The effects of amphetamine exposure on juvenile rats on the neuronal morphology of the limbic system at prepubertal,pubertal and postpubertal ages

Amphetamines (AMPH) are psychostimulants widely used for therapy as well as for recreational purposes. Previous results of our group showed that AMPH exposure in pregnant rats induces physiological and behavioral changes in the offspring at prepubertal and postpubertal ages. In addition, several reports have shown that AMPH are capable of modifying the morphology of neurons in some regions of the limbic system. These modifications can cause some psychiatric conditions. However, it is still unclear if there are changes to behavioral and morphological levels when low doses of AMPH are administered at a juvenile age. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of AMPH administration (1 mg/kg) in Sprague-Dawley rats (postnatal day, PD21-PD35) on locomotor activity in a novel environment and compare the neuronal morphology of limbic system areas at three different ages: prepubertal (PD 36), pubertal (PD50) and postpubertal (PD 62). We found that AMPH altered locomotor activity in the prepubertal group, but did not have an effect on the other two age groups. The Golgi-Cox staining method was used to describe the neural morphology of five limbic regions: (Layers 3 and 5) the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the dorsal and ventral hippocampus, the nucleus accumbens and the amygdala, showing that AMPH induced changes at pubertal ages in arborization and spine density of these neurons, but interestingly these changes did not persist at postpubertal ages. Our findings suggest that even early-life AMPH exposure does not induce long-term behavioral and morphological changes, however it causes alterations at pubertal ages in the limbic system networks, a stage of life strongly associated with the development of substance abuse behaviors.     

Differential effects of mild chronic stress on cortisol and S-IgA responses to an acute stressor

While acute stress is adaptive in the short term, chronic stress may interfere with HPA axis functioning and self-regulation that can, in turn, alter the body's immune response. Several studies suggest that acute and chronic stress consistently increase cortisol levels; however, the same cannot be said about S-IgA levels. We tested the effects of a mild chronic stress (an academic exam period), on cortisol and S-IgA responses to an acute stress. Exposure to an acute stressor significantly increases cortisol levels during periods of no-stress, but not during mild chronic stress, while S-IgA levels consistently increase during both sessions. Furthermore, we find that during the period of chronic mild stress, the perception of stress is related to increased cortisol response to an acute stressor. Combined, these findings shed light on the impact of increased background stress on acute stress responses.     

创伤后应激障碍模型大鼠内侧前额皮质磷酸化细胞外信号调节激酶1/2及c-fos的变化

目的探讨创伤后应激障碍(PTSD)模型大鼠内侧前额皮质(mPFC)磷酸化细胞外信号调节激酶1/2(pERK1/2)和c-fos的表达变化。方法将30只成年健康雄性Wistar大鼠随机分为对照组(15只)和PTSD模型组(15只),采用无连续单一应激(SPS)方法制备PTSD模型。用免疫组织化学和免疫印迹法检测mPFCpERK1/2的表达变化,RT-PCR检测c-fosmRNA表达变化。结果免疫组织化学分析显示,对照组和模型组pERK1/2阳性细胞数分别为10.4±2.07、48.8±10.08,阳性信号吸光度值分别为24.955±3.691、110.810±10.643,差异有统计学意义(P0.01);免疫印迹分析显示,对照组和模型组pERK/2相对表达量分别为0.510±0.052和1.109±0.106,差异有统计学意义(P0.01);RT-PCR分析结果显示,对照组和模型组c-fosmRNA相对表达分别为0.267±0.067和1.049±0.131,差异有统计学意义(P0.01)。结论mPFCpERK1/2和c-fos表达增高,可能参与了PTSD模型大鼠的病理生理过程。     

Transient and prolonged facilitation of tone-evoked responses induced by basal forebrain stimulations in the rat auditory cortex

