Novel RXFP3 negative allosteric modulator RLX-33 reduces alcohol self-administration in rats.

There is much interest in identifying novel pharmacotherapeutic targets that improve clinical outcomes for the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD). One promising target for therapeutic intervention is the relaxin family peptide 3 (RXFP3) receptor, a cognate receptor for neuropeptide relaxin-3, which has previously been implicated in regulating alcohol drinking behavior. Recently, we developed the first small-molecule RXFP3-selective negative allosteric modulator (NAM) RLX-33. Therefore, the goal of the present work was to characterize the impact of this novel NAM on affective-related behaviors and alcohol self-administration in rats. First, the effects of RLX-33 were tested on alcohol and sucrose self-administration in Wistar and alcohol-preferring P rats to determine the dose-response profile and specificity for alcohol. Then, we assessed the effects of systemic RLX-33 injection in Wistar rats in a battery of behavioral assays (open-field test, elevated zero maze, acoustic startle response test, and prepulse inhibition) and tested for alcohol clearance. We found that the lowest effective dose (5 mg/kg) reduced alcohol self-administration in both male and female Wistar rats, while in alcohol-preferring P rats, this effect was restricted to males, and there were no effects on sucrose self-administration or general locomotor activity. The characterization of affective and metabolic effects in Wistar rats generally found few locomotor, affective, or alcohol clearance changes, particularly at the 5 mg/kg dose. Overall, these findings are promising and suggest that RXFP3 NAM has potential as a pharmacological target for treating AUD.

Neuroendocrine and neuroimmune responses in male and female rats: evidence for functional immaturity of the neuroimmune system during early adolescence.

Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by rapid behavioral and physiological changes, including enhanced vulnerability to stress. Recent studies using rodent models of adolescence have demonstrated age differences in neuroendocrine responses and blunted neuroimmune responding to pharmacological challenges. The present study was designed to test whether this neuroimmune insensitivity would generalize to a non-pharmacological stress challenge. Male and female adolescent (P29-33) and adult (P70-80) Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to intermittent footshock for one-, two-, or two-hours + recovery. Plasma corticosterone and progesterone levels as well as gene expression of several cytokines and c-Fos gene expression in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), the medial amygdala (MeA), and the ventral hippocampus (vHPC) were analyzed. The results of the present study demonstrated differences in response to footshock, with these differences dependent on age, sex, and brain region of interest. Adult males and females demonstrated time-dependent increases in IL-1ß and IL-1R2 in the PVN, with these changes not evident in adolescent males and substantially blunted in adolescent females. TNFα expression was decreased in all regions of interest, with adults demonstrating more suppression relative to adolescents and age differences more apparent in males than in females. IL-6 expression was affected by footshock predominantly in the vHPC of adolescent and adult males and females, with females demonstrating prolonged elevation of IL-6 gene expression. In summary, central cytokine responses to acute stressor exposure are blunted in adolescent rats, with the most pronounced immaturity evident for the brain IL-1 signaling system.

RTICBM-74 Is a Brain-Penetrant Cannabinoid Receptor Subtype 1 Allosteric Modulator that Reduces Alcohol Intake in Rats.

The endocannabinoid system is implicated in the neuronal mechanisms of alcohol use disorder (AUD), with the cannabinoid receptor subtype 1 (CB1) representing a promising target for AUD therapeutic interventions. We have previously shown negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) of the CB1 receptor attenuated the reinstatement of other drugs of abuse including cocaine and methamphetamine in rats; however, their effects on alcohol-related behaviors have not been investigated. Here, we tested the pharmacokinetic properties of one such CB1 NAM, RTICBM-74, and its effects on alcohol self-administration in rats. RTICBM-74 showed low aqueous solubility and high protein binding but had excellent half-life and low clearance against rat liver microsomes and hepatocytes, and excellent brain penetrance in rats. RTICBM-74 pretreatment specifically reduced alcohol intake across a range of doses in male or female Wistar or Long-Evans rats that were trained to self-administer alcohol. These effects were similar to the CB1 antagonist/inverse agonist rimonabant, which was tested as a positive control. Importantly, RTICBM-74 was effective at reducing alcohol intake at doses that did not affect locomotion or sucrose self-administration. Our findings suggest that CB1 NAMs such as RTICBM-74 have promising therapeutic potential in treatment of AUD. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The present work shows that a metabolically stable and brain-penetrant cannabinoid receptor subtype 1 negative allosteric modulator reduces alcohol self-administration in rats without affecting locomotion or sucrose self-administration, suggesting potential therapeutic relevance for the treatment of alcohol use disorder.

