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Wang S, Liu X, Shi W, Qi Q, Zhang G, Li Y, Cong B, Zuo M. Mechanism of Chronic Stress-Induced Glutamatergic Neuronal Damage in the Basolateral Amygdaloid Nucleus. Anal Cell Pathol (Amst) 2021; 2021:8388527. [PMID: 34858775 PMCID: PMC8632434 DOI: 10.1155/2021/8388527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress is a ubiquitous part of our life, while appropriate stress levels can help improve the body's adaptability to the environment. However, sustained and excessive levels of stress can lead to the occurrence of multiple devastating diseases. As an emotional center, the amygdala plays a key role in the regulation of stress-induced psycho-behavioral disorders. The structural changes in the amygdala have been shown to affect its functional characteristics. The amygdala-related neurotransmitter imbalance is closely related to psychobehavioral abnormalities. However, the mechanism of structural and functional changes of glutamatergic neurons in the amygdala induced by stress has not been fully elucidated. Here, we identified that chronic stress could lead to the degeneration and death of glutamatergic neurons in the lateral amygdaloid nucleus, resulting in neuroendocrine and psychobehavioral disorders. Therefore, our studies further suggest that the Protein Kinase R-like ER Kinase (PERK) pathway may be therapeutically targeted as one of the key mechanisms of stress-induced glutamatergic neuronal degeneration and death in the amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songjun Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Xia Liu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Weibo Shi
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Qian Qi
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Guozhong Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yingmin Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Bin Cong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Min Zuo
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Department of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
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Qin X, Liu XX, Wang Y, Wang D, Song Y, Zou JX, Pan HQ, Zhai XZ, Zhang YM, Zhang YB, Hu P, Zhang WH. Early life stress induces anxiety-like behavior during adulthood through dysregulation of neuronal plasticity in the basolateral amygdala. Life Sci 2021; 285:119959. [PMID: 34536496 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
AIMS Early life stress (ELS) increases the risk of psychiatric diseases such as anxiety disorders and depression in later life. Hyperactivation of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) neurons plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of stress-related diseases. However, the functional roles of BLA neurons in ELS-induced anxiety disorders are not completely understood. MAIN METHODS Mice were subjected to maternal separation (MS) during postnatal days 3 to 21 to mimic ELS. Anxiety-like behavior was tested by open field test (OFT), elevated plus maze (EPM), and novelty suppressed feeding (NSF). Then, c-fos expression, a proxy for neuronal activity, was evaluated by immunofluorescence. Finally, synaptic transmission and intrinsic excitability were measured by whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. KEY FINDINGS MS significantly increased anxiety-like behavior in adulthood, as indicated by less time spent in the center area of the OFT, less time spent in and fewer entries to the open arms of the EPM, and increased latency to feed in NSF. Mechanistically, MS increased the expression of c-fos in BLA. MS enhanced the excitatory, but not inhibitory, synaptic transmission onto BLA projection neurons (PNs), which was caused by enhanced presynaptic glutamate release. Moreover, MS also markedly increased the intrinsic neuronal excitability of BLA PNs, probably due to the reduced medium afterhyperpolarization (mAHP) in BLA PNs. SIGNIFICANCE Our results suggest that the changes of neuronal activity and synaptic transmission in the BLA PNs may play a crucial role in ELS-induced anxiety-like behavior, and these findings provide new insights into the pathological mechanisms of stress-related anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Qin
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004, China; Laboratory of Fear and Anxiety Disorders, Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
| | - Xiao-Xuan Liu
- Laboratory of Fear and Anxiety Disorders, Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China; Neurology Department, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Laboratory of Fear and Anxiety Disorders, Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
| | - Dan Wang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004, China
| | - Ying Song
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004, China
| | - Jia-Xin Zou
- Laboratory of Fear and Anxiety Disorders, Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
| | - Han-Qing Pan
- Laboratory of Fear and Anxiety Disorders, Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
| | - Xiao-Zhou Zhai
- Laboratory of Fear and Anxiety Disorders, Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
| | - Yong-Mei Zhang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004, China
| | - Yang-Bo Zhang
- Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China
| | - Ping Hu
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330001, China.
| | - Wen-Hua Zhang
- Laboratory of Fear and Anxiety Disorders, Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China.
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Fernandes G, Mishra PK, Nawaz MS, Donlin-Asp PG, Rahman MM, Hazra A, Kedia S, Kayenaat A, Songara D, Wyllie DJA, Schuman EM, Kind PC, Chattarji S. Correction of amygdalar dysfunction in a rat model of fragile X syndrome. Cell Rep 2021; 37:109805. [PMID: 34644573 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [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: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Fragile X syndrome (FXS), a commonly inherited form of autism and intellectual disability, is associated with emotional symptoms that implicate dysfunction of the amygdala. However, current understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease is based primarily on studies in the hippocampus and neocortex, where FXS defects have been corrected by inhibiting group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). Here, we observe that activation, rather than inhibition, of mGluRs in the basolateral amygdala reverses impairments in a rat model of FXS. FXS rats exhibit deficient recall of auditory conditioned fear, which is accompanied by a range of in vitro and in vivo deficits in synaptic transmission and plasticity. We find presynaptic mGluR5 in the amygdala, activation of which reverses deficient synaptic transmission and plasticity, thereby restoring normal fear learning in FXS rats. This highlights the importance of modifying the prevailing mGluR-based framework for therapeutic strategies to include circuit-specific differences in FXS pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giselle Fernandes
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Pradeep K Mishra
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bangalore 560065, India; Centre for Brain Development and Repair, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Mohammad Sarfaraz Nawaz
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bangalore 560065, India; Centre for Brain Development and Repair, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore 560065, India
| | | | - Mohammed Mostafizur Rahman
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Anupam Hazra
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bangalore 560065, India; Centre for Brain Development and Repair, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Sonal Kedia
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
| | - Aiman Kayenaat
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bangalore 560065, India; Centre for Brain Development and Repair, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore 560065, India; University of Transdisciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Dheeraj Songara
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - David J A Wyllie
- Centre for Brain Development and Repair, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore 560065, India; Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain and Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Erin M Schuman
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Peter C Kind
- Centre for Brain Development and Repair, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore 560065, India; Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain and Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Sumantra Chattarji
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bangalore 560065, India; Centre for Brain Development and Repair, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore 560065, India; Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain and Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK.
