Treatment with RNase alleviates brain injury but not neuroinflammation in neonatal hypoxia/ischemia.

There is a need for new treatments to reduce brain injuries derived from neonatal hypoxia/ischemia. The only viable option used in the clinic today in infants born at term is therapeutic hypothermia, which has a limited efficacy. Treatments with exogenous RNase have shown great promise in a range of different adult animal models including stroke, ischemia/reperfusion injury, or experimental heart transplantation, often by conferring vascular protective and anti-inflammatory effects. However, any neuroprotective function of RNase treatment in the neonate remains unknown. Using a well-established model of neonatal hypoxic/ischemic brain injury, we evaluated the influence of RNase treatment on RNase activity, gray and white matter tissue loss, blood-brain barrier function, as well as levels and expression of inflammatory cytokines in the brain up to 6 h after the injury using multiplex immunoassay and RT-PCR. Intraperitoneal treatment with RNase increased RNase activity in both plasma and cerebropinal fluids. The RNase treatment resulted in a reduction of brain tissue loss but did not affect the blood-brain barrier function and had only a minor modulatory effect on the inflammatory response. It is concluded that RNase treatment may be promising as a neuroprotective regimen, whereas the mechanistic effects of this treatment appear to be different in the neonate compared to the adult and need further investigation.

Estradiol is a critical regulator of food-reward behavior.

Food intake is reduced by estrogenic hormones, levels of which vary throughout life and fluctuate throughout the ovarian cycle in females. However, estrogens have also been shown to increase reward derived from drugs of abuse, where motivational properties of drugs and progression to addiction are potentiated by estrogens. Whether reward derived from food, and specifically motivational properties of food, are altered by estrogens remains unknown. Here we investigated the effect of the estrous cycle on food reward behavior and show estrous cycle dictated variability in food motivation, measured by progressive ratio operant conditioning, in female rats. Reward behavior was lowest on days associated with high estrogen signaling. We therefore also examined the actions of subcutaneously administered ß-estradiol on food reward and found that ß-estradiol reduced food reward behavior. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a crucial node of the neurocircuitry underlying motivated behavior and estrogen receptors are expressed in this nucleus. Thus, we examined whether the effects of estrogens on reward were exerted directly at the level of the VTA. Intra-VTA microinjection of ß-estradiol led to a significant reduction in food-motivated behavior. Interestingly, this effect was not accompanied by a reduction in chow intake or body weight, nor did it alter locomotor activity. Importantly, removal of the ovaries produced a potent and lasting elevation in food reward and food-seeking behavior, suggesting that ovarian sex steroids are critical for maintenance of normal food reward behavior. These data reveal a novel role for estrogens in the control of food reward behavior.​.

Ghrelin's control of food reward and body weight in the lateral hypothalamic area is sexually dimorphic.

Ghrelin is a stomach-produced hormone that stimulates ingestive behavior and increases motivated behavior to obtain palatable foods. Ghrelin receptors (growth hormone secretagogue receptors; Ghsr) are expressed in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA), and LHA-targeted ghrelin application increases ingestive behavior in male rodents. However, the effects of LHA ghrelin signaling in females are unexplored. Here we investigated whether LHA ghrelin signaling is necessary and sufficient for control of ingestive and motivated behavior for food in male and female rats. Ghrelin delivered to the LHA increased food intake and motivated behavior for sucrose in both male and female rats, whereas increased food-seeking behavior and body weight were only observed in females. Females had slightly higher Ghsr levels in the LHA compared to males, and importantly, acute blockade of the Ghsr in the LHA significantly reduced food intake, body weight, and motivated behavior for sucrose in female but not male rats. Chronic LHA Ghsr reduction in female rats achieved by RNA inference-mediated Ghsr knockdown, resulting in a 25% reduction in LHA Ghsr mRNA, abolished the reward-driven behavioral effects of LHA-targeted ghrelin, but was not sufficient to affect baseline food intake or food reward responding. Collectively we show that ghrelin acts in the LHA to alter ingestive and motivated behaviors in a sex-specific manner.

Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 and Its Analogs Act in the Dorsal Raphe and Modulate Central Serotonin to Reduce Appetite and Body Weight.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and serotonin play critical roles in energy balance regulation. Both systems are exploited clinically as antiobesity strategies. Surprisingly, whether they interact in order to regulate energy balance is poorly understood. Here we investigated mechanisms by which GLP-1 and serotonin interact at the level of the central nervous system. Serotonin depletion impaired the ability of exendin-4, a clinically used GLP-1 analog, to reduce body weight in rats, suggesting that serotonin is a critical mediator of the energy balance impact of GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) activation. Serotonin turnover and expression of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) 2A (5-HT2A) and 5-HT2C serotonin receptors in the hypothalamus were altered by GLP-1R activation. We demonstrate that the 5-HT2A, but surprisingly not the 5-HT2C, receptor is critical for weight loss, anorexia, and fat mass reduction induced by central GLP-1R activation. Importantly, central 5-HT2A receptors are also required for peripherally injected liraglutide to reduce feeding and weight. Dorsal raphe (DR) harbors cell bodies of serotonin-producing neurons that supply serotonin to the hypothalamic nuclei. We show that GLP-1R stimulation in DR is sufficient to induce hypophagia and increase the electrical activity of the DR serotonin neurons. Finally, our results disassociate brain metabolic and emotionality pathways impacted by GLP-1R activation. This study identifies serotonin as a new critical neural substrate for GLP-1 impact on energy homeostasis and expands the current map of brain areas impacted by GLP-1R activation.

Sex and estrogens alter the action of glucagon-like peptide-1 on reward.