The Toll-like receptor 7 agonist imiquimod increases ethanol self-administration and induces expression of Toll-like receptor related genes.

There is growing evidence that immune signalling may be involved in both the causes and consequences of alcohol abuse. Toll-like receptor (TLR) expression is increased by alcohol consumption and is implicated in AUD, and specifically TLR7 may play an important role in ethanol consumption. We administered the TLR7-specific agonist imiquimod in male and female Long-Evans rats to determine (1) gene expression changes in brain regions involved in alcohol reinforcement, the nucleus accumbens core and anterior insular cortex, in rats with and without an alcohol history, and (2) whether TLR7 activation could modulate operant alcohol self-administration. Interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) was dramatically increased in both sexes at both 2- and 24-h post-injection regardless of alcohol history and TLR3 and 7 gene expression was increased as well. The proinflammatory cytokine TNFα was increased 24-h post-injection in rats with an alcohol self-administration history, but this effect did not persist after four injections, suggesting molecular tolerance. Ethanol consumption was increased 24 h after imiquimod injections but did not occur until the third injection, suggesting adaptation to repeated TLR7 activation is necessary for increased drinking to occur. Notably, imiquimod reliably induced weight loss, indicating that sickness behaviour persisted across repeated injections. These findings show that TLR7 activation can modulate alcohol drinking in an operant self-administration paradigm and suggest that TLR7 and IRF7 signalling pathways may be a viable druggable target for treatment of AUD.

Low-dose alcohol: Interoceptive and molecular effects and the role of dentate gyrus in rats.

Alcohol abuse and dependence are world-wide health problems. Most research on alcohol use focuses on the consequences of moderate to high levels of alcohol. However, even at low concentrations, alcohol is capable of producing effects in the brain that can ultimately affect behavior. The current studies seek to understand the effects of low-dose alcohol (blood alcohol levels of ≤10mM). To do so, these experiments utilize a combination of behavioral and molecular techniques to (1) assess the ability of the interoceptive effects of a low dose of alcohol to gain control over goal-tracking behavior in a Pavlovian discrimination task, (2) determine brain regional differences in cellular activity via expression of immediate early genes (IEGs), and (3) assess the role of the dentate gyrus in modulating sensitivity to the interoceptive effects of a low dose of alcohol. Here, we show that intragastric administration of a dose of 0.8 g/kg alcohol produces blood alcohol levels ≤10mM in both male and female Long-Evans rats and can readily be trained as a Pavlovian interoceptive drug cue. In rats trained on this procedure, this dose of alcohol also modulates expression of the IEGs c-Fos and Arc in brain regions known to modulate expression of alcohol interoceptive effects. Finally, pharmacological inactivation of the dentate gyrus with GABA agonists baclofen and muscimol disrupted the ability of a low dose of alcohol to serve as an interoceptive cue. Together, these findings demonstrate behavioral and molecular consequences of low-dose alcohol.

Toll-like receptor 3 neuroimmune signaling and behavior change: A strain comparison between Lewis and Wistar rats.