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Jiang H, Liu JP, Xi K, Liu LY, Kong LY, Cai J, Cai SQ, Han XY, Song JG, Yang XM, Wan Y, Xing GG. Contribution of AMPA Receptor-Mediated LTD in LA/BLA-CeA Pathway to Comorbid Aversive and Depressive Symptoms in Neuropathic Pain. J Neurosci 2021; 41:7278-7299. [PMID: 34272314 PMCID: PMC8387122 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2678-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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: 10/18/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Comorbid anxiety and depressive symptoms in chronic pain are a common health problem, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Previously, we have demonstrated that sensitization of the CeA neurons via decreased GABAergic inhibition contributes to anxiety-like behaviors in neuropathic pain rats. In this study, by using male Sprague Dawley rats, we reported that the CeA plays a key role in processing both sensory and negative emotional-affective components of neuropathic pain. Bilateral electrolytic lesions of CeA, but not lateral/basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA/BLA), abrogated both pain hypersensitivity and aversive and depressive symptoms of neuropathic rats induced by spinal nerve ligation (SNL). Moreover, SNL rats showed structural and functional neuroplasticity manifested as reduced dendritic spines on the CeA neurons and enhanced LTD at the LA/BLA-CeA synapse. Disruption of GluA2-containing AMPAR trafficking and endocytosis from synapses using synthetic peptides, either pep2-EVKI or Tat-GluA2(3Y), restored the enhanced LTD at the LA/BLA-CeA synapse, and alleviated the mechanical allodynia and comorbid aversive and depressive symptoms in neuropathic rats, indicating that the endocytosis of GluA2-containing AMPARs from synapses is probably involved in the LTD at the LA/BLA-CeA synapse and the comorbid aversive and depressive symptoms in neuropathic pain in SNL-operated rats. These data provide a novel mechanism for elucidating comorbid aversive and depressive symptoms in neuropathic pain and highlight that structural and functional neuroplasticity in the amygdala may be important as a promising therapeutic target for comorbid negative emotional-affective disorders in chronic pain.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Several studies have demonstrated the high comorbidity of negative affective disorders in patients with chronic pain. Understanding the affective aspects related to chronic pain may facilitate the development of novel therapies for more effective management. Here, we unravel that the CeA plays a key role in processing both sensory and negative emotional-affective components of neuropathic pain, and LTD at the amygdaloid LA/BLA-CeA synapse mediated by GluA2-containing AMPAR endocytosis underlies the comorbid aversive and depressive symptoms in neuropathic pain. This study provides a novel mechanism for elucidating comorbid aversive and depressive symptoms in neuropathic pain and highlights that structural and functional neuroplasticity in the amygdala may be important as a promising therapeutic target for comorbid negative emotional-affective disorders in chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Jiang
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center; Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education of China & National Health Commission of China, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Jiang-Ping Liu
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center; Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education of China & National Health Commission of China, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Ke Xi
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center; Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education of China & National Health Commission of China, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Ling-Yu Liu
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center; Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education of China & National Health Commission of China, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Ling-Yu Kong
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center; Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education of China & National Health Commission of China, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Jie Cai
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center; Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education of China & National Health Commission of China, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Si-Qing Cai
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center; Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education of China & National Health Commission of China, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Xi-Yuan Han
- Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Henan, Xinxiang 453002, China
| | - Jing-Gui Song
- Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Henan, Xinxiang 453002, China
| | - Xiao-Mei Yang
- Department of Human anatomy and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - You Wan
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center; Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education of China & National Health Commission of China, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Guo-Gang Xing
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center; Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education of China & National Health Commission of China, Beijing, 100191, China
- Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Henan, Xinxiang 453002, China
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Razavi Y, Karimi S, Karimi-Haghighi S, Hesam S, Haghparast A. Changes in c-fos and p-CREB signaling following exposure to forced swim stress or exogenous corticosterone during morphine-induced place preference are dependent on glucocorticoid receptor in the basolateral amygdala. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 2020; 98:741-752. [PMID: 32574519 DOI: 10.1139/cjpp-2019-0712] [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] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Neural circuitry comprising the nucleus accumbens (NAc), prefrontal cortex (PFC), amygdala (AMY), and hippocampus (HIP) are the main components of the reward circuit. Our previous behavioral data showed that forced swim stress (FSS) and corticosterone administration could inhibit the acquisition of morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP), and this effect was blocked by intra-basolateral amygdala (BLA) administration of RU38486, glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist. Therefore, we tried to evaluate the effect of intra-BLA administration of the GR antagonist during the conditioning phase on the c-fos and p-CREB/CREB ratio expression in the AMY, NAc, PFC, and HIP of rats that underwent FSS or received exogenous corticosterone (10 mg/kg; i.p.) before morphine injection (5 mg/kg; s.c.) during 3 conditioning days. Our results showed that morphine-induced CPP could increase c-fos level and p-CREB/CREB ratio in all regions (except in the HIP). In addition, c-fos expression was elevated by FSS in all regions and blockade of GR decreased this effect. In the PFC, in addition to FSS, corticosterone could raise c-fos expression, which was blocked by RU38486. In conclusion, it seems that the intra-BLA administration of RU38486 differently modulates the effect of morphine-induced CPP on the expression of c-fos and p-CREB/CREB ratio in animals that underwent FSS or corticosterone administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasaman Razavi
- Neuroscience Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sara Karimi
- Neuroscience Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Saeideh Karimi-Haghighi
- Neuroscience Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Soghra Hesam
- Department of Neuroscience, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
| | - Abbas Haghparast
- Neuroscience Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Guadagno A, Verlezza S, Long H, Wong TP, Walker CD. It Is All in the Right Amygdala: Increased Synaptic Plasticity and Perineuronal Nets in Male, But Not Female, Juvenile Rat Pups after Exposure to Early-Life Stress. J Neurosci 2020; 40:8276-8291. [PMID: 32978287 PMCID: PMC7577595 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1029-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [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: 04/26/2020] [Revised: 09/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Early-life stress (ELS) is associated with increased vulnerability to mental disorders. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) plays a critical role in fear conditioning and is extremely sensitive to ELS. Using a naturalistic rodent model of ELS, the limited bedding paradigm (LB) between postnatal days 1-10, we previously documented that LB male, but not female preweaning rat pups display increased BLA neuron spine density paralleled with enhanced evoked synaptic responses and altered BLA functional connectivity. Since ELS effects are often sexually dimorphic and amygdala processes exhibit hemispheric asymmetry, we investigated changes in synaptic plasticity and neuronal excitability of BLA neurons in vitro in the left and right amygdala of postnatal days 22-28 male and female offspring from normal bedding or LB mothers. We report that LB conditions enhanced synaptic plasticity in the right, but not the left BLA of males exclusively. LB males also showed increased perineuronal net density, particularly around parvalbumin (PV) cells, and impaired fear-induced activity of PV interneurons only in the right BLA. Action potentials fired from right BLA neurons of LB females displayed slower maximal depolarization rates and decreased amplitudes compared with normal bedding females, concomitant with reduced NMDAR GluN1 subunit expression in the right BLA. In LB males, reduced GluA2 expression in the right BLA might contribute to the enhanced LTP. These findings suggest that LB differentially programs synaptic plasticity and PV/perineuronal net development in the left and right BLA. Furthermore, our study demonstrates that the effects of ELS exposure on BLA synaptic function are sexually dimorphic and possibly recruiting different mechanisms.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Early-life stress (ELS) induces long-lasting consequences on stress responses and emotional regulation in humans, increasing vulnerability to the development of psychopathologies. The effects of ELS in a number of brain regions, including the amygdala, are often sexually dimorphic, and have been reproduced using the rodent limited bedding paradigm of early adversity. The present study examines sex differences in synaptic plasticity and cellular activation occurring in the developing left and right amygdala after limited bedding exposure, a phenomenon that could shape long-term emotional behavioral outcomes. Studying how ELS selectively produces effects in one amygdala hemisphere during a critical period of brain development could guide further investigation into sex-dependent mechanisms and allow for more targeted and improved treatment of stress-and emotionality-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Guadagno
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, H4H 1R3, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0G4, Canada
| | - Silvanna Verlezza
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Hong Long
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Tak Pan Wong
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, H4H 1R3, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0G4, Canada
| | - Claire-Dominique Walker
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, H4H 1R3, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0G4, Canada
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Hoffman AN, Lam J, Hovda DA, Giza CC, Fanselow MS. Sensory sensitivity as a link between concussive traumatic brain injury and PTSD. Sci Rep 2019; 9:13841. [PMID: 31554865 PMCID: PMC6761112 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-50312-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most common injuries to military personnel, a population often exposed to stressful stimuli and emotional trauma. Changes in sensory processing after TBI might contribute to TBI-post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) comorbidity. Combining an animal model of TBI with an animal model of emotional trauma, we reveal an interaction between auditory sensitivity after TBI and fear conditioning where 75 dB white noise alone evokes a phonophobia-like phenotype and when paired with footshocks, fear is robustly enhanced. TBI reduced neuronal activity in the hippocampus but increased activity in the ipsilateral lateral amygdala (LA) when exposed to white noise. The white noise effect in LA was driven by increased activity in neurons projecting from ipsilateral auditory thalamus (medial geniculate nucleus). These data suggest that altered sensory processing within subcortical sensory-emotional circuitry after TBI results in neutral stimuli adopting aversive properties with a corresponding impact on facilitating trauma memories and may contribute to TBI-PTSD comorbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann N Hoffman
- UCLA, Neurosurgery; Brain Injury Research Center, Los Angeles, USA.
