, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Xinyu Xu
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Xuyuan Zheng
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Xin Tian
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Tiaotiao Liu
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China.
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15
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DU Y, Li Z, Zhao Y, Han J, Hu W, Liu Z. Role of 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 receptors in the regulation of anxiety reactions. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B 2024; 25:23-37. [PMID: 38163664 PMCID: PMC10758207 DOI: 10.1631/jzus.b2200642] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) type 3 receptor (5-HT3R) is the only type of ligand-gated ion channel in the 5-HT receptor family. Through the high permeability of Na+, K+, and Ca2+ and activation of subsequent voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs), 5-HT3R induces a rapid increase of neuronal excitability or the release of neurotransmitters from axon terminals in the central nervous system (CNS). 5-HT3Rs are widely expressed in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), amygdala (AMYG), hippocampus (HIP), periaqueductal gray (PAG), and other brain regions closely associated with anxiety reactions. They have a bidirectional regulatory effect on anxiety reactions by acting on different types of cells in different brain regions. 5-HT3Rs mediate the activation of the cholecystokinin (CCK) system in the AMYG, and the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) "disinhibition" mechanism in the prelimbic area of the mPFC promotes anxiety by the activation of GABAergic intermediate inhibitory neurons (IINs). In contrast, a 5-HT3R-induced GABA "disinhibition" mechanism in the infralimbic area of the mPFC and the ventral HIP produces anxiolytic effects. 5-HT2R-mediated regulation of anxiety reactions are also activated by 5-HT3R-activated 5-HT release in the HIP and PAG. This provides a theoretical basis for the treatment of anxiety disorders or the production of anxiolytic drugs by targeting 5-HT3Rs. However, given the circuit specific modulation of 5-HT3Rs on emotion, systemic use of 5-HT3R agonism or antagonism alone seems unlikely to remedy anxiety, which deeply hinders the current clinical application of 5-HT3R drugs. Therefore, the exploitation of circuit targeting methods or a combined drug strategy might be a useful developmental approach in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinan DU
- MOE Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Zhiwei Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Yukui Zhao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Jing Han
- MOE Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Weiping Hu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China. ,
| | - Zhiqiang Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China.
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Shirayama Y, Matsumoto K, Osone F, Hara A, Guan S, Hamatani S, Muneoka K, Sato K, Okada A, Yokokawa T. The Lack of Alterations in Metabolites in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Amygdala, but Their Associations with Autistic Traits, Empathy, and Personality Traits in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Preliminary Study. J Autism Dev Disord 2024; 54:193-210. [PMID: 36251207 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05778-7] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) has shown inconsistent alterations in brain metabolites of adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We investigated brain metabolites in the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala of 24 drug-naive adults with ASD and no intellectual disability and 24 non-ASD control subjects, using 3 T 1H-MRS. Adults with ASD showed no significant differences from control in glutamate, glutamate plus glutamine, N-acetylaspartate, glycerophosphorylcholine plus phosphorylcholine, creatine plus phosphocreatine, or myo-inositol in either region. However, ASD subjects did show significant correlations of localized brain metabolites with autistic traits, empathy deficits, and personality traits using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and NEO Personality Inventory-Revised. These findings should be taken as preliminary or exploratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukihiko Shirayama
- Department of Psychiatry, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, 3426-3 Anesaki, Ichihara, 299-0111, Japan.
| | - Kazuki Matsumoto
- Department of Psychiatry, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, 3426-3 Anesaki, Ichihara, 299-0111, Japan
| | - Fumio Osone
- Department of Radiology, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, Ichihara, Japan
| | - Akira Hara
- Department of Radiology, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, Ichihara, Japan
| | - Siqing Guan
- Department of Psychiatry, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, 3426-3 Anesaki, Ichihara, 299-0111, Japan
| | - Sayo Hamatani
- Department of Psychiatry, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, 3426-3 Anesaki, Ichihara, 299-0111, Japan
| | - Katsumasa Muneoka
- Department of Psychiatry, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, 3426-3 Anesaki, Ichihara, 299-0111, Japan
| | - Koichi Sato
- Department of Psychiatry, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, 3426-3 Anesaki, Ichihara, 299-0111, Japan
| | - Akihiro Okada
- Department of Psychology, Sapporo International University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Tokuzou Yokokawa
- Department of Radiology, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, Ichihara, Japan
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Zhang L, Guo Y, Liu J, Li L, Wang Y, Wu X, Bai Y, Li J, Zhang Q, Hui Y. Transcranial direct current stimulation of the prefrontal cortex improves depression-like behaviors in rats with Parkinson's disease. Brain Res 2024; 1822:148649. [PMID: 37923003 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2023.148649] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Depression associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) seriously affects patients, and there is a lack of effective treatments. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is increasingly used as a new non-invasive neuromodulation technique in the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases. However, there is a paucity of research on tDCS for PD-related depression. Our study used PD model rats established with unilateral destruction of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) to observe the modulatory effects of tDCS acting on the mPFC on depression-like behaviors. We found that tDCS acting on the mPFC improved depression-like behaviors in PD model rats by increasing sucrose intake in sucrose preference test (n = 7-10 rats/group) and shortening immobility time in forced swimming test (n = 7-8 rats/group). Meanwhile, tDCS decreased the expression of c-Fos protein (n = 8-11 rats/group) and the excitation of glutamatergic neurons (n = 6-8 rats/group) in the PrL and LHb of PD model rats. Western blots showed that tDCS decreased the overexpression of serine 845 phosphorylation site of AMPA receptor GluR1 (p-GluR1-S845) in the PrL and LHb of PD model rats (n = 8-11 rats/group), and the overexpression of p-GluR1-S831 in the LHb (n = 8-11 rats/group). The results of this study show that tDCS acting on the mPFC helps to improve PD-related depression, which involves the modulation of excitability and AMPA receptor phosphorylation on the PrL and LHb neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, China
| | - Yuan Guo
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Jian Liu
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Libo Li
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, China
| | - Yixuan Wang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, China
| | - Xiang Wu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, China
| | - Yihua Bai
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, China
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, China
| | - Qiaojun Zhang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, China.
| | - Yanping Hui
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, China.
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Coleman PT, Costanza-Chavez GW, Martin HN, Amat J, Frank MG, Sanchez RJ, Potter GJ, Mellert SM, Carter RK, Bonnici GN, Maier SF, Baratta MV. Prior experience with behavioral control over stress facilitates social dominance. Neurobiol Stress 2024; 28:100597. [PMID: 38213318 PMCID: PMC10783635 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100597] [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: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Dominance status has extensive effects on physical and mental health, and an individual's relative position can be shaped by experiential factors. A variety of considerations suggest that the experience of behavioral control over stressors should produce winning in dominance tests and that winning should blunt the impact of later stressors, as does prior control. To investigate the interplay between competitive success and stressor control, we first examined the impact of stressor controllability on subsequent performance in a warm spot competition test modified for rats. Prior experience of controllable, but not physically identical uncontrollable, stress increased later effortful behavior and occupation of the warm spot. Controllable stress subjects consistently ranked higher than did uncontrollable stress subjects. Pharmacological inactivation of the prelimbic (PL) cortex during behavioral control prevented later facilitation of dominance. Next, we explored whether repeated winning experiences produced later resistance against the typical sequelae of uncontrollable stress. To establish dominance status, triads of rats were given five sessions of warm spot competition. The development of stable dominance was prevented by reversible inactivation of the PL or NMDA receptor blockade in the dorsomedial striatum. Stable winning blunted the later stress-induced increase in dorsal raphe nucleus serotonergic activity, as well as prevented uncontrollable stress-induced social avoidance. In contrast, endocrine and neuroimmune responses to uncontrollable stress were unaffected, indicating a selective impact of prior dominance. Together, these data demonstrate that instrumental control over stress promotes later dominance, but also reveal that winning experiences buffer against the neural and behavioral outcomes of future adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Heather N. Martin
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Jose Amat
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Matthew G. Frank
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Rory J. Sanchez
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Garrett J. Potter
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Simone M. Mellert
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Rene K. Carter
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Gianni N. Bonnici
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Steven F. Maier
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Michael V. Baratta
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
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Zhang YQ, Min HK, Hong E, Yu E, Gu SM, Yoon SS, Lee D, Lee J, Hong JT, Yun J. Abused drug-induced intracranial self-stimulation is correlated with the alteration of dopamine transporter availability in the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens of mice. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 169:115860. [PMID: 37948992 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115860] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) of the medial forebrain bundle in mice is an experimental model use to assess the relative potential of reward-seeking behaviors. Here, we used the ICSS model to evaluate the abuse potential of 18 abused drugs: 3-Fluoroethamphetamine (3-FEA); methylphenidate; cocaine; dextroamphetamine; alpha-Pyrrolidinobutyrophenone (α-PBT); 4'-Fluoro-4-methylaminorex (4-FPO); methamphetamine; larocaine; phentermine; paramethoxymethamphetamine (PMMA); phendimetrazine; N-(1-adamantyl)-1-pentyl-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide (AKB-48); Naphthalen-1-yl-(4-pentyloxynaphthalen-1-yl)methanone (CB-13); 4-Ethylnaphthalen-1-yl-(1-pentylindol-3-yl)methanone (JWH-210); Naphthalen-1-yl-(1-pentylindol-3-yl)methanone (JWH-018); N-(ortho-methoxybenzyl)-4-ethylamphetamine (4-EA-NBOMe); N-[(2-Methoxyphenyl)methyl]-N-methyl-1-(4-methylphenyl)propan-2-amine (4-MMA-NBOMe); and 1-[1-(4-methoxyphenyl)cyclohexyl]piperidine (4-MeO-PCP). We determined dopamine transporter (DAT) availability in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), striatum, and nucleus accumbens (NAc) after drug treatment. DAT availability in the mPFC and NAc significantly correlated with the ICSS threshold after drug treatment. Extracellular dopamine and calcium levels in PC-12 cells were measured following drug treatment. After drug treatment, Spearman rank and Pearson correlation analyses showed a significant difference between the extracellular dopamine level and the ICSS threshold. After drug treatment, Spearman rank correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between Ca2+ signaling and the ICSS threshold. A positive correlation exists between the ICSS threshold and DAT availability in the mPFC and NAc provoked by abused drugs. The relative potential of drug-induced reward-seeking behavior may be related to DAT availability-mediated extracellular dopamine levels in the mPFC and NAc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Qing Zhang
- College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 194-31 Osongsaengmyeong 1-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Kyu Min
- College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 194-31 Osongsaengmyeong 1-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Eunchong Hong
- College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 194-31 Osongsaengmyeong 1-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Eunhye Yu
- College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 194-31 Osongsaengmyeong 1-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Mi Gu
- College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 194-31 Osongsaengmyeong 1-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong Shoon Yoon
- College of Korean Medicine, Daegu Haany University, 136 Sincheondong-ro, Suseong-gu, Daegu 42158, Republic of Korea
| | - Dohyun Lee
- Laboratory Animal Center, Osong Medical Innovation Foundation, 123 Osongsaengmyeong-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaejun Lee
- Laboratory Animal Center, Osong Medical Innovation Foundation, 123 Osongsaengmyeong-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Tae Hong
- College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 194-31 Osongsaengmyeong 1-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaesuk Yun
- College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, 194-31 Osongsaengmyeong 1-ro, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do 28160, Republic of Korea.