There are many unanswered questions about the interaction between the immune system and behavior change, including the contributions of individual differences. The present study modeled individual differences in the immune system by comparing inbred Lewis rats, which have dysregulated stress and immune systems, to their genetically diverse parent strain, Wistar rats. The objective was to examine the consequences of an immune challenge on behavior and neuroimmune signaling in both strains. Peripheral administration of the toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) agonist and viral memetic polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) induced behavior changes in both strains, reducing locomotor activity and increasing avoidance behavior (time on the dark side of the light-dark box). Furthermore, poly(I:C) induced hyperarousal and increased avoidance behavior more in female Lewis than female Wistar rats. Baseline strain differences were also observed: Lewis rats had higher avoidance behavior and lower startle response than Wistars. Lewis rats also had lower levels of peripheral inflammation, as measured by spleen weight. Finally, poly(I:C) increased expression of genes in the TLR3 pathway, cytokine genes, and CD11b, a gene associated with proinflammatory actions of microglia, in the prelimbic cortex and central amygdala, with greater expression of cytokine genes in male rats. Lewis rats had lower baseline expression of some neuroimmune genes, particularly CD11b. Overall, we found constitutive strain differences in immune profiles and baseline differences in behavior, yet poly(I:C) generally induced similar behavior changes in males while hyperarousal and avoidance behavior were heightened in female Lewis rats.

Increased alcohol self-administration following repeated Toll-like receptor 3 agonist treatment in male and female rats.

Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling may play an important role in the neuroimmune system's involvement in the development and maintenance of alcohol use disorder (AUD). In the present study we administered the TLR3 agonist poly(I:C) in male and female Long-Evans rats to determine whether TLR3 agonism can increase alcohol consumption on a daily 15% alcohol operant self-administration paradigm. We found few effects when poly(I:C) was given every-other-day at 0.3 or 1.0 mg/kg. However, when 1.0 mg/kg was given on consecutive days, alcohol intake increased in the days following injections specifically in females. In a second experiment, we found that this effect only emerged when rats had a history of multiple poly(I:C) injections. In the final experiment the poly(I:C) dose was increased to 3.0 mg/kg on consecutive days which resulted in significant reductions in alcohol intake on injection days in females that were not accompanied by subsequent increases. The poly(I:C) dose was increased to 9.0 mg/kg for one final pair of injections which led to reductions in intake in both males and females followed by a male specific delayed increase in alcohol intake. Overall, repeated poly(I:C) administration was able to increase subsequent alcohol consumption in both sexes, with females showing an increase at a lower dose than males. These findings support TLR3 agonism in contributing to increased alcohol consumption and add to the body of work identifying the neuroimmune system as a potential therapeutic target for AUD.

Interoception and alcohol: Mechanisms, networks, and implications.

Interoception refers to the perception of the internal state of the body and is increasingly being recognized as an important factor in mental health disorders. Drugs of abuse produce powerful interoceptive states that are upstream of behaviors that drive and influence drug intake, and addiction pathology is impacted by interoceptive processes. The goal of the present review is to discuss interoceptive processes related to alcohol. We will cover physiological responses to alcohol, how interoceptive states can impact drinking, and the recruitment of brain networks as informed by clinical research. We also review the molecular and brain circuitry mechanisms of alcohol interoceptive effects as informed by preclinical studies. Finally, we will discuss emerging treatments with consideration of interoception processes. As our understanding of the role of interoception in drug and alcohol use grows, we suggest that the convergence of information provided by clinical and preclinical studies will be increasingly important. Given the complexity of interoceptive processing and the multitude of brain regions involved, an overarching network-based framework can provide context for how focused manipulations modulate interoceptive processing as a whole. In turn, preclinical studies can systematically determine the roles of individual nodes and their molecular underpinnings in a given network, potentially suggesting new therapeutic targets and directions. As interoceptive processing drives and influences motivation, emotion, and subsequent behavior, consideration of interoception is important for our understanding of processes that drive ongoing drinking and relapse.

Acute stress imposed during adolescence has minimal effects on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis sensitivity in adulthood in female Sprague Dawley rats.