- UCLA, Psychology, Los Angeles, USA.
- UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program, Los Angeles, USA.
- Staglin Center for Brain and Behavioral Health, Life Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA.
| | | | - David A Hovda
- UCLA, Neurosurgery; Brain Injury Research Center, Los Angeles, USA
- UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program, Los Angeles, USA
- UCLA, Medical and Molecular Pharmacology, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Christopher C Giza
- UCLA, Neurosurgery; Brain Injury Research Center, Los Angeles, USA
- UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program, Los Angeles, USA
- UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Michael S Fanselow
- UCLA, Psychology, Los Angeles, USA
- UCLA, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Los Angeles, USA
- Staglin Center for Brain and Behavioral Health, Life Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
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Blume SR, Padival M, Urban JH, Rosenkranz JA. Disruptive effects of repeated stress on basolateral amygdala neurons and fear behavior across the estrous cycle in rats. Sci Rep 2019; 9:12292. [PMID: 31444385 PMCID: PMC6707149 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-48683-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress is a precipitating factor in depression and anxiety disorders. Patients with these disorders often show amygdala abnormalities. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is integral in mood and emotion, and is sensitive to stress. While much is known about effects of stress on BLA neuron activity and morphology in males, less is known in females. We tested whether repeated stress exerts distinct effects on BLA in vivo neuronal activity and morphology of Golgi-stained BLA neurons [lateral (LAT) and basal (BA) nuclei] in adult female rats. Repeated restraint stress increased BLA neuronal firing and caused hypertrophy of BLA neurons in males, while it decreased LAT and BA neuronal firing and caused hypotrophy of neurons in the LAT of females. BLA neuronal activity and function, such as fear conditioning, shifts across the estrous cycle. Repeated stress disrupted this pattern of BLA activity and fear expression over the estrous cycle. The disruptive effects of stress on the pattern of BLA function across estrous may produce behavior that is non-optimal for a specific phase of the estrous cycle. The contrasting effects of stress may contribute to sex differences in the effects of stress on mood and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon R Blume
- Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA
- AbbVie, Inc., 1 North Waukegan Road, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA
| | - Mallika Padival
- Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA
- Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA
| | - Janice H Urban
- Discipline of Physiology and Biophysics, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA
- Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA
| | - J Amiel Rosenkranz
- Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA.
- Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL, 60064, USA.
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9
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Meda KS, Patel T, Braz JM, Malik R, Turner ML, Seifikar H, Basbaum AI, Sohal VS. Microcircuit Mechanisms through which Mediodorsal Thalamic Input to Anterior Cingulate Cortex Exacerbates Pain-Related Aversion. Neuron 2019; 102:944-959.e3. [PMID: 31030955 PMCID: PMC6554049 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.03.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.6] [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: 05/10/2018] [Revised: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Hyperexcitability of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is thought to drive aversion associated with chronic neuropathic pain. Here, we studied the contribution of input from the mediodorsal thalamus (MD) to ACC, using sciatic nerve injury and chemotherapy-induced mouse models of neuropathic pain. Activating MD inputs elicited pain-related aversion in both models. Unexpectedly, excitatory responses of layer V ACC neurons to MD inputs were significantly weaker in pain models compared to controls. This caused the ratio between excitation and feedforward inhibition elicited by MD input to shift toward inhibition, specifically for subcortically projecting (SC) layer V neurons. Furthermore, direct inhibition of SC neurons reproduced the pain-related aversion elicited by activating MD inputs. Finally, both the ability to elicit pain-related aversion and the decrease in excitation were specific to MD inputs; activating basolateral amygdala inputs produced opposite effects. Thus, chronic pain-related aversion may reflect activity changes in specific pathways, rather than generalized ACC hyperactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karuna S Meda
- Department of Anatomy and Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Tosha Patel
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Institute for Neurosciences and Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Joao M Braz
- Department of Anatomy and Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Ruchi Malik
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Institute for Neurosciences and Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Marc L Turner
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Institute for Neurosciences and Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Helia Seifikar
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Institute for Neurosciences and Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Allan I Basbaum
- Department of Anatomy and Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
| | - Vikaas S Sohal
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Institute for Neurosciences and Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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10
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Song J, Shao D, Guo X, Zhao Y, Cui D, Ma Q, Sheng H, Ma L, Lai B, Chen M, Zheng P. Crucial role of feedback signals from prelimbic cortex to basolateral amygdala in the retrieval of morphine withdrawal memory. Sci Adv 2019; 5:eaat3210. [PMID: 30801002 PMCID: PMC6382394 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat3210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
An important reasons for drug relapse is the retrieval of drug withdrawal memory induced by conditioned context. Previous studies have suggested that the basolateral amygdala (BLA) plays an important role in conditioned context-induced retrieval of morphine withdrawal memory. However, the downstream neuronal circuits of the activation of the BLA in conditioned context-induced retrieval of morphine withdrawal memory remain unknown. Using retrograde labeling, immunohistochemical, and optogenetic approaches, we found that, although BLA neurons projecting to the prelimbic cortex (PrL) played an important role in conditioned context-induced retrieval of morphine withdrawal memory, they do not exhibit increased expression of the neuronal plasticity marker Arc. However, when PrL neurons activated by the BLA send feedback signals to the BLA, a neuronal-related process is induced in other BLA neurons that do not project to the PrL, a finding that is relevant to conditioned context-induced retrieval of morphine withdrawal memory.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Bin Lai
- Corresponding author. (P.Z.); (M.C.); (B.L.)
| | - Ming Chen
- Corresponding author. (P.Z.); (M.C.); (B.L.)
| | - Ping Zheng
- Corresponding author. (P.Z.); (M.C.); (B.L.)