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Irrsack E, Aydin S, Bleckmann K, Schuller J, Dringen R, Koch M. Local Administrations of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in the Prefrontal Cortex and Caudate Putamen of Rats Do Not Compromise Working Memory and Motor Activity. Neurotox Res 2023; 42:6. [PMID: 38133743 PMCID: PMC10746586 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-023-00684-x] [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: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have come into focus for their use in medical applications although possible health risks for humans, especially in terms of brain functions, have not yet been fully clarified. The present study investigates the effects of IONPs on neurobehavioural functions in rats. For this purpose, we infused dimercaptosuccinic acid-coated IONPs into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and caudate putamen (CPu). Saline (VEH) and ferric ammonium citrate (FAC) were administered as controls. One- and 4-week post-surgery mPFC-infused animals were tested for their working memory performance in the delayed alternation T-maze task and in the open field (OF) for motor activity, and CPu-infused rats were tested for their motor activity in the OF. After completion of the experiments, the brains were examined histologically and immunohistochemically. We did not observe any behavioural or structural abnormalities in the rats after administration of IONPs in the mPFC and the CPu. In contrast, administration of FAC into the CPu resulted in decreased motor activity and increased the number of microglia in the mPFC. Perls' Prussian blue staining revealed that FAC- and IONP-treated rats had more iron-containing ramified cells than VEH-treated rats, indicating iron uptake by microglia. Our results demonstrate that local infusions of IONPs into selected brain regions have no adverse impact on locomotor behaviour and working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Irrsack
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Centre for Cognitive Sciences, University of Bremen, PO Box 330440, Bremen, 28334, Germany.
| | - Sidar Aydin
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Centre for Cognitive Sciences, University of Bremen, PO Box 330440, Bremen, 28334, Germany
| | - Katja Bleckmann
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Centre for Cognitive Sciences, University of Bremen, PO Box 330440, Bremen, 28334, Germany
| | - Julia Schuller
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Centre for Cognitive Sciences, University of Bremen, PO Box 330440, Bremen, 28334, Germany
| | - Ralf Dringen
- Centre for Biomolecular Interactions Bremen (CBIB), and Centre for Environmental Research and Sustainable, Technology, University of Bremen, PO Box 330440, Bremen, 28334, Germany
| | - Michael Koch
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Centre for Cognitive Sciences, University of Bremen, PO Box 330440, Bremen, 28334, Germany
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21
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Herry C, Jercog D. Stable coding of aversive associations in medial prefrontal populations. C R Biol 2023; 346:127-138. [PMID: 38116876 DOI: 10.5802/crbiol.126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is at the core of numerous psychiatric conditions, including fear and anxiety-related disorders. Whereas an abundance of evidence suggests a crucial role of the mPFC in regulating fear behaviour, the precise role of the mPFC in this process is not yet entirely clear. While studies at the single-cell level have demonstrated the involvement of this area in various aspects of fear processing, such as the encoding of threat-related cues and fear expression, an increasingly prevalent idea in the systems neuroscience field is that populations of neurons are, in fact, the essential unit of computation in many integrative brain regions such as prefrontal areas. What mPFC neuronal populations represent when we face threats? To address this question, we performed electrophysiological single-unit population recordings in the dorsal mPFC while mice faced threat-predicting cues eliciting defensive behaviours, and performed pharmacological and optogenetic inactivations of this area and the amygdala. Our data indicated that the presence of threat-predicting cues induces a stable coding dynamics of internally driven representations in the dorsal mPFC, necessary to drive learned defensive behaviours. Moreover, these neural population representations primary reflect learned associations rather than specific defensive behaviours, and the construct of such representations relies on the functional integrity of the amygdala.
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22
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Yang X, Yu D, Gao F, Yang J, Chen Z, Liu J, Yang X, Li L, Zhang Y, Yan C. Integrative Analysis of Morphine-Induced Differential Circular RNAs and ceRNA Networks in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex. Mol Neurobiol 2023:10.1007/s12035-023-03859-x. [PMID: 38109006 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03859-x] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel type of non-coding RNAs. Despite the fact that the functional mechanisms of most circRNAs remain unknown, emerging evidence indicates that circRNAs could sponge microRNAs (miRNAs), bind to RNA binding proteins (RBP), and even be translated into protein. Recent research has demonstrated the crucial roles played by circRNAs in neuropsychiatric disorders. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a crucial component of drug reward circuitry and exerts top-down control over cognitive functions. However, there is currently limited knowledge about the correlation between circRNAs and morphine-associated contextual memory in the mPFC. Here, we performed morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in mice and extracted mPFC tissue for RNA-sequencing. Our study represented the first attempt to identify differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs) and mRNAs (DEmRNAs) in the mPFC after morphine-induced CPP. We identified 47 significantly up-regulated DEcircRNAs and 429 significantly up-regulated DEmRNAs, along with 74 significantly down-regulated DEcircRNAs and 391 significantly down-regulated DEmRNAs. Functional analysis revealed that both DEcircRNAs and DEmRNAs were closely associated with neuroplasticity. To further validate the DEcircRNAs, we conducted qRT-PCR, Sanger sequencing, and RNase R digestion assays. Additionally, using an integrated bioinformatics approach, we constructed ceRNA networks and identified critical circRNA/miRNA/mRNA axes that contributed to the development of morphine-associated contextual memory. In summary, our study provided novel insights into the role of circRNAs in drug-related memory, specifically from the perspective of ceRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xixi Yang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, National Health Commission, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China
- Bio-Evidence Sciences Academy, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Dongyu Yu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, National Health Commission, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China
- Bio-Evidence Sciences Academy, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Feifei Gao
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, National Health Commission, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China
- Bio-Evidence Sciences Academy, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jingsi Yang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, National Health Commission, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China
- Bio-Evidence Sciences Academy, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Zhennan Chen
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, National Health Commission, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China
- Bio-Evidence Sciences Academy, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Junlin Liu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, National Health Commission, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China
- Bio-Evidence Sciences Academy, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xiaoyu Yang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, National Health Commission, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China
- Bio-Evidence Sciences Academy, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Lanjiang Li
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, National Health Commission, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China
- Bio-Evidence Sciences Academy, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yuxiang Zhang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China.
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, National Health Commission, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China.
- Bio-Evidence Sciences Academy, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710100, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Chunxia Yan
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China.
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, National Health Commission, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China.
- Bio-Evidence Sciences Academy, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710100, Shaanxi, China.