We investigated the relationships between cortical arousal and cholinergic facilitation of evoked responses in the auditory cortex. The basal forebrain (BF) was stimulated unilaterally, while cluster recordings were obtained simultaneously from both auditory cortices in urethane-anesthetized rats. The global electroencephalogram (EEG; large frontoparietal derivation) and the local EEG (from the auditory cortex) were recorded. The BF was stimulated at two intensities, a lower one which did not desynchronize the EEG and a higher one which did. Twenty pairing trials were delivered, during which a tone was presented 50 ms after the end of the BF stimulation. At low intensity, the pairing procedure led to a transient increase in the ipsilateral tone-evoked responses. At high intensity, the pairing increased the ipsilateral evoked responses up to 15 min after pairing. Such effects were not observed for the contralateral recordings. Systemic atropine injection prevented the facilitations observed ipsilaterally. BF stimulations alone did not induce any increased evoked response either at low or at high intensity. These results show (1) that a tone, presented while the cortex is activated by cholinergic neurons of the BF, evokes enhanced cortical responses, and (2) that the duration of this facilitation is dependent on the stimulation intensity. These results are discussed in the context of neural mechanisms involved in general arousal and cortical plasticity.     

急性高台应激对大鼠神经内分泌激素、相关受体及脑神经递质的影响

目的 高台应激是一种不可逃避应激,是研究应激对机体神经生理病理变化的重要模型.本研究对急性高台应激后神经内分泌激素、受体表达、脑神经递质变化以及地西泮的干预作用进行探讨.方法 大鼠随机分为空白对照组、应激+地西泮(DAP)组与应激+溶剂组.后两组于应激前30 min分别腹腔注射地西泮2 mg/kg与等量生理盐水.采用酶联免疫法测量应激后各组的血浆促肾上腺皮质激素(ACTH)、血清皮质酮(CORT)水平;采用实时定量PCR测量下丘脑促肾上腺皮质激素分泌激素(CRH)mRNA、海马糖皮质激素受体(GR)mRNA、盐皮质激素受体(MR) mRNA、5-羟色胺1a受体(5-HT1aR)mRNA水平;采用高效液相色谱电化学法测量大脑皮层匀浆液中去甲肾上腺素(NE)、多巴胺(DA)、5-羟色胺(5-HT)及其代谢产物5-羟吲哚乙酸(5-HIAA)水平.结果 与空白组相比,应激+溶剂组大鼠血浆ACTH、血清CORT以及海马5-HT1aR mRNA水平升高(P均＜0.05),此变化可由DAP逆转(P均＜0.05).此外,DAP还可降低应激后的下丘脑CRH mRNA,海马GR mRNA以及MR mRNA水平(P均＜0.05).然而大脑皮层匀浆液中NE、DA、5-HT、5-HIAA在应激后无变化.结论 急性高台应激可引起大鼠相关神经内分泌激素与受体表达变化,且该效应可被DAP逆转.     

The anterior cingulate cortex is a target structure for the anxiolytic-like effects of benzodiazepines assessed by repeated exposure to the elevated plus maze and Fos immunoreactivity

Prior experience with the elevated plus maze (EPM) increases the avoidance of rodents to the open arms and impairs the anxiolytic-like effects of benzodiazepines on the traditional behaviors evaluated upon re-exposure to the maze, a phenomenon known as one-trial tolerance. Risk assessment behaviors are also sensitive to benzodiazepines. During re-exposure to the maze, these behaviors reinstate the information-processing initiated during the first experience, and the detection of danger generates stronger open-arm avoidance. The present study investigated whether the benzodiazepine midazolam alters risk assessment behaviors and Fos protein distribution associated with test and retest sessions in the EPM. Naive or maze-experienced Wistar rats received either saline or midazolam (0.5 mg/kg i.p.) and were subjected to the EPM. Midazolam caused the usual effects on exploratory behavior, increasing exploratory activity of naive rats in the open arms and producing no effects on these conventional measures in rats re-exposed to the maze. Risk assessment behaviors, however, were sensitive to the benzodiazepine during both sessions, indicating anxiolytic-like effects of the drug in both conditions. Fos immunohistochemistry showed that midazolam injections were associated with a distinct pattern of action when administered before the test or retest session, and the anterior cingulate cortex, area 1 (Cg1), was the only structure targeted by the benzodiazepine in both situations. Bilateral infusions of midazolam into the Cg1 replicated the behavioral effects of the drug injected systemically, suggesting that this area is critically involved in the anxiolytic-like effects of benzodiazepines, although the behavioral strategy adopted by the animals appears to depend on the previous knowledge of the threatening environment.     