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11
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Liu LY, Zhang RL, Chen L, Zhao HY, Cai J, Wang JK, Guo DQ, Cui YJ, Xing GG. Chronic stress increases pain sensitivity via activation of the rACC-BLA pathway in rats. Exp Neurol 2018; 313:109-123. [PMID: 30586593 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2018.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [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: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to chronic stress can produce maladaptive neurobiological changes in pathways associated with pain processing, which may cause stress-induced hyperalgesia (SIH). However, the underlying mechanisms still remain largely unknown. In previous studies, we have reported that the amygdala is involved in chronic forced swim (FS) stress-induced depressive-like behaviors and the exacerbation of neuropathic pain in rats, of which, the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) are shown to play important roles in the integration of affective and sensory information including nociception. Here, using in vivo multichannel recording from rostal anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) and BLA, we found that chronic FS stress (CFSS) could increase the pain sensitivity of rats in response to low intensity innoxious stimuli (LIS) and high intensity noxious stimuli (HNS) imposed upon the hindpaw, validating the occurrence of SIH in stressed rats. Moreover, we discovered that CFSS not only induced an increased activity of rACC neuronal population but also produced an augmented field potential power (FPP) of rACC local field potential (LFP), especially in low frequency theta band as well as in high frequency low gamma band ranges, both at the baseline state and under LIS and HNS conditions. In addition, by using a cross-correlation method and a partial directed coherence (PDC) algorithm to analyze the LFP oscillating activity in rACC and BLA, we demonstrated that CFSS could substantially promote the synchronization between rACC and BLA regions, and also enhanced the neural information flow from rACC to BLA. We conclude that exposure of chronic FS stress to rats could result in an increased activity of rACC neuronal population and promote the functional connectivity and the synchronization between rACC and BLA regions, and also enhance the pain-related neural information flow from rACC to BLA, which likely underlie the pathogenesis of SIH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Yu Liu
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences and Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Rui-Ling Zhang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Henan, Xinxiang 453002, China
| | - Lin Chen
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences and Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Hong-Yan Zhao
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences and Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Jie Cai
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences and Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100083, China; Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Jia-Kang Wang
- Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Da-Qing Guo
- Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Yan-Jun Cui
- Department of Internal Medicine, Peking University Hospital, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Guo-Gang Xing
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences and Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100083, China; The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Henan, Xinxiang 453002, China; Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Beijing 100083, China.
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12
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Lowery-Gionta EG, Crowley NA, Bukalo O, Silverstein S, Holmes A, Kash TL. Chronic stress dysregulates amygdalar output to the prefrontal cortex. Neuropharmacology 2018; 139:68-75. [PMID: 29959957 PMCID: PMC6067970 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.06.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Revised: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Chronic stress contributes to the neuropathology of mental health disorders, including those associated with anxiety. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) coordinates emotional behavioral responses through glutamatergic outputs to downstream regions such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC), nucleus accumbens core (NAcc) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). We explored the effects of chronic stress on BLA outputs to the PFC, NAcc and BNST using slice electrophysiology combined with optogenetics in two inbred mouse strains with distinct stress-induced anxiety responses. We found that ten consecutive days of chronic restraint stress enhanced pre-synaptic glutamate release at BLA-to-PFC synapses in C57BL/6J mice, but reduced pre-synaptic glutamate release at these synapses in DBA/2J mice. To assess the behavioral relevance of enhanced glutamate output at BLA-to-PFC synapses, we approximated the effects of chronic stress on the BLA-PFC circuit using optogenetics. We found that photostimulation of the BLA-PFC circuit in unstressed C57BL/6J mice produced persistent (i.e., post-stimulation) increased anxiety-like behavior and hyperactivity in the elevated plus-maze - a profile consistent with prototypical behavioral responses of stressed C57BL/6J mice. These data demonstrate that chronic stress dysregulates the BLA-PFC circuit by altering pre-synaptic glutamate release from BLA outputs, and provide a mechanism by which chronic stress can lead to increased anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily G Lowery-Gionta
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Thurston Bowles Building 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Nicole A Crowley
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Thurston Bowles Building 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Olena Bukalo
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 5625 Fishers Lane Rockville, MD, 20852-9411, USA
| | - Shana Silverstein
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 5625 Fishers Lane Rockville, MD, 20852-9411, USA
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 5625 Fishers Lane Rockville, MD, 20852-9411, USA
| | - Thomas Louis Kash
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Thurston Bowles Building 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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13
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Abstract
Great progress has been made in our understanding of how so-called memory engrams in the brain enable the storage and retrieval of memories. This has led to the realization that across the lifetime of an animal, the spatial and temporal properties of a memory engram are not fixed, but instead are subjected to dynamic modifications that can be both dependent and independent on additional experiences. The dynamic nature of engrams is especially relevant in the case of fear memories, whose contributions to an animal's evolutionary fitness depend on a delicate balance of stability and flexibility. Though fear memories have the potential to last a lifetime, their expression also needs to be properly tuned to prevent maladaptive behavior, such as seen in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder. To achieve this balance, fear engrams are subjected to complex spatiotemporal dynamics, making them informative examples of the "dynamic engram". In this review, we discuss the current understanding of the dynamic nature of fear engrams in the basolateral amygdala, a brain region that plays a central role in fear memory encoding and expression. We propose that this understanding can be further advanced by studying how fast dynamics, such as oscillatory circuit activity, support the storage and retrieval of fear engrams that can be stable over long time intervals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Davis
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States; Medical Scientist Training Program and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Leon G Reijmers
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States.