Adolescence is a developmental epoch marked by maturation of stress-responsive systems including the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. Emerging evidence has found sex-specificity in the long term behavioral and neural effects of stressors experienced during this sensitive period, though most studies have utilized chronic stress exposures that span much of the adolescent period. Using Sprague-Dawley rats, we examined how a single exposure to inescapable footshock (80 shocks, 5 s, 1.0 mA, 90 s variable ITI) applied during early adolescence (PND 29-31) affected the corticosterone (CORT) response to a later restraint stress challenge in adulthood. We found that females, but not males, displayed a marginally enhanced CORT response when challenged with restraint in adulthood. To further probe intrinsic sensitivity of the HPA axis in adolescent stressed females, subsequent studies utilized exogenous CRH and ACTH challenges to probe sensitivity of the pituitary and adrenal glands respectively, demonstrating that neither gland appears to be sensitized to hormone challenge as a result of adolescent stress history in females. A final experiment examined negative feedback regulation of the HPA axis through systemic administration of dexamethasone, showing that corticosteroid receptor-mediated negative feedback mechanisms were also intact in females with a history of adolescent stress. Together, these findings report that intrinsic regulatory elements of the HPA axis are fully intact in females exposed to footshock in adolescence, and that adolescent exposure to footshock had appreciably modest long-lasting effects on HPA axis sensitivity. These findings are discussed within the general context of stress resilience and vulnerability.

Exposure to the predator odor TMT induces early and late differential gene expression related to stress and excitatory synaptic function throughout the brain in male rats.

Persistent changes in brain stress and glutamatergic function are associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Rodent exposure to the predator odor trimethylthiazoline (TMT) is an innate stressor that produces lasting behavioral consequences relevant to PTSD. As such, the goal of the present study was to assess early (6 hours and 2 days-Experiment 1) and late (4 weeks-Experiment 2) changes to gene expression (RT-PCR) related to stress and excitatory function following TMT exposure in male, Long-Evans rats. During TMT exposure, rats engaged in stress reactive behaviors, including digging and immobility. Further, the TMT group displayed enhanced exploration and mobility in the TMT-paired context 1 week after exposure, suggesting a lasting contextual reactivity. Gene expression analyses revealed upregulated FKBP5 6 hours post-TMT in the hypothalamus and dorsal hippocampus. Two days after TMT, GRM3 was downregulated in the prelimbic cortex and dorsal hippocampus, but upregulated in the nucleus accumbens. This may reflect an early stress response (FKBP5) that resulted in later glutamatergic adaptation (GRM3). Finally, another experiment 4 weeks after TMT exposure showed several differentially expressed genes known to mediate excitatory tripartite synaptic function in the prelimbic cortex (GRM5, DLG4 and SLC1A3 upregulated), infralimbic cortex (GRM2 downregulated, Homer1 upregulated), nucleus accumbens (GRM7 and SLC1A3 downregulated), dorsal hippocampus (FKBP5 and NR3C2 upregulated, SHANK3 downregulated) and ventral hippocampus (CNR1, GRM7, GRM5, SHANK3 and Homer1 downregulated). These data show that TMT exposure induces stress and excitatory molecular adaptations, which could help us understand the persistent glutamatergic dysfunction observed in PTSD.

Acute stress imposed during adolescence yields heightened anxiety in Sprague Dawley rats that persists into adulthood: Sex differences and potential involvement of the Medial Amygdala.

Stressors experienced during adolescence have been demonstrated to have a long-lasting influence on affective behavior in adulthood. Notably, most studies to date have found these outcomes after chronic stress during adolescence. In the present study we tested how exposure to a single episode of acute footshock during early adolescence would modify subsequent adult anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Adolescent rats were exposed to inescapable footshock (80 shocks, 5 s, 1.0 mA, 90 sec variable inter-trial interval (ITI)) at Post-natal day (PND) 29-30 and remained undisturbed until adulthood where they were evaluated with several behavioral assays for anxiety as well as depressive-like behavior via forced swim. In addition, gene expression changes were assessed immediately after a 30 min forced swim challenge in adulthood among several stress-related brain regions including the Central Amygdala (CeA), Medial Amygdala (MeA), ventral Hippocampus (vHPC), and Paraventricular Nucleus (PVN). Studies used real-time RT-PCR to examine the cytokines Interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6), corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), the immediate early genes c-Fos, c-Jun, Egr1 and Arc, and several genes relating to corticosteroid receptor function (glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptor (GR and MR, respectively), Gilz (glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper), Sgk1 (Serum and Glucocorticoid regulated Kinase 1)). Behaviorally, males displayed signs of increased anxiety, most notably in the light-dark box, whereas females did not. No notable depressive-like behavior was observed in forced swim as a result of adolescent stress history, but adolescent footshock exacerbated the c-Fos response in the MeA produced by swim in both sexes. Forced swim led to increased IL-1ß expression in the PVN regardless of adolescent stress history, whereas most HPA (hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal) axis-related genes were largely unaffected in the vHPC. To determine the potential for ß-adrenergic receptors to contribute to the male-specific anxiety-like behavior, two further studies applied a ß-adrenergic agonist (isoproterenol) or antagonist (propranolol) in male rats. These studies found that propranolol administered 2 h after footshock led to a reduction in some anxiety-like behaviors as compared to controls. Overall, these findings suggest that exposure to a single, intense stress challenge imposed during adolescence may have sex-specific consequences across the lifespan and may implicate the MeA in developmental plasticity.