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23
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Song RX, Miao HT, Jia SY, Li WG, Liu JZ, Zhang W, Xing BR, Zhao JY, Zhang LM, Li XM. Hemorrhagic Shock and Resuscitation Causes Excessive Dopaminergic Signaling in the mPFC and Cognitive Dysfunction. Mol Neurobiol 2023:10.1007/s12035-023-03804-y. [PMID: 38041715 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03804-y] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Peri-operative hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation (HSR), a severe traumatic stress, is closely associated with post-operative anxiety, depression, and cognitive dysfunction, subsequently causing a serious burden on families and society. Following the co-release of corticotropin-releasing factor and catecholamine, traumatic stress activates dopaminergic neurons, increasing the addictive behavior and neurocognitive impairment risks. This study investigates the association between cognitive dysfunction and dopaminergic neurons in the mPFC under HSR conditions. This study established an HSR model by bleeding and re-transfusion in the mice. After HSR exposure, a dopamine D1 receptor antagonist, SKF-83566, was administered intraperitoneally for three consecutive days. Novel object recognition (NOR), conditioned fearing (FC), and conditioned place preference (CPP) were used to assess cognitive changes 16 days after HSR exposure. Local field potential (LFP) in the mPFC was also investigated during the novel object exploration. Compared with the mice exposed to sham, there was a significant decrease in the object recognition index, a reduction in context- and tone-related freezing time, an increase in CPP values, a downregulation of β-power but upregulation of γ-power in the mPFC in the mice exposed to HSR. Moreover, the mice exposed to HSR showed significantly upregulated TH-positive cell number, cleaved caspase-1- and TH-positive cells, and interleukin (IL)-1β/18 expression in the mPFC compared with sham; SKF-83566 could partially reverse these alternations. The HSR caused excessive dopaminergic signaling and cognitive dysfunction in the mPFC, a condition that might be ameliorated using a dopamine D1 receptor inhibitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong-Xin Song
- Anesthesia and Trauma Research Unit, Department of Anesthesiology, Hebei Province Cangzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine (Cangzhou No. 2 Hospital), Cangzhou, China
| | - Hui-Tao Miao
- Anesthesia and Trauma Research Unit, Department of Anesthesiology, Hebei Province Cangzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine (Cangzhou No. 2 Hospital), Cangzhou, China
| | - Shi-Yan Jia
- Anesthesia and Trauma Research Unit, Department of Anesthesiology, Hebei Province Cangzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine (Cangzhou No. 2 Hospital), Cangzhou, China
| | - Wen-Guang Li
- Graduate School, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Ji-Zhen Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Bao-Rui Xing
- Department of Orthopedics, Hebei Province Cangzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine (Cangzhou No. 2 Hospital), Cangzhou, China
| | - Jian-Yong Zhao
- Department of Orthopedics, Hebei Province Cangzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine (Cangzhou No. 2 Hospital), Cangzhou, China
| | - Li-Min Zhang
- Hebei Province Key Laboratory of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine in Neurological Rehabilitation, Cangzhou, China.
| | - Xiao-Ming Li
- Department of Orthopedics, Hebei Province Cangzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine (Cangzhou No. 2 Hospital), Cangzhou, China.
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Nachtigall EG, de Freitas JDR, Marcondes LA, Furini CRG. Memory persistence induced by environmental enrichment is dependent on different brain structures. Physiol Behav 2023; 272:114375. [PMID: 37806510 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114375] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Environmental enrichment (EE) has been demonstrated to have a beneficial effect on different functions of the central nervous system in several mammal species, being used to improve behavior and cell damage in various neurological and psychiatric diseases. However, little has been investigated on the effect of EE in healthy animals, particularly regarding its impact on memory persistence and the brain structures involved. Therefore, here we verified in male Wistar rats that contextual fear conditioning (CFC) memory persistence, tested 28 days after the CFC training session, was facilitated by 5 weeks of exposure to EE, with no effect in groups tested 7 or 14 days after CFC training. However, a two-week exposure to EE did not affect memory persistence. Moreover, we investigated the role of specific brain regions in mediating the effect of EE on memory persistence. We conducted inactivation experiments using the GABAergic agonist Muscimol to target the basolateral amygdala (BLA), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and CA1 region of the hippocampus (CA1). Inactivation of the BLA immediately and 12 h after CFC training impaired the effect of EE on memory persistence. Similarly, inactivation of the CA1 region and mPFC 12 h after training, but not immediately, also impaired the effect of EE on memory persistence. These results have important scientific implications as they shed new light on the effect of an enriched environment on memory persistence and the brain structures involved, thereby helping elucidate how an environment rich in experiences can modify the persistence of learned information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduarda G Nachtigall
- Laboratory of Cognition and Memory Neurobiology, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6690 - 3rd floor, 90610-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Júlia D R de Freitas
- Laboratory of Cognition and Memory Neurobiology, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6690 - 3rd floor, 90610-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Lucas Aschidamini Marcondes
- Laboratory of Cognition and Memory Neurobiology, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6690 - 3rd floor, 90610-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Cristiane R G Furini
- Laboratory of Cognition and Memory Neurobiology, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6690 - 3rd floor, 90610-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
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25
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Turk E, van den Heuvel MI, Sleurs C, Billiet T, Uyttebroeck A, Sunaert S, Mennes M, Van den Bergh BRH. Maternal anxiety during pregnancy is associated with weaker prefrontal functional connectivity in adult offspring. Brain Imaging Behav 2023; 17:595-607. [PMID: 37380807 PMCID: PMC10733226 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-023-00787-1] [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] [Accepted: 06/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The connectome, constituting a unique fingerprint of a person's brain, may be influenced by its prenatal environment, potentially affecting later-life resilience and mental health. METHODS We conducted a prospective resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging study in 28-year-old offspring (N = 49) of mothers whose anxiety was monitored during pregnancy. Two offspring anxiety subgroups were defined: "High anxiety" (n = 13) group versus "low-to-medium anxiety" (n = 36) group, based on maternal self-reported state anxiety at 12-22 weeks of gestation. To predict resting-state functional connectivity of 32 by 32 ROIs, maternal state anxiety during pregnancy was included as a predictor in general linear models for both ROI-to-ROI and graph theoretical metrics. Sex, birth weight and postnatal anxiety were included as covariates. RESULTS Higher maternal anxiety was associated with weaker functional connectivity of medial prefrontal cortex with left inferior frontal gyrus (t = 3.45, pFDR < 0.05). Moreover, network-based statistics (NBS) confirmed our finding and revealed an additional association of weaker connectivity between left lateral prefontal cortex with left somatosensory motor gyrus in the offspring. While our results showed a general pattern of lower functional connectivity in adults prenatally exposed to maternal anxiety, we did not observe significant differences in global brain networks between groups. CONCLUSIONS Weaker (medial) prefrontal cortex functional connectivity in the high anxiety adult offspring group suggests a long-term negative impact of prenatal exposure to high maternal anxiety, extending into adulthood. To prevent mental health problems at population level, universal primary prevention strategies should aim at lowering maternal anxiety during pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Turk
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Warandelaan 2, 5037AB, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
| | - Marion I van den Heuvel
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Warandelaan 2, 5037AB, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Charlotte Sleurs
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Warandelaan 2, 5037AB, Tilburg, The Netherlands
- Department of Oncology, Catholic University of Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Anne Uyttebroeck
- Department of Oncology, Catholic University of Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Maarten Mennes
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Bea R H Van den Bergh
- Health Psychology Research Group, Catholic University of Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Welfare, Public Health and Family, Flemish Government, Brussels, Belgium
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Yamamoto T, Sakakibara R, Uchiyama T, Kuwabara S. Decreased bladder contraction interval induced by periaqueductal grey stimulation is reversed by subthalamic stimulation in a Parkinson's disease model rat. IBRO Neurosci Rep 2023; 15:293-303. [PMID: 37885830 PMCID: PMC10598527 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2023.10.004] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) regulates bladder contractions via the periaqueductal grey (PAG). Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) modulates urinary afferent information from PAG in Parkinson's disease (PD). We do not know how STN-DBS modulates the activities of mPFC induced by PAG stimulation. We aim to clarify how STN-DBS modulates the neuronal activity of mPFC induced by PAG stimulation and its effects on bladder contraction Experiments were conducted under urethane anesthesia in normal (n = 9) and 6-hydroxydopamine hemi-lesioned PD rats (n = 7). Left-sided PAG stimulation and STN-DBS were applied with simultaneous bladder contraction monitoring. Local field potential (LFP) recording and collection of extracellular fluid in the mPFC were performed before stimulation, during PAG stimulation, during PAG+STN stimulation, and after stimulation. The bladder inter-contraction intervals significantly decreased with PAG stimulation with a concomitant decrease in mPFC LFP power in PD rats. Adding STN stimulation to PAG stimulation significantly increased the bladder inter-contraction intervals with a concomitant increase in mPFC LFP power in PD rats. Several mPFC catecholamine levels were modulated by PAG or PAG+STN stimulation in PD rats. The present study revealed that STN-DBS modulate the activities of mPFC induced by PAG, thereby leading to normalization of bladder contraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Yamamoto
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Chiba Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Japan
- Department of Neurology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan
| | - Ryuji Sakakibara
- Neurology Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Uchiyama
- Department of Neurology, International University of Health and Welfare, Ichikawa, Japan
| | - Satoshi Kuwabara
- Department of Neurology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan
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Shang Q, Dong YB, Xu L, Yang JH, Li JW, Yu WY, Sun J, Gao X, Huang Y, Zhang XQ. Environmental Enrichment Improves the Recognition Memory in Adult Mice Following Social Isolation via Downregulation of Kv4.2 Potassium Channels. Mol Neurobiol 2023:10.1007/s12035-023-03750-9. [PMID: 38010561 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03750-9] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Recognition memory is a cognitive process that enables us to distinguish familiar objects and situations from new items, which is essential for mammalian survival and adaptation to a changing environment. Social isolation (SI) has been implicated as a detrimental factor for recognition memory. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been shown to carry information concerning the relative familiarity of individual stimuli, and modulating neuronal function in this region may contribute to recognition memory. The present study aimed to investigate the neuronal mechanisms in the mPFC of environmental enrichment (EE) on recognition memory in adult mice following SI. Mice were assigned into three groups: control, SI, and SI + EE groups. Novel location recognition (NLR) and novel object recognition (NOR) tests were performed to evaluate the recognition memory. The levels of Kv4 channels were assessed by qRT-PCR and western blotting. The effects of SI and SI + EE on the excitability of pyramidal neurons in the mPFC were measured using whole-cell recording. We found that SI led to a reduction in the excitability of pyramidal neurons. Specifically, we have identified that the reduction in the firing activity of pyramidal neurons resulted from alterations in the function and expression of Kv4.2 channels. Furthermore, EE regulated Kv4.2 channels, normalized the activity of pyramidal neurons, and restored the behavioral deficits following SI. Thus, the roles of Kv4.2 channels in excitability of pyramidal neurons suggest that the Kv4.2 channels present a promising therapeutic target for recognition memory impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Shang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315010, China
- Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Atherosclerotic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315010, China
| | - Yi-Bei Dong
- Department of Pharmacology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315211, China
| | - Le Xu
- Department of Pharmacology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315211, China
| | - Jian-Hong Yang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315010, China
- Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Atherosclerotic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315010, China
| | - Jia-Wen Li
- Department of Pharmacology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315211, China
| | - Wei-Yi Yu
- Department of Pharmacology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315211, China
| | - Jie Sun
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315010, China
- Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Atherosclerotic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315010, China
| | - Xiang Gao
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315010, China
- Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Atherosclerotic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315010, China
| | - Yi Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315010, China
- Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Atherosclerotic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315010, China
| | - Xiao-Qin Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315010, China.