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14
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Wei J, Zhong P, Qin L, Tan T, Yan Z. Chemicogenetic Restoration of the Prefrontal Cortex to Amygdala Pathway Ameliorates Stress-Induced Deficits. Cereb Cortex 2018; 28:1980-1990. [PMID: 28498919 PMCID: PMC6018994 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Revised: 03/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Corticosteroid stress hormones exert a profound impact on cognitive and emotional processes. Understanding the neuronal circuits that are altered by chronic stress is important for counteracting the detrimental effects of stress in a brain region- and cell type-specific manner. Using the chemogenetic tool, Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs), which enables the remote, noninvasive and long-lasting modulation of cellular activity and signal transduction in discrete neuronal populations in vivo, we sought to identify the specific pathways that play an essential role in stress responses. We found that prolonged severe stress induced the diminished glutamatergic projection from pyramidal neurons in prefrontal cortex (PFC) to GABAergic interneurons in basolateral amygdala (BLA), leading to the loss of feedforward inhibition and ensuing hyperexcitability of BLA principal neurons, which caused a variety of behavioral abnormalities. Activating PFC pyramidal neurons with hM3D(Gq) DREADD restored the functional connection between PFC and BLA in stressed animals, resulting in the rescue of recognition memory, normalization of locomotor activity and reduction of aggressive behaviors. Inhibiting BLA principal neurons directly with hM4D(Gi) DREADD also blocked BLA hyperactivity and aggressive behaviors in stressed animals. These results have offered an effective avenue to counteract the stress-induced disruption of circuitry homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wei
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
- Medical Research, VA Western New York Healthcare System, Buffalo, NY 14215, USA
| | - Ping Zhong
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
- Medical Research, VA Western New York Healthcare System, Buffalo, NY 14215, USA
| | - Luye Qin
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
| | - Tao Tan
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
| | - Zhen Yan
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
- Medical Research, VA Western New York Healthcare System, Buffalo, NY 14215, USA
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15
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Morales M, McGinnis MM, Robinson SL, Chappell AM, McCool BA. Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Exposure Modulation of Glutamatergic Neurotransmission in Rat Lateral/Basolateral Amygdala is Duration-, Input-, and Sex-Dependent. Neuroscience 2017; 371:277-287. [PMID: 29237566 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [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: 10/04/2017] [Revised: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) controls numerous behaviors, like anxiety and reward seeking, via the activity of glutamatergic principal neurons. These BLA neurons receive excitatory inputs primarily via two major anatomical pathways - the external capsule (EC), which contains afferents from lateral cortical structures, and the stria terminalis (ST), containing synapses from more midline brain structures. Chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure/withdrawal produces distinct alterations in these pathways. Specifically, 10 days of CIE (via vapor inhalation) increases presynaptic function at ST synapses and postsynaptic function at EC synapses. Given that 10-day CIE/withdrawal also increases anxiety-like behavior, we sought to examine the development of these alterations at these inputs using an exposure time-course in both male and female rats. Specifically, using 3, 7, and 10 days CIE exposure, we found that all three durations increase anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze. At BLA synapses, increased presynaptic function at ST inputs required shorter exposure durations relative to post-synaptic alterations at EC inputs in both sexes. But, synaptic alterations in females required longer ethanol exposures compared to males. These data suggest that presynaptic alteration at ST-BLA afferents is an early neuroadaptation during repeated ethanol exposures. And, the similar patterns of presynaptic-then-postsynaptic facilitation across the sexes suggest the former may be required for the latter. These cooperative interactions may contribute to the increased anxiety-like behavior that is observed following CIE-induced withdrawal and may provide novel therapeutic targets to reverse withdrawal-induced anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Morales
- Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, USA.
| | - Molly M McGinnis
- Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, USA
| | - Stacey L Robinson
- Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, USA
| | - Ann M Chappell
- Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, USA
| | - Brian A McCool
- Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, USA
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16
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Sharp BM. Basolateral amygdala and stress-induced hyperexcitability affect motivated behaviors and addiction. Transl Psychiatry 2017; 7:e1194. [PMID: 28786979 PMCID: PMC5611728 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2017.161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Revised: 05/16/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The amygdala integrates and processes incoming information pertinent to reward and to emotions such as fear and anxiety that promote survival by warning of potential danger. Basolateral amygdala (BLA) communicates bi-directionally with brain regions affecting cognition, motivation and stress responses including prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens and hindbrain regions that trigger norepinephrine-mediated stress responses. Disruption of intrinsic amygdala and BLA regulatory neurocircuits is often caused by dysfunctional neuroplasticity frequently due to molecular alterations in local GABAergic circuits and principal glutamatergic output neurons. Changes in local regulation of BLA excitability underlie behavioral disturbances characteristic of disorders including post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and stress-induced relapse to drug use. In this Review, we discuss molecular mechanisms and neural circuits that regulate physiological and stress-induced dysfunction of BLA/amygdala and its principal output neurons. We consider effects of stress on motivated behaviors that depend on BLA; these include drug taking and drug seeking, with emphasis on nicotine-dependent behaviors. Throughout, we take a translational approach by integrating decades of addiction research on animal models and human trials. We show that changes in BLA function identified in animal addiction models illuminate human brain imaging and behavioral studies by more precisely delineating BLA mechanisms. In summary, BLA is required to promote responding for natural reward and respond to second-order drug-conditioned cues; reinstate cue-dependent drug seeking; express stress-enhanced reacquisition of nicotine intake; and drive anxiety and fear. Converging evidence indicates that chronic stress causes BLA principal output neurons to become hyperexcitable.
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Affiliation(s)
- B M Sharp
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
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17
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Hegde A, Soh Yee P, Mitra R. Dendritic Architecture of Principal Basolateral Amygdala Neurons Changes Congruently with Endocrine Response to Stress. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2017; 14:ijerph14070779. [PMID: 28708076 PMCID: PMC5551217 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14070779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Revised: 06/28/2017] [Accepted: 07/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Animals cope with changing environments through changes in behavior. Such plasticity is, however, marked by substantial inter-individual variability. Neuroendocrine reactivity to challenging environments can be an important predictor of resilience. Both basolateral amygdala (BLA) neurons and adrenal glucocorticoid signaling are integral parts of the stress neuroendocrine response. In this report, we test if individual variation in hormonal response to stress is associated with individual variation in the dendritic complexity of BLA neurons. We report a positive correlation between inter-individual variability in glucocorticoid response and neuronal plasticity in the BLA subsequent to a stressor. This suggests that stressful experiences in the past act as significant sculptors of BLA neuronal plasticity and congruent neuroendocrine response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akshaya Hegde
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore.
| | - Poh Soh Yee
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore.
| | - Rupshi Mitra
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore.
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18
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Stringfield SJ, Higginbotham JA, Fuchs RA. Requisite Role of Basolateral Amygdala Glucocorticoid Receptor Stimulation in Drug Context-Induced Cocaine-Seeking Behavior. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2016; 19:pyw073. [PMID: 27521756 PMCID: PMC5203759 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyw073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 08/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to cocaine-associated stimuli triggers a robust rise in circulating glucocorticoid levels. Glucocorticoid receptors are richly expressed in the basolateral amygdala, a brain region that controls the reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior upon exposure to a previously cocaine-paired environmental context. In the present study, we investigated whether glucocorticoid receptor stimulation in the basolateral amygdala is integral to drug context-induced motivation to seek cocaine in a rat model of drug relapse. METHODS Rats were trained to lever press for cocaine reinforcement in a distinct environmental context and were then given daily extinction training sessions in a different context. At test, the rats received bilateral glucocorticoid receptor antagonist (mifepristone; 3 or 10ng/hemisphere) or vehicle microinfusions into either the basolateral amygdala or the overlying posterior caudate-putamen (anatomical control region). Immediately thereafter, drug-seeking behavior (i.e., nonreinforced lever presses) was assessed in the previously cocaine-paired context and locomotor activity was assessed in a novel context. RESULTS Intra-basolateral amygdala, but not intra-posterior caudate-putamen, mifepristone dose-dependently attenuated drug context-induced cocaine-seeking behavior relative to vehicle, such that responding was similar to that observed in the extinction context. In contrast, mifepristone treatment did not alter locomotor activity. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that basolateral amygdala glucocorticoid receptor stimulation is necessary for drug context-induced motivation to seek cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sierra J Stringfield
- Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Pullman, WA (Ms Higginbotham and Dr Fuchs); Neurobiology Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (Ms Stringfield)
| | - Jessica A Higginbotham
- Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Pullman, WA (Ms Higginbotham and Dr Fuchs); Neurobiology Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (Ms Stringfield)
| | - Rita A Fuchs
- Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Pullman, WA (Ms Higginbotham and Dr Fuchs); Neurobiology Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (Ms Stringfield).