The progesterone receptor and parental behavior in juvenile rats.

Juvenile rats exhibit enhanced parental behavior responses to foster pups from 18 to 25 days of age, compared to virgin adults. Previous studies in adult rats and mice suggest that progesterone can inhibit the display of parental care towards offspring. The present study investigated the role of progesterone in juvenile rat parental behavior. It is hypothesized that the decrease in parental responsiveness as juveniles age is due a progesterone-dependent inhibitory mechanism. Groups of male and female juveniles were subcutaneously implanted with the progesterone antagonist RU486, progesterone, or control implants. All juveniles were then tested for parental behaviors. No significant effects of either RU486 or progesterone treatments on parental behavior latencies were detected in male or female juveniles. The current data support the concept that the mechanisms controlling juvenile and adult parental behavior are divergent. Progesterone does not seem to be involved in the display of parental behavior in juvenile rats.

Neuroendocrine and neuroimmune adaptation to Chronic Escalating Distress (CED): A novel model of chronic stress.

Acute and chronic stress challenges have a profound influence on the development and expression of subsequent affective disorders, alcohol use disorders, and natural aging processes. These experiments examined adaptation in neuroimmune and neuroendocrine responses that occurred as a result of exposure to a novel model of chronic stress, termed chronic escalating distress (CED). This model involves exposure to highly predictable daily stress challenges involving a systematic escalation in both the intensity and length of daily stress challenges, and has recently been shown to profoundly alter alcohol sensitivity. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to an 11 day procedure where days 1-5 consisted of 60  min of restraint, days 6-10 consisted of 60  min of restraint immediately followed by 30  min of forced swim, and on day 11 subjects were exposed to a 2 h session of intermittent footshock. Experiment 1 examined adaptation in the corticosterone (CORT) response at key points in the 11 day procedure, and found that the escalation in stressors disrupted habituation to restraint, whereas the CORT response to daily forced swim exposure increased across days. Experiment 2 investigated the impact of this stress paradigm on the expression of several cytokine (IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α) and cellular activation marker (c-Fos, CD14, CD200R) genes in key brain regions (PVN, HPC, & PFC) known to be influenced by stress. Interestingly, a history of CED had no effect on footshock-induced neuroimmune changes (increased IL-1 in the PVN; increased IL-6 in the HPC and PFC). In addition, acute footshock and CED produced similar c-fos induction within the PVN whereas CED led to enhanced c-fos induction in both the HPC and PFC. These findings support recent work indicating that neuroimmune responses to acute stress challenges persisted in rats with a recent history of repeated stress exposure, and that these effects occurred contemporaneously with ongoing changes in HPA axis reactivity. Overall, this CED model may serve as a highly tractable model for studying adaptation to chronic stress, and may have implications for understanding stress-induced alterations in alcohol sensitivity and natural aging processes.

Late aging alters behavioral sensitivity to ethanol in a sex-specific manner in Fischer 344 rats.