- Department of Pharmacology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315211, China.
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Nieves GM, Liston C. Divergent reward cue representations in the prefrontal cortex drive reward motivation in adolescence and adulthood. bioRxiv 2023:2023.11.07.565069. [PMID: 37986789 PMCID: PMC10659319 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.07.565069] [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: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Alterations in motivation and reward-seeking are a transdiagnostic feature of numerous psychiatric disorders that commonly emerge in adolescence, including depression, obsessive- compulsive disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. During adolescence, reward motivation is naturally heightened, compared to adulthood, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a late developing brain region that regulates reward learning and motivation and is still maturing in adolescence. The mPFC modulates reward-motivated behaviors in adults, and has been hypothesized to be responsible for adolescents' inability to suppress reward-seeking and impulsive behaviors. Using 2-photon imaging of the mPFC and an active reward task, we demonstrate that both the adult and adolescent mPFC encode reward-predictive cues, with distinct neuronal populations encoding rewarded and unrewarded cues. In adolescence the mPFC is hyper-responsive to reward cues and recruits a larger population of neurons to encode reward predictive cues. Furthermore, in the adolescent mPFC, representations of unrewarded cues are attenuated, compared to the adult mPFC, which may tip the balance of action toward reward-seeking. Differences in neuronal responses to rewarded and unrewarded cues were observed in both GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons, with GABAergic inhibition causing disparate effects in adolescents compared to adults. Together our findings identify differences in the functional properties of mPFC microcircuits in adolescents that may underlie differences in reward-seeking behavior and the ability to adaptively suppress reward seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Manzano Nieves
- Department of Psychiatry and Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021
| | - Conor Liston
- Department of Psychiatry and Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021
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Adams TG, Kelmendi B, George JR, Forte J, Hubert TJJ, Wild H, Rippey CS, Pittenger C. Frontopolar multifocal transcranial direct current stimulation reduces conditioned fear reactivity during extinction training: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 205:107825. [PMID: 37699439 PMCID: PMC10872945 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107825] [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: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
Exposure-based therapies for anxiety and related disorders are believed to depend on fear extinction learning and corresponding changes in extinction circuitry. Frontopolar multifocal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to improve therapeutic safety learning during in vivo exposure and may modulate functional connectivity of networks implicated in fear processing and inhibition. A pilot randomized controlled trial was completed to determine the effects of frontopolar tDCS on extinction learning and memory. Community volunteers (n = 35) completed a 3-day fear extinction paradigm with measurement of electrodermal activity. Participants were randomized (single-blind) to 20-min of sham (n = 17, 30 s. ramp in/out) or active (n = 18) frontopolar (anode over Fpz, 10-10 EEG) multifocal tDCS (20-min, 1.5 mA) prior to extinction training. Mixed ANOVAs revealed a significant group*trial effect on skin conductance response (SCR) to the conditioned stimulus (CS + ) during extinction training (p = 0.007, Cohen's d = 0.55). The effects of frontopolar tDCS were greatest during the first two extinction trials, suggesting that tDCS may have promoted fear inhibition prior to safety learning. Return of fear to the CS + during tests were comparable across conditions (ps > 0.50). These findings suggest that frontopolar tDCS may modulate the processing of threat cues and associated circuitry or promote the inhibition of fear. This has clear implications for the treatment of anxiety and related disorders with therapeutic exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G Adams
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, United States.
| | - Benjamin Kelmendi
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, United States; Clinical Neuroscience Division of the National Center for PTSD, West Haven VA Medical Center, United States
| | - Jamilah R George
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, United States; Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, United States
| | - Jennifer Forte
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, United States; Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, United States
| | - Troy J J Hubert
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, United States
| | - Hannah Wild
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, United States
| | - Colton S Rippey
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, United States
| | - Christopher Pittenger
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, United States; Child Study Center, Yale University, United States; Department of Psychology, Center for Brain and Mind Health, Yale University, United States
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30
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Reeders PC, Rivera Núñez MV, Vertes RP, Mattfeld AT, Allen TA. Identifying the midline thalamus in humans in vivo. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:1835-1847. [PMID: 36598561 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02607-6] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The midline thalamus is critical for flexible cognition, memory, and stress regulation in humans and its dysfunction is associated with several neurological and psychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and depression. Despite the pervasive role of the midline thalamus in cognition and disease, there is a limited understanding of its function in humans, likely due to the absence of a rigorous noninvasive neuroimaging methodology to identify its location. Here, we introduce a new method for identifying the midline thalamus in vivo using probabilistic tractography and k-means clustering with diffusion weighted imaging data. This approach clusters thalamic voxels based on data-driven cortical and subcortical connectivity profiles and then segments the midline thalamus according to anatomical connectivity tracer studies in rodents and macaques. Results from two different diffusion weighted imaging sets, including adult data (22-35 years) from the Human Connectome Project (n = 127) and adolescent data (9-14 years) collected at Florida International University (n = 34) showed that this approach reliably classifies midline thalamic clusters. As expected, these clusters were most evident along the dorsal/ventral extent of the third ventricle and were primarily connected to the agranular medial prefrontal cortex (e.g., anterior cingulate cortex), nucleus accumbens, and medial temporal lobe regions. The midline thalamus was then bisected based on a human brain atlas into a dorsal midline thalamic cluster (paraventricular and paratenial nuclei) and a ventral midline thalamic cluster (rhomboid and reuniens nuclei). This anatomical connectivity-based identification of the midline thalamus offers the opportunity for necessary investigation of this region in vivo in the human brain and how it relates to cognitive functions in humans, and to psychiatric and neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puck C Reeders
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
- Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
- Brain Institute, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Miami, FL, 33155, USA
| | - M Vanessa Rivera Núñez
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
- Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Robert P Vertes
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, 33231, USA
| | - Aaron T Mattfeld
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
- Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Timothy A Allen
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
- Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
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31
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Chen L, Xiong XY, Yao TT, Gui LN, Luo F, Du Y, Cheng Y. Blood exosome sensing via neuronal insulin-like growth factor-1 regulates autism-related phenotypes. Pharmacol Res 2023; 197:106965. [PMID: 37852341 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106965] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Revised: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
The development and progression of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by multiple complex molecular events, highlighting the importance of the prefrontal brain regions in this process. Exosomes are nanovesicles that play a critical role in intercellular communication. Peripheral systems influence brain function under both physiological and pathological conditions. We investigated whether this influence was mediated by the direct sensing of peripheral blood exosomes by brain cells. Administration of serum exosomes from rats with valproic acid-induced ASD resulted in ASD-related phenotypes in mice, whereas exosomes from normal rats did not exhibit such effects. RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis suggested that negative regulation of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) by exosome-derived miR-29b-3p may contribute to these ASD-associated effects. Further evidence showed that miR-29b-3p-enriched exosomes crossed the blood-brain barrier to reach the mPFC, subsequently inducing the suppression of IGF-1 expression in neurons. Optogenetic activation of excitatory neurons in the mPFC improved behavioral abnormalities in exosome-treated mice. The addition of exogenous IGF-1 or inhibition of miR-29b-3p expression in the mPFC also rescued the ASD-related phenotypes in mice. Importantly, administration of miR-29b-3p-enriched serum exosomes from human donors with ASD into the mouse medial prefrontal cortex was sufficient to induce hallmark ASD behaviors. Together, our findings indicate that blood-brain cross-talk is crucial for ASD pathophysiology and that the brain may sense peripheral system changes through exosomes, which could serve as the basis for future neurological therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Chen
- Key Laboratory of Ethnomedicine of Ministry of Education, Center on Translational Neuroscience, School of Pharmacy, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Xi-Yue Xiong
- NHC Key Laboratory of Birth Defects Research, Prevention and Treatment, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changsha, China
| | - Tong-Tong Yao
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Lue-Ning Gui
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Fan Luo
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Yang Du
- Key Laboratory of Ethnomedicine of Ministry of Education, Center on Translational Neuroscience, School of Pharmacy, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China.
| | - Yong Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Ethnomedicine of Ministry of Education, Center on Translational Neuroscience, School of Pharmacy, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China; College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China; Institute of National Security, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China.