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19
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Abstract
It is widely thought that phasic and sustained responses to threat reflect dissociable circuits centered on the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce) and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), the two major subdivisions of the central extended amygdala. Early versions of this hypothesis remain highly influential and have been incorporated into the National Institute of Mental Health Research Research Domain Criteria framework. However, new observations encourage a different perspective. Anatomical studies show that the Ce and BST form a tightly interconnected unit, where different kinds of threat-relevant information can be integrated and used to assemble states of fear and anxiety. Imaging studies in humans and monkeys show that the Ce and BST exhibit similar functional profiles. Both regions are sensitive to a range of aversive challenges, including uncertain or temporally remote threat; both covary with concurrent signs and symptoms of fear and anxiety; both show phasic responses to short-lived threat; and both show heightened activity during sustained exposure to diffusely threatening contexts. Mechanistic studies demonstrate that both regions can control the expression of fear and anxiety during sustained exposure to diffuse threat. These observations compel a reconsideration of the central extended amygdala's contributions to fear and anxiety and its role in neuropsychiatric disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Shackman
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, and Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, and
| | - Andrew S Fox
- Department of Psychology and California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, California 95616
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20
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Akhmadeev AV, Kalimullina LB. [IMPAIRMENTS OF GLUTAMATERGIC TRANSMISSION IN THE BASOLATERAL NUCLEUS OF THE AMYGDALA IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE]. Ross Fiziol Zh Im I M Sechenova 2016; 102:385-397. [PMID: 30188671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In this review for the first time systematized literature data about the impairments of glutamatergic transmission in the basolateral nucleus of the Amygdala which leading to increased levels of anxiety. It is known that increased anxiety is seen as a main motivating factor of desire for alcohol, thus involved in the manifestation of alcohol dependence. Reviewed structural-functional alterations in ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors in acute, chronic ethanol exposure and withdrawal. Presents the data on the role of glutamate transporters in the pathogenesis of alcoholism.
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21
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Giordano C, Vinet J, Curia G, Biagini G. Repeated 6-Hz Corneal Stimulation Progressively Increases FosB/ΔFosB Levels in the Lateral Amygdala and Induces Seizure Generalization to the Hippocampus. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0141221. [PMID: 26555229 PMCID: PMC4640822 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Accepted: 10/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to repetitive seizures is known to promote convulsions which depend on specific patterns of network activity. We aimed at evaluating the changes in seizure phenotype and neuronal network activation caused by a modified 6-Hz corneal stimulation model of psychomotor seizures. Mice received up to 4 sessions of 6-Hz corneal stimulation with fixed current amplitude of 32 mA and inter-stimulation interval of 72 h. Video-electroencephalography showed that evoked seizures were characterized by a motor component and a non-motor component. Seizures always appeared in frontal cortex, but only at the fourth stimulation they involved the hippocampus, suggesting the establishment of an epileptogenic process. Duration of seizure non-motor component progressively decreased after the second session, whereas convulsive seizures remained unchanged. In addition, a more severe seizure phenotype, consisting of tonic-clonic generalized convulsions, was predominant after the second session. Immunohistochemistry and double immunofluorescence experiments revealed a significant increase in neuronal activity occurring in the lateral amygdala after the fourth session, most likely due to activity of principal cells. These findings indicate a predominant role of amygdala in promoting progressively more severe convulsions as well as the late recruitment of the hippocampus in the seizure spread. We propose that the repeated 6-Hz corneal stimulation model may be used to investigate some mechanisms of epileptogenesis and to test putative antiepileptogenic drugs.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Basolateral Nuclear Complex/metabolism
- Basolateral Nuclear Complex/physiopathology
- Cornea/physiopathology
- Disease Models, Animal
- Electric Stimulation/adverse effects
- Electrodes, Implanted
- Electroencephalography
- Epilepsy, Complex Partial/etiology
- Epilepsy, Complex Partial/genetics
- Epilepsy, Complex Partial/physiopathology
- Epilepsy, Generalized/etiology
- Epilepsy, Generalized/genetics
- Epilepsy, Generalized/physiopathology
- Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic/etiology
- Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic/genetics
- Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic/physiopathology
- Gene Expression Regulation
- Hippocampus/physiopathology
- Male
- Mice
- Microglia/pathology
- Nerve Net/physiopathology
- Nerve Tissue Proteins/biosynthesis
- Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics
- Neurons/metabolism
- Neurons/pathology
- Phenotype
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/biosynthesis
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/genetics
- Severity of Illness Index
- Single-Blind Method
- Video Recording
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmela Giordano
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Laboratory of Experimental Epileptology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Jonathan Vinet
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Laboratory of Experimental Epileptology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Giulia Curia
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Laboratory of Experimental Epileptology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Biagini
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Laboratory of Experimental Epileptology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Department of Neurosciences, NOCSAE Hospital, AUSL Modena, Italy
- * E-mail:
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Pavlova IV, Rysakova MP, Sergeeva MI. [Influence of D1, D2 Receptor Blockade in Basolateral Amygdala on Behavior of Rats with High or Low Levels of Anxiety and Fear]. Zh Vyssh Nerv Deiat Im I P Pavlova 2015; 65:471-485. [PMID: 26601506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The influence of bilateral D1 or D2 receptors antagonists infusions into the rat basolateral amygdala on anxiety, as well as the expression, extinction and re-learning of conditioned fear was studied. Subjects were the male Wistar rats with high and low anxiety behavior in elevated plus maze, and also rats with low and high freezing responses during fear conditioning. The infusion of D1 receptor antagonist (SCH23390, 1 µg/0.5 µL in each side) reduced the expression of the conditioned fear to sound in rats with low freezing level, accelerated fear extinction and impaired re-learning in all animals. The injection of D2 receptor antagonist (raclopride, 1 µg/0.5 µL in each side) accelerated the extinction of conditioned fear to contextual cues in all rats and had a weak anxiolytic-like effect on behavior of high anxiety rats in elevated plus maze. These findings testify to the role of D1 receptors in the acquisition, expression and extinction of conditioned fear to stimuli, and D2 receptors in the occurrence of anxiety and fear to the contextual cues. There was discovered different sensitivity of animals with different levels of anxiety and fear to the infusion of dopamine receptors antagonists in the amygdala that suggested the inequality of dopaminergic transmission in the amygdala of animals with individual differences.