Responsiveness to ethanol (EtOH) differs as a function of age. Adolescent rodents are less sensitive than adults to the sedative effects of EtOH, whereas they show enhanced sensitivity to EtOH-induced social facilitation. Late aging is associated with a natural decline in social behavior and aging-related peculiarities in sensitivity to EtOH have been largely unexplored. Whether there are sex differences in the behavioral response to EtOH during late aging remains unknown. Thus, behavioral responses to EtOH in male and female Fischer (F) 344 rats aged 4-5 months (adult) and 19-20 months (aging) were examined. First, the effects of saline and EtOH (0.5 and 0.75 g/kg) on social interaction were assessed. Social investigation and contact behavior were lower in aging animals and higher in females. Interestingly, in aged females, social contact behavior was increased following a 0.5 g/kg EtOH dose, whereas the same dose suppressed social contact in aged males. Behavioral sensitivity to the sedative effects of 3.0 and 3.5 g/kg EtOH was assessed with the loss of righting reflex (LORR) test. Although latency to LORR did not differ as a function of age or sex, aged rats showed significantly greater LORR duration and significantly lower blood ethanol concentrations (BECs) at regaining of the righting reflex relative to adults. In addition, females had a lower LORR duration, regardless of age; no sex differences were evident in BECs at awakening. In a second experiment, blood ethanol concentrations (BECs) over time were assessed following 0.75, 1.5, and 3.0 g/kg EtOH in 3-, 12-, and 18-month-old male and female F344 rats. Aged rats had higher peak BECs following 3.0 g/kg EtOH, whereas few age or sex differences were apparent at lower doses. Taken together, these data indicate that late aging is associated with altered sensitivity to the social facilitating effects and sedative effects of EtOH.

Assessment of social behavior directed toward sick partners and its relation to central cytokine expression in rats.

Acute illness not only reduces the expression of social behavior by sick rodents, but can also lead to avoidance responses when detected by healthy, would-be social partners. When healthy animals interact with a sick partner, an intriguing question arises: does exposure to a sick conspecific elicit an anticipatory immune response that would facilitate defense against future infection? To address this question, healthy adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (N=64) were given a brief social interaction (30min) with a partner that was either sick (250µg/kg injection with lipopolysaccharide [LPS] 3h prior to test) or healthy (sterile saline injection). During this exposure, social behavior directed toward the healthy or sick conspecific was measured. Additionally, the impact of housing condition was assessed, with rats group- or isolate-housed. Immediately after social interaction, brains were harvested for cytokine assessments within socially-relevant brain structures (olfactory bulb, amygdala, hippocampus and PVN). As expected, behavioral results demonstrated that (i) there was a robust suppression of social interaction directed against sick conspecifics; and (ii) isolate-housing generally increased social behavior. Furthermore, examination of central cytokine expression in healthy experimental subjects revealed a modest increase in TNF-α in rats that interacted with a sick social partner, but only in the olfactory bulb. Among the LPS-injected partners, expected increases in IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α expression were observed across all brain sites. Moreover, IL-1ß and IL-6 expression was exacerbated in LPS-injected partners that interacted with isolate-housed experimental subjects. Together, these data replicate and extend our prior work showing that healthy rats avoid sick conspecifics, and provide preliminary evidence for an anticipatory cytokine response when rats are exposed to a sick partner. These data also provide new evidence to suggest that recent housing history potently modulates cytokine responses evoked by LPS.

A multispecies approach for understanding neuroimmune mechanisms of stress.

The relationship between stress challenges and adverse health outcomes, particularly for the development of affective disorders, is now well established. The highly conserved neuroimmune mechanisms through which responses to stressors are transcribed into effects on males and females have recently garnered much attention from researchers and clinicians alike. The use of animal models, from mice to guinea pigs to primates, has greatly increased our understanding of these mechanisms on the molecular, cellular, and behavioral levels, and research in humans has identified particular brain regions and connections of interest, as well as associations between stress-induced inflammation and psychiatric disorders. This review brings together findings from multiple species in order to better understand how the mechanisms of the neuroimmune response to stress contribute to stress-related psychopathologies, such as major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.