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32
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Rodrigues D, Monteiro P. Chronic stress promotes basal ganglia disinhibition by increasing the excitatory drive of direct-pathway neurons. Neurobiol Stress 2023; 27:100571. [PMID: 37781564 PMCID: PMC10540042 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100571] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic stress (CS) is a well-recognized triggering factor in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette's syndrome (TS), two neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by the presence of stereotypic motor symptoms. Planning and execution of motor actions are controlled by the dorsal striatum, a brain region that promotes or suppresses motor movement by activating striatal neurons from the direct- or indirect-pathway, respectively. Despite the dorsal striatum being affected in motor disorders and by CS exposure, how CS affects the two opposing pathways is not fully understood. Here, we report that CS in mice selectively potentiates the direct-pathway, while sparing the indirect-pathway. Specifically, we show that CS both increases excitation and reduces inhibition over direct-pathway neurons in the dorsomedial striatum (DMS). Furthermore, inhibitory interneurons located in the DMS also display reduced excitatory drive after chronic stress, thus amplifying striatal disinhibition. Altogether, we propose a model where both increased excitatory drive and decreased inhibitory drive in the striatum causes disinhibition of basal ganglia's motor direct pathway - a mechanism that might explain the emergence of motor stereotypies and tic disorders under stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Guimaraes, Portugal
| | - Patricia Monteiro
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Guimaraes, Portugal
- Department of Biomedicine - Experimental Biology Unit, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal
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Liu Y, Ye S, Li XN, Li WG. Memory Trace for Fear Extinction: Fragile yet Reinforceable. Neurosci Bull 2023:10.1007/s12264-023-01129-3. [PMID: 37812300 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-023-01129-3] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear extinction is a biological process in which learned fear behavior diminishes without anticipated reinforcement, allowing the organism to re-adapt to ever-changing situations. Based on the behavioral hypothesis that extinction is new learning and forms an extinction memory, this new memory is more readily forgettable than the original fear memory. The brain's cellular and synaptic traces underpinning this inherently fragile yet reinforceable extinction memory remain unclear. Intriguing questions are about the whereabouts of the engram neurons that emerged during extinction learning and how they constitute a dynamically evolving functional construct that works in concert to store and express the extinction memory. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the engram circuits and their neural connectivity plasticity for fear extinction, aiming to establish a conceptual framework for understanding the dynamic competition between fear and extinction memories in adaptive control of conditioned fear responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Huashan Hospital, Institute for Translational Brain Research, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Shuai Ye
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Huashan Hospital, Institute for Translational Brain Research, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xin-Ni Li
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Huashan Hospital, Institute for Translational Brain Research, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Wei-Guang Li
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Huashan Hospital, Institute for Translational Brain Research, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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Matchynski JI, Cilley TS, Sadik N, Makki KM, Wu M, Manwar R, Woznicki AR, Kallakuri S, Arfken CL, Hope BT, Avanaki K, Conti AC, Perrine SA. Quantification of prefrontal cortical neuronal ensembles following conditioned fear learning in a Fos-LacZ transgenic rat with photoacoustic imaging in Vivo. Photoacoustics 2023; 33:100551. [PMID: 38021296 PMCID: PMC10658601 DOI: 10.1016/j.pacs.2023.100551] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the neurobiology of complex behaviors requires measurement of activity in the discrete population of active neurons, neuronal ensembles, which control the behavior. Conventional neuroimaging techniques ineffectively measure neuronal ensemble activity in the brain in vivo because they assess the average regional neuronal activity instead of the specific activity of the neuronal ensemble that mediates the behavior. Our functional molecular photoacoustic tomography (FM-PAT) system allows direct imaging of Fos-dependent neuronal ensemble activation in Fos-LacZ transgenic rats in vivo. We tested four experimental conditions and found increased FM-PAT signal in prefrontal cortical areas in rats undergoing conditioned fear or novel context exposure. A parallel immunofluorescence ex vivo study of Fos expression found similar findings. These findings demonstrate the ability of FM-PAT to measure Fos-expressing neuronal ensembles directly in vivo and support a mechanistic role for the prefrontal cortex in higher-order processing of response to specific stimuli or environmental cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- James I. Matchynski
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
- Wayne State MD/PhD Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Timothy S. Cilley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Nareen Sadik
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Kassem M. Makki
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Min Wu
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Rayyan Manwar
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Bioengineering, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Srinivasu Kallakuri
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Cynthia L. Arfken
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Bruce T. Hope
- The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kamran Avanaki
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Bioengineering, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Alana C. Conti
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Shane A. Perrine
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
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Williams JC, Zheng ZJ, Tubiolo PN, Luceno JR, Gil RB, Girgis RR, Slifstein M, Abi-Dargham A, Van Snellenberg JX. Medial Prefrontal Cortex Dysfunction Mediates Working Memory Deficits in Patients With Schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry Glob Open Sci 2023; 3:990-1002. [PMID: 37881571 PMCID: PMC10593895 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2022.10.003] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Schizophrenia (SCZ) is marked by working memory (WM) deficits, which predict poor functional outcome. While most functional magnetic resonance imaging studies of WM in SCZ have focused on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), some recent work suggests that the medial PFC (mPFC) may play a role. We investigated whether task-evoked mPFC deactivation is associated with WM performance and whether it mediates deficits in SCZ. In addition, we investigated associations between mPFC deactivation and cortical dopamine release. Methods Patients with SCZ (n = 41) and healthy control participants (HCs) (n = 40) performed a visual object n-back task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Dopamine release capacity in mPFC was quantified with [11C]FLB457 in a subset of participants (9 SCZ, 14 HCs) using an amphetamine challenge. Correlations between task-evoked deactivation and performance were assessed in mPFC and dorsolateral PFC masks and were further examined for relationships with diagnosis and dopamine release. Results mPFC deactivation was associated with WM task performance, but dorsolateral PFC activation was not. Deactivation in the mPFC was reduced in patients with SCZ relative to HCs and mediated the relationship between diagnosis and WM performance. In addition, mPFC deactivation was significantly and inversely associated with dopamine release capacity across groups and in HCs alone, but not in patients. Conclusions Reduced WM task-evoked mPFC deactivation is a mediator of, and potential substrate for, WM impairment in SCZ, although our study design does not rule out the possibility that these findings could relate to cognition in general rather than WM specifically. We further present preliminary evidence of an inverse association between deactivation during WM tasks and dopamine release capacity in the mPFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C. Williams
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Zu Jie Zheng
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Philip N. Tubiolo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Jacob R. Luceno
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Roberto B. Gil
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
| | - Ragy R. Girgis
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
| | - Mark Slifstein
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
| | - Anissa Abi-Dargham
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
| | - Jared X. Van Snellenberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
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Liang X, Qiao D, Ren T, Wen Y, Xu Y, Ma L, Li Q, Li G, Liu Z. Neural association between cognitive function and anhedonia in adolescents with melancholic major depressive disorder: A fNIRS study. J Affect Disord 2023; 338:305-311. [PMID: 37290527 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.06.015] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive dysfunction is common among adolescent patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the pattern and magnitude of cognition impairment in patients during melancholic episodes remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to compare the neurocognitive performance and the underlying cerebral blood flow activation of adolescent patients with melancholic and non-melancholic features. METHODS Fifty-seven and 44 adolescent patients with MDD with or without melancholic feature (MDD-MEL/nMEL) and 58 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. We used the repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status (RBANS) measuring neurocognitive function, and used functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) monitoring cerebral hemodynamic changes, described by β value. The non-parametric test and post-hoc analysis were conducted in RBANS scores and β values among three groups. Spearman correlation and mediating analysis was performed for RBANS scores, β values, and clinical symptoms in the MDD-MEL group. RESULTS There were no significant difference in RBANS scores between MDD-MEL and MDD-nMEL group. Compared with patients in MDD-nMEL, patients in MDD-MEL have lower β values in eight channels (ch10, ch16, ch20, ch25, ch27, ch37, ch41, ch45). The cognitive function is significantly correlated with anhedonia, and the β values play a partial mediating role between anhedonia and cognitive function. LIMITATION It's a cross-sectional study and monitoring longitudinal effects are needed to further elucidate the mechanism. CONCLUSION The cognitive function in adolescents with MDD-MEL may not significantly differ from those with MDD-nMEL. However, the anhedonia may influenced the cognitive function by altering the function of medial frontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiumei Liang
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Dan Qiao
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Tian Ren
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Yujiao Wen
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Yifan Xu
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Lu Ma
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Qiqi Li
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Gaizhi Li
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Zhifen Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