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Yasoshima Y, Yoshizawa H, Shimura T, Miyamoto T. The basolateral nucleus of the amygdala mediates caloric sugar preference over a non-caloric sweetener in mice. Neuroscience 2015; 291:203-15. [PMID: 25684750 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [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: 12/24/2014] [Revised: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 02/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Neurobiological and genetic mechanisms underlying increased intake of and preference for nutritive sugars over non-nutritive sweeteners are not fully understood. We examined the roles of subnuclei of the amygdala in the shift in preference for a nutritive sugar. Food-deprived mice alternately received caloric sucrose (1.0 M) on odd-numbered training days and a non-caloric artificial sweetener (2.5 mM saccharin) on even-numbered training days. During training, mice with sham lesions of the basolateral (BLA) or central (CeA) nucleus of the amygdala increased their intake of 1.0 M sucrose, but not saccharin. Trained mice with sham lesions showed a significant shift in preference toward less concentrated sucrose (0.075 M) over the saccharin in a two-bottle choice test, although the mice showed an equivalent preference for these sweeteners before training. No increased intake of or preference for sucrose before and after the alternating training was observed in non-food-deprived mice. Excitotoxic lesions centered in the BLA impaired the increase in 1.0M sucrose intake and shift in preference toward 0.075 M sucrose over saccharin. Microlesions with iontophoretic excitotoxin injections into the CeA did not block the training-dependent changes. These results suggest that food-deprived animals selectively shift their preference for a caloric sugar over a non-caloric sweetener through the alternate consumption of caloric and non-caloric sweet substances. The present data also suggest that the BLA, but not CeA, plays a role in the selective shift in sweetener preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Yasoshima
- Division of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Behavioral Sciences, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, 1-2 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Japan.
| | - H Yoshizawa
- Division of Material and Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Japan Women's University, 2-8-1 Mejirodai, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8681, Japan.
| | - T Shimura
- Division of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Behavioral Sciences, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, 1-2 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Japan.
| | - T Miyamoto
- Division of Material and Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Japan Women's University, 2-8-1 Mejirodai, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8681, Japan; Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Japan Women's University, 2-8-1 Mejirodai, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8681, Japan.
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Prager EM, Figueiredo TH, Long RP, Aroniadou-Anderjaska V, Apland JP, Braga MFM. LY293558 prevents soman-induced pathophysiological alterations in the basolateral amygdala and the development of anxiety. Neuropharmacology 2015; 89:11-8. [PMID: 25204221 PMCID: PMC4250288 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2014] [Revised: 07/18/2014] [Accepted: 08/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to nerve agents can cause brain damage due to prolonged seizure activity, producing long-term behavioral deficits. We have previously shown that LY293558, a GluK1/AMPA receptor antagonist, is a very effective anticonvulsant and neuroprotectant against nerve agent exposure. In the present study, we examined whether the protection against nerve agent-induced seizures and neuropathology conferred by LY293558 translates into protection against pathophysiological alterations in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the development of anxiety, which is the most prevalent behavioral deficit resulting from exposure. LY293558 (15 mg/kg) was administered to rats, along with atropine and HI-6, at 20 min after exposure to soman (1.2 × LD50). At 24 h, 7 days, and 30 days after exposure, soman-exposed rats who did not receive LY293558 had reduced but prolonged evoked field potentials in the BLA, as well as increased paired-pulse ratio, suggesting neuronal damage and impaired synaptic inhibition; rats who received LY293558 did not differ from controls in these parameters. Long-term potentiation of synaptic transmission was impaired at 7 days after exposure in the soman-exposed rats who did not receive anticonvulsant treatment, but not in the LY293558-treated rats. Anxiety-like behavior assessed by the open field and acoustic startle response tests was increased in the soman-exposed rats at 30 and 90 days after exposure, while rats treated with LY293558 did not differ from controls. Along with our previous findings, the present data demonstrate the remarkable efficacy of LY293558 in counteracting nerve agent-induced seizures, neuropathology, pathophysiological alterations in the BLA, and anxiety-related behavioral deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric M Prager
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; Program in Neuroscience, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
| | - Taiza H Figueiredo
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
| | - Robert P Long
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; Program in Neuroscience, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
| | - Vassiliki Aroniadou-Anderjaska
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; Department of Psychiatry, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; Program in Neuroscience, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
| | - James P Apland
- Neurotoxicology Branch, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010, USA.
| | - Maria F M Braga
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; Department of Psychiatry, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; Program in Neuroscience, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
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25
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Koek RJ, Langevin JP, Krahl SE, Kosoyan HJ, Schwartz HN, Chen JWY, Melrose R, Mandelkern MJ, Sultzer D. Deep brain stimulation of the basolateral amygdala for treatment-refractory combat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial with blinded, staggered onset of stimulation. Trials 2014; 15:356. [PMID: 25208824 PMCID: PMC4168122 DOI: 10.1186/1745-6215-15-356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2014] [Accepted: 08/21/2014] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Combat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves significant suffering, impairments in social and occupational functioning, substance use and medical comorbidity, and increased mortality from suicide and other causes. Many veterans continue to suffer despite current treatments. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has shown promise in refractory movement disorders, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, with deep brain targets chosen by integration of clinical and neuroimaging literature. The basolateral amygdala (BLn) is an optimal target for high-frequency DBS in PTSD based on neurocircuitry findings from a variety of perspectives. DBS of the BLn was validated in a rat model of PTSD by our group, and limited data from humans support the potential safety and effectiveness of BLn DBS. METHODS/DESIGN We describe the protocol design for a first-ever Phase I pilot study of bilateral BLn high-frequency DBS for six severely ill, functionally impaired combat veterans with PTSD refractory to conventional treatments. After implantation, patients are monitored for a month with stimulators off. An electroencephalographic (EEG) telemetry session will test safety of stimulation before randomization to staggered-onset, double-blind sham versus active stimulation for two months. Thereafter, patients will undergo an open-label stimulation for a total of 24 months. Primary efficacy outcome is a 30% decrease in the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) total score. Safety outcomes include extensive assessments of psychiatric and neurologic symptoms, psychosocial function, amygdala-specific and general neuropsychological functions, and EEG changes. The protocol requires the veteran to have a cohabiting significant other who is willing to assist in monitoring safety and effect on social functioning. At baseline and after approximately one year of stimulation, trauma script-provoked 18FDG PET metabolic changes in limbic circuitry will also be evaluated. DISCUSSION While the rationale for studying DBS for PTSD is ethically and scientifically justified, the importance of the amygdaloid complex and its connections for a myriad of emotional, perceptual, behavioral, and vegetative functions requires a complex trial design in terms of outcome measures. Knowledge generated from this pilot trial can be used to design future studies to determine the potential of DBS to benefit both veterans and nonveterans suffering from treatment-refractory PTSD. TRIAL REGISTRATION PCC121657, 19 March 2014.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralph J Koek
- />Psychiatry Service, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS), 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90073 USA
- />David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
- />16111 Plummer St. (116A-11), North Hills, CA 91343 USA
| | - Jean-Philippe Langevin
- />David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
- />Neurosurgery Service, VAGLAHS, 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, C 90073 USA
| | - Scott E Krahl
- />David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
- />Research and Development Service, VAGLAHS, 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90073 USA
| | - Hovsep J Kosoyan
- />David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
- />Research and Development Service, VAGLAHS, 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90073 USA
| | - Holly N Schwartz
- />Psychiatry Service, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS), 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90073 USA
- />David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
| | - James WY Chen
- />David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