Actualmente está bien establecida la relación entre los efectos del estrés y los resultados adversos sobre la salud, especialmente para el desarrollo de los trastornos afectivos. Los mecanismos neuroinmunes, muy bien conservados entre las especies, y a través de los cuales las respuestas a los estresores se traducen en efectos sobre hombres y mujeres, han generado recientemente gran atención tanto para los investigadores como para los clínicos. El empleo de modelos animales, desde ratones y cobayos, hasta primates, ha mejorado enormemente nuestra comprensión acerca de estos mecanismos a nivel molecular, celular y conductual. La investigación en humanos ha identificado regiones y conexiones cerebrales de interés, como también asociaciones entre la inflamación producida por el estrés y los trastornos psiquíatricos. Esta revisión reúne hallazgos en múltiples especies para una mejor comprensión de cómo contribuyen los mecanismos de la respuesta neuroinmune a las psicopatologías relacionadas con el estrés como el trastorno depresivo mayor, la esquizofrenia y el trastorno bipolar.

Les effets nocifs du stress sur la santé sont maintenant bien connus, en particulier en ce qui concerne le développement des troubles affectifs. Les mécanismes neuro-immunitaires très bien conservés parmi les espèces et par lesquels les réponses aux facteurs de stress se répercutent sur les hommes et les femmes ont récemment suscité une attention particulière des chercheurs et des cliniciens. L'utilisation de modelès animaux, de la souris au cobaye et jusqu'aux primates, a considérablement amélioré notre compréhension de ces mécanismes aux niveaux moléculaire, cellulaire et comportemental. La recherche chez l'homme a permis d'identifier des régions cérébrales particulières et des connexions intéressantes, ainsi que des associations entre l'inflammation induite par le stress et les troubles psychiatriques. Cet article fait la synthèse des données de nombreuses espèces afin de mieux comprendre comment les mécanismes de la réponse neuro-immunitaire au stress contribuent aux psychopathologies liées au stress, comme les troubles dépressifs caractérisés, la schizophrénie et les troubles bipolaires.

Accelerated maternal responding following intra-VTA pertussis toxin treatment.

Prior studies have supported a role for mesolimbic dopaminergic mechanisms in the regulation of maternal behavior. Accordingly, the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and its dopaminergic projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) have been implicated in both the onset and maintenance of normal maternal behavior. To date, studies of direct manipulation of VTA neurochemistry at the onset of maternal behavior have been limited. The current study was undertaken to directly test the hypothesis that enhancement of dopaminergic transmission in the mesolimbic dopamine system can stimulate maternal activity using a pup-induced virgin model. Nulliparous female rats were stereotaxically infused with pertussis toxin (PTX 0, 0.1, or 0.3 µg/hemisphere) into the VTA to chronically stimulate the activity of dopaminergic projection neurons. After 3 days of recovery, maternal responding to donor pups was tested daily, and latency (in days) to full maternal behavior was recorded. Intra-VTA PTX treatment produced a robust dose-dependent decrease in maternal behavior latency, and a long-lasting increase in locomotor activity. These effects were associated with significantly decreased dopamine D1 receptor mRNA expression in the NAc. No effects of PTX treatment on mesolimbic dopamine utilization or mPFC receptor expression were observed. The findings indicate that chronic neural activation in the VTA accelerates the onset of maternal behavior in virgin female rats via modification of the NAc dopamine D1 receptor.

Enhanced maternal aggression and associated changes in neuropeptide gene expression in multiparous rats.

Although it has often been speculated that prior reproductive experience improves subsequent maternal care, few studies have examined specific changes in behavior during a 1st versus 2nd lactation. During lactation, mothers display heightened aggression toward male intruders, purportedly to protect vulnerable young. In the current study, maternal aggression was examined in primiparous and age-matched multiparous females on postpartum days 5 (PPD5) and PPD15. Expression of oxytocin, oxytocin receptor, arginine vasopressin, arginine vasopressin V1a receptors, and corticotrophin-releasing hormone mRNA was measured following aggression testing at both time points using real-time quantitative PCR in brain regions previously implicated in the regulation of maternal aggression. Multiparity significantly enhanced maternal aggression on PPD5 but not on PPD15. In addition, this increased aggression was associated with region- and gene-specific changes in mRNA expression. These findings indicate that reproductive experience enhances maternal aggression, an effect that may be mediated by region-specific alterations in neuropeptidergic activity. The adaptations observed in multiparous females provide an innate model for the study of neuroplasticity in the regulation of aggression.