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Giacometti Giordani L, Crisafulli A, Cantarella G, Avenanti A, Ciaramelli E. The role of posterior parietal cortex and medial prefrontal cortex in distraction and mind-wandering. Neuropsychologia 2023; 188:108639. [PMID: 37422183 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108639] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
Distraction reflects a drift of attention away from the task at hand towards task-irrelevant external or internal information (mind-wandering). The right posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are known to mediate attention to external information and mind-wandering, respectively, but it is not clear whether they support each process selectively or rather they play similar roles in supporting both. In this study, participants performed a visual search task including salient color singleton distractors before and after receiving cathodal (inhibitory) transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the right PPC, the mPFC, or sham tDCS. Thought probes assessed the intensity and contents of mind-wandering during visual search. The results show that tDCS to the right PPC but not mPFC reduced the attentional capture by the singleton distractor during visual search. tDCS to both mPFC and PPC reduced mind-wandering, but only tDCS to the mPFC specifically reduced future-oriented mind-wandering. These results suggest that the right PPC and mPFC play a different role in directing attention towards task-irrelevant information. The PPC is involved in both external and internal distraction, possibly by mediating the disengagement of attention from the current task and its reorienting to salient information, be this a percept or a mental content (mind-wandering). By contrast, the mPFC uniquely supports mind-wandering, possibly by mediating the endogenous generation of future-oriented thoughts capable to draw attention inward, away from ongoing activities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea Crisafulli
- Centre for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, Cesena, Italy
| | - Giovanni Cantarella
- Centre for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, Cesena, Italy; Department of Psychology 'Renzo Canestrari', University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Centre for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, Cesena, Italy; Department of Psychology 'Renzo Canestrari', University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Elisa Ciaramelli
- Centre for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, Cesena, Italy; Department of Psychology 'Renzo Canestrari', University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
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Zheng QM, Zhou ZR, Hou XY, Lv N, Zhang YQ, Cao H. Transcriptome Analysis of the Mouse Medial Prefrontal Cortex in a Chronic Constriction Injury Model. Neuromolecular Med 2023; 25:375-387. [PMID: 36971954 DOI: 10.1007/s12017-023-08742-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is critical for both the sensory and emotional/cognitive components of pain. However, the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we examined changes in the transcriptomic profiles in the mPFC of mice with chronic pain using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology. A mouse model of peripheral neuropathic pain was established via chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve. CCI mice developed sustained mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, as well as cognitive impairment four weeks after surgery. RNA-seq was conducted 4 weeks after CCI surgery. Compared with contral group, RNA-seq identified a total 309 and 222 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the ipsilateral and contralateral mPFC of CCI model mice, respectively. GO analysis indicated that the functions of these genes were mainly enriched in immune- and inflammation-related processes such as interferon-gamma production and cytokine secretion. KEGG analysis further showed the enrichment of genes involved in the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction signaling pathway and Parkinson disease pathway that have been reported to be importantly involved in chronic neuralgia and cognitive dysfunction. Our study may provide insights into the possible mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain and pain-related comorbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi-Min Zheng
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing'an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Zi-Rui Zhou
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing'an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xin-Yu Hou
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing'an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Ning Lv
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing'an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yu-Qiu Zhang
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing'an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Hong Cao
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing'an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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Chen K, Hu X. Intranasal creatine administration increases brain creatine level and improves Barnes maze performance in rats. Brain Res Bull 2023; 201:110703. [PMID: 37429386 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.110703] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
While skeletal muscle creatine levels can be enhanced by exogenous creatine supplementation, the elevation of brain creatine levels with oral creatine administration remains a challenge due to a lack of effective transportation of creatine through the blood-brain barrier. Intranasal administration can bypass the blood-brain barrier and deliver drugs directly to the brain. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of intranasal administration of creatine on brain creatine level and cognitive performance. Rats were randomly assigned into three groups intranasal administration group, oral administration group, and control group. The intranasal group exhibited fewer errors and shorter primary latency compared to the control and oral groups, respectively, during the acquisition phase of the Barnes maze. The intranasal group spent a higher percentage of time in the target quadrant during the probe trial compared to the control group. Biochemical measurements showed that the concentration of creatine in the olfactory bulbs, medial prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus of the rats in the intranasal group was higher than in the oral, and control groups. These results indicate that intranasal administration of creatine hydrochloride increases the creatine level in the rat's brain's and improves their performance in the Barnes maze.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaiqing Chen
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Riverside, USA
| | - Xiaoping Hu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Riverside, USA.
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40
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Deng S, Xie R, Kong A, Luo Y, Li J, Chen M, Wang X, Gong H, Wang L, Fan X, Pan Q, Li D. Early-life stress contributes to depression-like behaviors in a two-hit mouse model. Behav Brain Res 2023; 452:114563. [PMID: 37406776 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114563] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression is a common psychological disorder with pathogenesis involving genetic and environmental interactions. Early life stress can adversely affect physical and emotional development and dramatically increase the risk for the development of depression and anxiety disorders. METHODS To examine potential early life stress driving risk for anxiety and depression, we used a two-hit developmental stress model,injecting poly(I: C) into neonatal mice on P2-P6 followed by peripubertal unpredictable stress in adolescence. RESULTS Our study shows that early-life and adolescent stress leads to anxiety and depression-related behavioral phenotypes in male mice. Early-life stress exacerbated depression-like behavior in mice following peripubertal unpredictable stress. We confirmed that early life stress might be involved in the decreased neuronal activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and might be involved in shaping behavioral phenotypes of animals. We found that increased microglia and neuroinflammation in the mPFC of two-hit mice and early life stress further boost microglia activation and inflammatory factors in the mPFC region of mice following adolescent stress. LIMITATIONS The specific neural circuits and mechanisms by which microglia regulate depression-like behaviors require further investigation. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide a novel insight into developmental risk factors and biological mechanisms in depression and anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilong Deng
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Ruxin Xie
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Anqi Kong
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Yi Luo
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Jianghui Li
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Mei Chen
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Xiaqing Wang
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Hong Gong
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Lian Wang
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Xiaotang Fan
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
| | - Qiangwen Pan
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China.
| | - Dabing Li
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China.
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Shan X, Contreras MP, Sawangjit A, Dimitrov S, Born J, Inostroza M. Rearing is critical for forming spatial representations in pre-weanling rats. Behav Brain Res 2023; 452:114545. [PMID: 37321311 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114545] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Rearing, i.e., standing on the hind limbs in an upright posture, is part of a rat's innate exploratory motor program. Here, we examined in developing rats whether rearing is critical for the pup's capability to form spatial representations based on distal environmental cues. Pups (male) were tested at PD18, i.e., the first day they typically exhibit stable rearing, on a spatial habituation paradigm comprising a Familiarization session (with the pup exposed to an arena with a specific configuration of distal cues) followed, 3 h later, by a Test session where the pups were either re-exposed to the identical distal cue configuration (NoChange) or a changed configuration (DistalChange). In Experiment 1, rearing activity (rearing events, duration) decreased from Familiarization to Test in the NoChange pups but, remained elevated in the DistalChange group indicating that these pups recognized the distal novelty. Recognition of distal novelty was associated with increased c-Fos expression in hippocampal and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) areas, compared with NoChange pups. Analysis of GAD67+ cells suggested a parallel increase in excitation and inhibition specifically in prelimbic mPFC networks in response to distal cue changes. In Experiment 2, the pups were mechanically prevented from rearing while still seeing the distal cues during Familiarization. Rearing activity in the Test session of these pups did not differ between groups that were or were not exposed to a changed distal cue configuration at Test. The findings evidence a critical role of rearing for the emergence of allocentric representations integrating distal space during early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Shan
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Graduate School of Neural & Behavioural Science, International Max Planck Research School, Tübingen, Germany
| | - María Paz Contreras
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Graduate School of Neural & Behavioural Science, International Max Planck Research School, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anuck Sawangjit
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stoyan Dimitrov
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jan Born
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Institute for Diabetes Research & Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Center Munich at the University Tübingen (IDM), Germany; Werner Reichert Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Germany.