Taurine prevents enhancement of acetylcholinesterase activity induced by acute ethanol exposure and decreases the level of markers of oxidative stress in zebrafish brain

Ethanol (EtOH) is a drug widely consumed throughout the world that promotes several neurochemical disorders. Its deleterious effects are generally associated with modifications in oxidative stress parameters, signaling transduction pathways, and neurotransmitter systems, leading to distinct behavioral changes. Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) is a β-amino acid not incorporated into proteins found in mM range in the central nervous system (CNS). The actions of taurine as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, neuromodulator, and antioxidant make it attractive for studying a potential protective role against EtOH-mediated neurotoxicity. In this study, we investigated whether acute taurine cotreatment or pretreatment (1 h) prevent EtOH-induced changes in acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and in oxidative stress parameters in zebrafish brain. The results showed that EtOH exposure (1% in volume) during 1 h increased AChE activity, whereas the cotreatment with 400 mg·L(-1) taurine prevented this enhancement. A similar protective effect of 150 and 400 mg·L(-1) taurine was also observed when the animals were pretreated with this amino acid. Taurine treatments also prevented the alterations promoted in superoxide dismutase and catalase activities by EtOH, suggesting a modulatory role in enzymatic antioxidant defenses. The pretreatment with 150 and 400 mg·L(-1) taurine significantly increased the sulfydryl levels as compared to control and EtOH groups. Moreover, 150 and 400 mg·L(-1) taurine significantly decreased thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) levels, but the cotreatment with EtOH plus 400 mg·L(-1) taurine did not prevent the EtOH-induced lipoperoxidation. In contrast, the pretreatment with 150 and 400 mg·L(-1) taurine prevented the TBARS increase besides decreased the basal levels of lipid peroxides. Altogether, our data showed for the first time that EtOH induced oxidative stress in adult zebrafish brain and reinforce the idea that this vertebrate is an attractive alternative model to evaluate the beneficial effect of taurine against acute EtOH exposure.     

Regulation of dopamine function in the nucleus accumbens of the rat by the thalamic paraventricular nucleus and adjacent midline nuclei

Summary The effects of unilateral treatments applied to non-dopamine containing output neurones of the thalamic paraventricular nucleus and adjacent midline nuclei (PV-MLT) were observed on dopamine (DA) utilisation of the nucleus accumbens (NAc). The ratios of [metabolite]: [parent amine] were used as indices of DA utilisation. In general, these indices were observed to increase in NAc in a bilaterally symmetrical fashion immediately after infusion of low doses (5 M) of a cell-selective chemical excitant (quisqualic acid, QUIS) into either rostral or caudal PV-MLT. Moreover, the increases appeared to be entirely due to changes in the tissue content of metabolite. Electrical stimulation of caudal PV-MLT also enhanced DA utilisation ratios in NAc but appeared to do so by decreasing the tissue content of DA itself. Attempts to lesion caudal PV-MLT neurones by infusion of a higher dose of QUIS (50 mM) followed by long-term recovery (7 days) produced ratios of DA utilisation in NAc that were no different from those of controls. DA utilisation ratios in NAc were no different from control values immediately after infusion into caudal PV-MLT of an intermediate dose (10 mM) of another chemical excitant (N-methyl-d-aspartic acid, NMDA). Since DA utilisation ratios in this area were also unaffected by histologically verifiable lesions of caudal PV-MLT neurones produced 7 days after infusion of high doses (100 mM) of NMDA it is argued that the former treatment may lead to an acute firing inactivation of PV-MLT neurones. In conclusion, experimental treatments that attempt to enhance the activity of PV-MLT efferent neurones produce increased DA utilisation ratios in NAc, whereas those treatments designed to reduce the activity of PV-MLT neurones appear to have no detectable effect on DA function in this terminal region.