- />Neurology Service, VAGLAHS, 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90073 USA
| | - Rebecca Melrose
- />David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
- />Brain, Behavior, and Aging Research Center, VAGLAHS, 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90073 USA
| | - Mark J Mandelkern
- />David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
- />Imaging Department, Radiology Service, VAGLAHS, 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90073 USA
- />Physics Department, UC Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - David Sultzer
- />Psychiatry Service, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS), 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90073 USA
- />David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
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Chang CH, Grace AA. Amygdala-ventral pallidum pathway decreases dopamine activity after chronic mild stress in rats. Biol Psychiatry 2014; 76:223-30. [PMID: 24209776 PMCID: PMC3969414 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2013] [Revised: 09/09/2013] [Accepted: 09/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Major depressive disorder affects more than 15% of the population across their lifespan. In this study, we used the well-characterized unpredictable chronic mild stress (CMS) model of depression to examine this condition. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats were presented randomly with mild stressors for 4 weeks, with body weight and sucrose intake monitored weekly. Locomotor activity and elevated plus maze test/forced swim test were conducted on Week 5; ventral tegmental area dopamine (DA) neuron activity was assessed within 1 week after the behavioral test with three indices: DA neuron population activity (defined as the number of spontaneously firing DA neurons); mean firing rate; and percent burst firing (i.e., the proportion of action potentials occurring in bursts). RESULTS Consistent with previous studies, we found that, compared with control subjects, rats that underwent the CMS procedure were slower in gaining body weight and developed anxiety- and despair-like behavior. We now report a significant decrease in DA neuron population activity of CMS rats, and this decrease is restored by pharmacologically attenuating the activity of either the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) or the ventral pallidum (VP). Moreover, pharmacological activation of the amygdala in nonstressed rats decreases DA neuron population activity similar to that with CMS, which is reversed by blocking the BLA-VP pathway. CONCLUSIONS The CMS rat depression model is associated with a BLA-VP-ventral tegmental area inhibition of DA neuron activity. This information can provide insight into the circuitry underlying major depressive disorder and serve as a template for refining therapeutic approaches to this disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Hui Chang
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
| | - Anthony A Grace
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Almeida-Suhett CP, Prager EM, Pidoplichko V, Figueiredo TH, Marini AM, Li Z, Eiden LE, Braga MFM. Reduced GABAergic inhibition in the basolateral amygdala and the development of anxiety-like behaviors after mild traumatic brain injury. PLoS One 2014; 9:e102627. [PMID: 25047645 PMCID: PMC4105413 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2013] [Accepted: 06/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health concern affecting a large number of athletes and military personnel. Individuals suffering from a TBI risk developing anxiety disorders, yet the pathophysiological alterations that result in the development of anxiety disorders have not yet been identified. One region often damaged by a TBI is the basolateral amygdala (BLA); hyperactivity within the BLA is associated with increased expression of anxiety and fear, yet the functional alterations that lead to BLA hyperexcitability after TBI have not been identified. We assessed the functional alterations in inhibitory synaptic transmission in the BLA and one mechanism that modulates excitatory synaptic transmission, the α7 containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7-nAChR), after mTBI, to shed light on the mechanisms that contribute to increased anxiety-like behaviors. Seven and 30 days after a mild controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury, animals displayed significantly greater anxiety-like behavior. This was associated with a significant loss of GABAergic interneurons and significant reductions in the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous and miniature GABAA-receptor mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs). Decreases in the mIPSC amplitude were associated with reduced surface expression of α1, β2, and γ2 GABAA receptor subunits. However, significant increases in the surface expression and current mediated by α7-nAChR, were observed, signifying increases in the excitability of principal neurons within the BLA. These results suggest that mTBI causes not only a significant reduction in inhibition in the BLA, but also an increase in neuronal excitability, which may contribute to hyperexcitability and the development of anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila P. Almeida-Suhett
- Program in Neuroscience, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Center for Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Eric M. Prager
- Program in Neuroscience, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Volodymyr Pidoplichko
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Taiza H. Figueiredo
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Ann M. Marini
- Program in Neuroscience, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Neurology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Center for Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Zheng Li
- Center for Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Section on Clinical Studies, National Institute of Mental health Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Lee E. Eiden
- Center for Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Section on Molecular Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental health Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Maria F. M. Braga
- Program in Neuroscience, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Center for Neuroscience & Regenerative Medicine, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Sosa-Díaz N, Bringas ME, Atzori M, Flores G. Prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and basolateral amygdala plasticity in a rat model of autism spectrum. Synapse 2014; 68:468-73. [PMID: 24985713 DOI: 10.1002/syn.21759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [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: 02/25/2014] [Revised: 06/24/2014] [Accepted: 06/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
We aimed to investigate the effect of prenatal administration of valproic acid (VPA) (500 mg/kg) at embryonic day 12.5 on the anatomical properties of the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and basolateral amygdala, at three different ages: immediately after weaning (postnatal day 21 [PD21]), prepubertal (PD35), and postpubertal (PD70) ages in a rat model of autistic spectrum disorder. Quantitative analysis of the thickness of the prefrontal cortex revealed a reduced size at all study ages in the cingulate 1 area of the prefrontal cortex and CA1 of the dorsal hippocampus in prenatally exposed animals compared to controls. At the level of the basolateral amygdala, a reduction in the size was observed at PD35 and PD70 in the VPA group. In addition, a reduced thickness was observed in the prelimbic region of the prefrontal cortex in VPA animals at PD35. Interestingly, no differences in cortical thickness were observed between control and VPA animals in the infralimbic region of the prefrontal at any age. Our results suggest that prenatal exposure to VPA differentially alters cortical limbic regions anatomical parameters, with implication in the autistic spectrum disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuvia Sosa-Díaz
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
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Rysakova MP, Pavlova IV. [Behavior of high- and low-anxiety rats after modulation of GABAergic transmission in basolateral amygdala]. Ross Fiziol Zh Im I M Sechenova 2014; 100:736-749. [PMID: 25665398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The influence of GABA(A) receptor agonist (muscimol hydrobromide, 0.1 μg/0.5 μL) and antagonist (bicuculline methiodide, 0.2 μg/0.5 μL) injections into the right and the left basolateral amygdala on the behavior of the high- and low-anxiety rats was investigated in elevated plus-maze test. High- and low-anxiety rats had different sensitivities to injections of GABA receptor agents. Administration of muscimol increased open-arm time only in the high-anxiety rats, indicating anxiolytic-like effect. Injection of bicuculline increased aggression of all rats, as well as enhanced locomotion and exploration in high-anxiety rats, increased open-arm time and emotionality in the low-anxiety animals. More powerful changes in behavior of rats were revealed after injections of muscimol into the left amygdala of high-anxiety rats and bicuculline into the right amygdala of low-anxiety ones. The results evidence the existence of individual typological and interhemispheric differences in functioning of the amygdalar GABAergic system.
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Vengerovskiĭ AI, Vaizova OE, Smagina MI, Khudoleĭ VN. [Influence of a drug with anticonvulsant action on the level of bioelectric activity and ion content in brain structures]. Eksp Klin Farmakol 2014; 77:3-5. [PMID: 25668939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
1-[(3-chlorophenyl)phenylmethyl]urea--a compound possessing anticonvulsant activity, which has been selected by screening among 100 linear and cyclic urea derivatives, produces synchronization of spontaneous bioelectric activity, increased convulsion threshold in the motor cortex, dorsal hippocampus, and basolateral nuclei of amygdala, increased the index of low-frequency flicker acquisition, and reduced response to high-frequency oscillations in the visual cortex of rabbits. This compound also increased the extracellular content of sodium ions and reduced intracellular content of potassium ions in the motor cortex, dorsal hippocampus, and amygdala.
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