| | - Marion Inostroza
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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Chaudhary S, Zhang S, Zhornitsky S, Chen Y, Chao HH, Li CSR. Age-related reduction in trait anxiety: Behavioral and neural evidence of automaticity in negative facial emotion processing. Neuroimage 2023; 276:120207. [PMID: 37263454 PMCID: PMC10330646 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [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: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Trait anxiety diminishes with age, which may result from age-related decline in registering salient emotional stimuli and/or enhancement in emotion regulation. We tested the hypotheses in 88 adults 21 to 85 years of age and studied with fMRI of the Hariri task. Age-related decline in stimulus registration would manifest in delayed reaction time (RT) and diminished saliency circuit activity in response to emotional vs. neutral stimuli. Enhanced control of negative emotions would manifest in diminished limbic/emotional circuit and higher prefrontal cortical (PFC) responses to negative emotion. The results showed that anxiety was negatively correlated with age. Age was associated with faster RT and diminished activation of the medial PFC, in the area of the dorsal and rostral anterior cingulate cortex (dACC/rACC) - a hub of the saliency circuit - during matching of negative but not positive vs. neutral emotional faces. A slope test confirmed the differences in the regressions. Further, age was not associated with activation of the PFC in whole-brain regression or in region-of-interest analysis of the dorsolateral PFC, an area identified from meta-analyses of the emotion regulation literature. Together, the findings fail to support either hypothesis; rather, the findings suggest age-related automaticity in processing negative emotions as a potential mechanism of diminished anxiety. Automaticity results in faster RT and diminished anterior cingulate activity in response to negative but not positive emotional stimuli. In support, analyses of psychophysiological interaction demonstrated higher dACC/rACC connectivity with the default mode network, which has been implicated in automaticity in information processing. As age increased, individuals demonstrated faster RT with higher connectivity during matching of negative vs. neutral images. Automaticity in negative emotion processing needs to be investigated as a mechanism of age-related reduction in anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shefali Chaudhary
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, United States.
| | - Sheng Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, United States.
| | - Simon Zhornitsky
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, United States.
| | - Yu Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, United States.
| | - Herta H Chao
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT 06516, United States; Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, United States.
| | - Chiang-Shan R Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, United States; Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, United States.
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Giacometti C, Amiez C, Hadj-Bouziane F. Multiple routes of communication within the amygdala-mPFC network: A comparative approach in humans and macaques. Curr Res Neurobiol 2023; 5:100103. [PMID: 37601951 PMCID: PMC10432920 DOI: 10.1016/j.crneur.2023.100103] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The network formed by the amygdala (AMG) and the medial Prefrontal Cortex (mPFC), at the interface between our internal and external environment, has been shown to support some important aspects of behavioral adaptation. Whether and how the anatomo-functional organization of this network evolved across primates remains unclear. Here, we compared AMG nuclei morphological characteristics and their functional connectivity with the mPFC in humans and macaques to identify potential homologies and differences between these species. Based on selected studies, we highlight two subsystems within the AMG-mPFC circuits, likely involved in distinct temporal dynamics of integration during behavioral adaptation. We also show that whereas the mPFC displays a large expansion but a preserved intrinsic anatomo-functional organization, the AMG displays a volume reduction and morphological changes related to specific nuclei. We discuss potential commonalities and differences in the dialogue between AMG nuclei and mPFC in humans and macaques based on available data.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Giacometti
- Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, 69500, Bron, France
| | - C. Amiez
- Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, 69500, Bron, France
| | - F. Hadj-Bouziane
- Integrative Multisensory Perception Action & Cognition Team (ImpAct), INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), University of Lyon 1, Lyon, France
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Chidharom M, Bonnefond A. Mind-wandering does not always rhyme with proactive functioning! Changes in the temporal dynamics of the mPFC-mediated theta oscillations during moments of mind-wandering. Biol Psychol 2023; 181:108598. [PMID: 37269897 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108598] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The reduced engagement of the cognitive control network has been documented widely during mind-wandering (MW). However, it remains unknown how MW affects the neural dynamics of cognitive control processes. From this perspective, we explored neural dynamics mediated by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Their engagement can be both transient (or reactive) and anticipated (or proactive). A total of fortyseven healthy subjects (37 females) were engaged in a long-lasting sustained-attention Go/NoGo task. Subjective probes were used to detect MW episodes. Channel-based EEG time-frequency analysis was performed to measure the theta oscillations, an index of the mPFC activity. The theta oscillations were computed immediately after conflictual NoGo trials to explore the reactive engagement of the mPFC. Proactive control was measured on the Go trials preceded the NoGo. Behaviorally, periods of MW were associated with an increase in errors and in RT variability in comparison to on-task periods. The analysis of the frontal midline theta power (MFθ) revealed that MW periods were associated with lower anticipated/proactive engagement and similar transient/reactive engagement of mPFC-mediated processes. Moreover, the communication between the mPFC and the DLPFC, as revealed by the poorer theta synchronization between these two regions, was also impaired during MW periods. Our results provide new insights about performance impairment during MW. They could be an important step in improving the existing understanding of the altered performances that are reported for some disorders that are known to be associated with excessive MW.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthieu Chidharom
- Department of Psychology, Lehigh University, Bethlehem 18015, PA, USA; INSERM U1114, Strasbourg 67085, France; University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg 67081, France.
| | - Anne Bonnefond
- INSERM U1114, Strasbourg 67085, France; University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg 67081, France
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Xu K, Wang M, Wang H, Zhao S, Tu D, Gong X, Li W, Liu X, Zhong L, Chen J, Xie P. HMGB1/STAT3/p65 Axis Drives Microglial Activation and Autophagy Exert a Crucial Role in Chronic Stress-Induced Major Depressive Disorder. J Adv Res 2023:S2090-1232(23)00152-2. [PMID: 37321346 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2023.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Neuroinflammation and autophagy are implicated in stress-related major depressive disorder (MDD), but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. OBJECTIVES Here, we identified that MDD regulated by HMGB1/STAT3/p65 axis mediated microglial activation and autophagy for the first time. Further investigations were performed to uncover the effects of this axis on MDD in vivo and in vitro. METHODS Bioinformatics analyses were used to re-analysis the transcriptome data from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) of post-mortem male MDD patients. The expression level of HMGB1 and its correlation with depression symptoms were explored in MDD clinical patients and chronic social defeat stress (CSDS)-induced depression model mice. Specific adeno-associated virus and recombinant (r)HMGB1 injection into the medial PFC (mPFC) of mice, and pharmacological inhibitors with rHMGB1 in two microglial cell lines exposed to lipopolysaccharide were used to analyze the effects of HMGB1/STAT3/p65 axis on MDD. RESULTS The differential expression of genes from MDD patients implicated in microglial activation and autophagy regulated by HMGB1/STAT3/p65 axis. Serum HMGB1 level was elevated in MDD patients and positively correlated with symptom severity. CSDS not only induced depression-like states in mice, but also enhanced microglial reactivity, autophagy as well as activation of the HMGB1/STAT3/p65 axis in mPFC. The expression level of HMGB1 was mainly increased in the microglial cells of CSDS-susceptible mice, which also correlated with depressive-like behaviors. Specific HMGB1 knockdown produced a depression-resilient phenotype and suppressed the associated microglial activation and autophagy effects of CSDS-induced. The effects induced by CSDS were mimicked by exogenous administration of rHMGB1 or specific overexpression of HMGB1, while blocked by STAT3 inhibitor or p65 knockdown. In vitro, inhibition of HMGB1/STAT3/p65 axis prevented lipopolysaccharide-induced microglial activation and autophagy, while rHMGB1 reversed these changes. CONCLUSION Our study established the role of microglial HMGB1/STAT3/p65 axis in mPFC in mediating microglial activation and autophagy in MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Xu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China; National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Mingyang Wang
- Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Haiyang Wang
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China; Key Laboratory of Psychoseomadsy, Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 401147, China
| | - Shuang Zhao
- Department of Pathophysiology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Dianji Tu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400037, China
| | - Xue Gong
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Wenxia Li
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Xiaolei Liu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, China
| | - Lianmei Zhong
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, China.
| | - Jianjun Chen
- Institute of Life Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China.
| | - Peng Xie
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China; National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China.
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Celora L, Jaudon F, Vitale C, Cingolani LA. Regulation of dendritic spine length in corticopontine layer V pyramidal neurons by autism risk gene β3 integrin. Mol Brain 2023; 16:49. [PMID: 37296444 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-023-01031-z] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The relationship between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and dendritic spine abnormalities is well known, but it is unclear whether the deficits relate to specific neuron types and brain regions most relevant to ASD. Recent genetic studies have identified a convergence of ASD risk genes in deep layer pyramidal neurons of the prefrontal cortex. Here, we use retrograde recombinant adeno-associated viruses to label specifically two major layer V pyramidal neuron types of the medial prefrontal cortex: the commissural neurons, which put the two cerebral hemispheres in direct communication, and the corticopontine neurons, which transmit information outside the cortex. We compare the basal dendritic spines on commissural and corticopontine neurons in WT and KO mice for the ASD risk gene Itgb3, which encodes for the cell adhesion molecule β3 integrin selectively enriched in layer V pyramidal neurons. Regardless of the genotype, corticopontine neurons had a higher ratio of stubby to mushroom spines than commissural neurons. β3 integrin affected selectively spine length in corticopontine neurons. Ablation of β3 integrin resulted in corticopontine neurons lacking long (> 2 μm) thin dendritic spines. These findings suggest that a deficiency in β3 integrin expression compromises specifically immature spines on corticopontine neurons, thereby reducing the cortical territory they can sample. Because corticopontine neurons receive extensive local and long-range excitatory inputs before relaying information outside the cortex, specific alterations in dendritic spines of corticopontine neurons may compromise the computational output of the full cortex, thereby contributing to ASD pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Celora
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, 34127, Italy
| | - Fanny Jaudon
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, 34127, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, 16132, Italy
| | - Carmela Vitale
- Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology (NSYN), Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, 16132, Italy
| | - Lorenzo A Cingolani
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, 34127, Italy.
- Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology (NSYN), Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, 16132, Italy.
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Dehdar K, Salimi M, Tabasi F, Dehghan S, Sumiyoshi A, Garousi M, Jamaati H, Javan M, Reza Raoufy M. Allergen induces depression-like behavior in association with altered prefrontal-hippocampal circuit in male rats. Neuroscience 2023:S0306-4522(23)00254-3. [PMID: 37286161 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.05.034] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Allergic asthma is a common chronic inflammatory condition associated with psychiatric comorbidities. Notably depression, correlated with adverse outcomes in asthmatic patients. Peripheral inflammation's role in depression has been shown previously. However, evidence regarding the effects of allergic asthma on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)-ventral hippocampus (vHipp) interactions, an important neurocircuitry in affective regulation, is yet to be demonstrated. Herein, we investigated the effects of allergen exposure in sensitized rats on the immunoreactivity of glial cells, depression-like behavior, brain regions volume, as well as activity and connectivity of the mPFC-vHipp circuit. We found that allergen-induced depressive-like behavior was associated with more activated microglia and astrocytes in mPFC and vHipp, as well as reduced hippocampus volume. Intriguingly, depressive-like behavior was negatively correlated with mPFC and hippocampus volumes in the allergen-exposed group. Moreover, mPFC and vHipp activity were altered in asthmatic animals. Allergen disrupted the strength and direction of functional connectivity in the mPFC-vHipp circuit so that, unlike normal conditions, mPFC causes and modulates vHipp activity. Our results provide new insight into the underlying mechanism of allergic inflammation-induced psychiatric disorders, aiming to develop new interventions and therapeutic approaches for improving asthma complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kolsoum Dehdar
- Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Morteza Salimi
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farhad Tabasi
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran; Institute for Brain Sciences and Cognition, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Samaneh Dehghan
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Eye Research Center, The Five Senses Institute, Rassoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Akira Sumiyoshi
- Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan; National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba, Japan
| | - Mani Garousi
- Department of Electrical and Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamidreza Jamaati
- Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Javan
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran; Institute for Brain Sciences and Cognition, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Raoufy
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran; Institute for Brain Sciences and Cognition, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
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Fertuck EA, Stanley B, Kleshchova O, Mann JJ, Hirsch J, Ochsner K, Pilkonis P, Erbe J, Grinband J. Rejection Distress Suppresses Medial Prefrontal Cortex in Borderline Personality Disorder. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging 2023; 8:651-659. [PMID: 36868964 PMCID: PMC10388534 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.11.006] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by an elevated distress response to social exclusion (i.e., rejection distress), the neural mechanisms of which remain unclear. Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies of social exclusion have relied on the classic version of the Cyberball task, which is not optimized for functional magnetic resonance imaging. Our goal was to clarify the neural substrates of rejection distress in BPD using a modified version of Cyberball, which allowed us to dissociate the neural response to exclusion events from its modulation by exclusionary context. METHODS Twenty-three women with BPD and 22 healthy control participants completed a novel functional magnetic resonance imaging modification of Cyberball with 5 runs of varying exclusion probability and rated their rejection distress after each run. We tested group differences in the whole-brain response to exclusion events and in the parametric modulation of that response by rejection distress using mass univariate analysis. RESULTS Although rejection distress was higher in participants with BPD (F1,40 = 5.25, p = .027, η2 = 0.12), both groups showed similar neural responses to exclusion events. However, as rejection distress increased, the rostromedial prefrontal cortex response to exclusion events decreased in the BPD group but not in control participants. Stronger modulation of the rostromedial prefrontal cortex response by rejection distress was associated with higher trait rejection expectation, r = -0.30, p = .050. CONCLUSIONS Heightened rejection distress in BPD might stem from a failure to maintain or upregulate the activity of the rostromedial prefrontal cortex, a key node of the mentalization network. Inverse coupling between rejection distress and mentalization-related brain activity might contribute to heightened rejection expectation in BPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric A Fertuck
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program, The City College of the City University of New York, New York, New York; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, New York; Division of Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
| | - Barbara Stanley
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, New York; Division of Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
| | - Olena Kleshchova
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, Nevada
| | - J John Mann
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, New York; Division of Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
| | - Joy Hirsch
- Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Comparative Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Kevin Ochsner
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Paul Pilkonis
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Jeff Erbe
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program, The City College of the City University of New York, New York, New York; Division of Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
| | - Jack Grinband
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, New York
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Ge C, Chen W, Zhang L, Ai Y, Zou Y, Peng Q. Chemogenetic activation of the HPC-mPFC pathway improves cognitive dysfunction in lipopolysaccharide -induced brain injury. Theranostics 2023; 13:2946-2961. [PMID: 37284451 PMCID: PMC10240833 DOI: 10.7150/thno.82889] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Although sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a common psychiatric complication in septic patients, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we explored the role of the hippocampus (HPC) - medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) pathway in cognitive dysfunction in lipopolysaccharide-induced brain injury. Methods: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) was used to induce an animal model of SAE. We first identified neural projections from the HPC to the mPFC via a retrograde tracer and virus expression. The activation viruses (pAAV-CaMKIIα-hM3Dq-mCherry) were injected to assess the effects of specific activation of mPFC excitatory neurons on cognitive tasks and anxiety-related behaviors in the presence of clozapine-N-oxide (CNO). Activation of the HPC-mPFC pathway was evaluated via immunofluorescence staining of c-Fos-positive neurons in mPFC. Western blotting was performed to determine protein levels of synapse- associated factors. Results: We successfully identified a structural HPC-mPFC connection in C57BL/6 mice. LPS-induced sepsis induces cognitive impairment and anxiety-like behaviors. Chemogenetic activation of the HPC-mPFC pathway improved LPS-induced cognitive dysfunction but not anxiety-like behavior. Inhibition of glutamate receptors abolished the effects of HPC-mPFC activation and blocked activation of the HPC-mPFC pathway. The glutamate receptor-mediated CaMKII/CREB/BDNF/TrKB signaling pathway influenced the role of the HPC-mPFC pathway in sepsis-induced cognitive dysfunction. Conclusions: HPC-mPFC pathway plays an important role in cognitive dysfunction in lipopolysaccharide-induced brain injury. Specifically, the glutamate receptor-mediated downstream signaling appears to be an important molecular mechanism linking the HPC-mPFC pathway with cognitive dysfunction in SAE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenglong Ge
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, 410008
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, 410008
- Hunan Provincial Clinical Research Center for Critical Care Medicine, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, 410008
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, 410008
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, 410008
- Hunan Provincial Clinical Research Center for Critical Care Medicine, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, 410008
| | - Lina Zhang
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, 410008
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, 410008
- Hunan Provincial Clinical Research Center for Critical Care Medicine, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, 410008
| | - Yuhang Ai
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, 410008
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, 410008
- Hunan Provincial Clinical Research Center for Critical Care Medicine, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, 410008
| | - Yu Zou
- Department of Anesthesia, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, 410008
| | - Qianyi Peng
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, 410008
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, 410008
- Hunan Provincial Clinical Research Center for Critical Care Medicine, Changsha, Hunan Province, China, 410008
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Papp M, Gruca P, Litwa E, Lason M, Willner P. Optogenetic stimulation of transmission from prelimbic cortex to nucleus accumbens core overcomes resistance to venlafaxine in an animal model of treatment-resistant depression. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2023; 123:110715. [PMID: 36610613 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110715] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Our earlier study demonstrated that repeated optogenetic stimulation of afferents from ventral hippocampus (vHIP) to the prelimbic region of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) overcame resistance to antidepressant treatment in Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. These results suggested that antidepressant resistance may result from an insufficiency of transmission from vHIP to mPFC. Here we examined whether similar effects can be elicited from major output of mPFC; the pathway from to nucleus accumbens core (NAc). METHOD WKY rats were subjected to Chronic Mild Stress and were used in two sets of experiments: 1) they were treated acutely with optogenetic stimulation of afferents to NAc core originating from the mPFC, and 2) they were treated with chronic (5 weeks) venlafaxine (10 mg/kg) and/or repeated (once weekly) optogenetic stimulation of afferents to NAc originating from either mPFC or vHIP. RESULTS Chronic mild stress procedure decreased sucrose intake, open arm entries on elevated plus maze, and novel object recognition test. Acute optogenetic stimulation of the mPFC-NAc and vHIP-NAc pathways had no effect in sucrose or plus maze tests, but increased object recognition. Neither venlafaxine nor mPFC-NAc optogenetic stimulation alone was effective in reversing the effects of CMS, but the combination of chronic antidepressant and repeated optogenetic stimulation improved behaviour on all three measures. CONCLUSIONS The synergism between venlafaxine and mPFC-NAc optogenetic stimulation supports the hypothesis that the mechanisms of non-responsiveness of WKY rats involves a failure of antidepressant treatment to restore transmission in the mPFC-NAc pathway. Together with earlier results, this implicates insufficiency in a vHIP-mPFC-NAc circuit in non-responsiveness to antidepressant drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariusz Papp
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland.
| | - Piotr Gruca
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Ewa Litwa
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Magdalena Lason
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Paul Willner
- Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
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