BACKGROUND: Feeding behavior is regulated through an intricate array of anorexic and orexigenic hormones acting on the central nervous system (CNS). Some of these hormones may have differential effects in males and females, effects potentially attributed to actions of gonadal steroids, especially estrogens. Central stimulation of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors reduces feeding and food-reward behavior by acting on CNS regions important for the anorexic actions of estrogens. Thus, we propose that the action of GLP-1 on food intake and reward may differ between sexes. METHODS: Male and female rats were centrally injected with the GLP-1 analog exendin-4 (Ex4) in a non-deprived or food-restricted state; reward behavior was measured in a progressive ratio operant conditioning task. Intake of chow and palatable food were also measured. To determine if sex differences in the actions of Ex4 are due to interactions with estrogens, Ex4 treatment was preceded by treatment with a nonselective estrogen receptor-α (ERα) and ERß or ERα-selective antagonist. RESULTS: Central injection of Ex4 revealed increased reward behavior suppression in females, compared to males, in the operant conditioning task. This increase was present in both non-deprived and food-restricted animals with larger differences in the fed state. Intake of chow and palatable food, after Ex4, were similar in males and females. Food reward, but not food intake, effect of Ex4 was attenuated by pretreatment with ER antagonist in both sexes, suggesting that estrogens may modulate effects of Ex4 in both sexes. Furthermore, central pretreatment with ERα-selective antagonist was sufficient to attenuate effects of Ex4 on reward. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these data reveal that females display much higher sensitivity to the food reward impact of central GLP-1 receptor activation. Surprisingly, they also demonstrate that central ERα signaling is necessary for the actions of GLP-1 on food-reward behavior in both sexes.

GLP-1 is both anxiogenic and antidepressant; divergent effects of acute and chronic GLP-1 on emotionality.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), produced in the intestine and hindbrain, is known for its glucoregulatory and appetite suppressing effects. GLP-1 agonists are in clinical use for treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. GLP-1, however, may also affect brain areas associated with emotionality regulation. Here we aimed to characterize acute and chronic impact of GLP-1 on anxiety and depression-like behavior. Rats were subjected to anxiety and depression behavior tests following acute or chronic intracerebroventricular or intra-dorsal raphe (DR) application of GLP-1 receptor agonists. Serotonin or serotonin-related genes were also measured in the amygdala, DR and the hippocampus. We demonstrate that both GLP-1 and its long lasting analog, Exendin-4, induce anxiety-like behavior in three rodent tests of this behavior: black and white box, elevated plus maze and open field test when acutely administered intraperitoneally, into the lateral ventricle, or directly into the DR. Acute central GLP-1 receptor stimulation also altered serotonin signaling in the amygdala. In contrast, chronic central administration of Exendin-4 did not alter anxiety-like behavior but significantly reduced depression-like behavior in the forced swim test. Importantly, this positive effect of Exendin-4 was not due to significant body weight loss and reduced food intake, since rats pair-fed to Exendin-4 rats did not show altered mood. Collectively we show a striking impact of central GLP-1 on emotionality and the amygdala serotonin signaling that is divergent under acute versus chronic GLP-1 activation conditions. We also find a novel role for the DR GLP-1 receptors in regulation of behavior. These results may have direct relevance to the clinic, and indicate that Exendin-4 may be especially useful for obese patients manifesting with comorbid depression.

The Stomach-Derived Hormone Ghrelin Increases Impulsive Behavior.

Impulsivity, defined as impaired decision making, is associated with many psychiatric and behavioral disorders, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as well as eating disorders. Recent data indicate that there is a strong positive correlation between food reward behavior and impulsivity, but the mechanisms behind this relationship remain unknown. Here we hypothesize that ghrelin, an orexigenic hormone produced by the stomach and known to increase food reward behavior, also increases impulsivity. In order to assess the impact of ghrelin on impulsivity, rats were trained in three complementary tests of impulsive behavior and choice: differential reinforcement of low rate (DRL), go/no-go, and delay discounting. Ghrelin injection into the lateral ventricle increased impulsive behavior, as indicated by reduced efficiency of performance in the DRL test, and increased lever pressing during the no-go periods of the go/no-go test. Central ghrelin stimulation also increased impulsive choice, as evidenced by the reduced choice for large rewards when delivered with a delay in the delay discounting test. In order to determine whether signaling at the central ghrelin receptors is necessary for maintenance of normal levels of impulsive behavior, DRL performance was assessed following ghrelin receptor blockade with central infusion of a ghrelin receptor antagonist. Central ghrelin receptor blockade reduced impulsive behavior, as reflected by increased efficiency of performance in the DRL task. To further investigate the neurobiological substrate underlying the impulsivity effect of ghrelin, we microinjected ghrelin into the ventral tegmental area, an area harboring dopaminergic cell bodies. Ghrelin receptor stimulation within the VTA was sufficient to increase impulsive behavior. We further evaluated the impact of ghrelin on dopamine-related gene expression and dopamine turnover in brain areas key in impulsive behavior control. This study provides the first demonstration that the stomach-produced hormone ghrelin increases impulsivity and also indicates that ghrelin can change two major components of impulsivity-motor and choice impulsivity.

Activation of the GLP-1 receptors in the nucleus of the solitary tract reduces food reward behavior and targets the mesolimbic system.

The gut/brain peptide, glucagon like peptide 1 (GLP-1), suppresses food intake by acting on receptors located in key energy balance regulating CNS areas, the hypothalamus or the hindbrain. Moreover, GLP-1 can reduce reward derived from food and motivation to obtain food by acting on its mesolimbic receptors. Together these data suggest a neuroanatomical segregation between homeostatic and reward effects of GLP-1. Here we aim to challenge this view and hypothesize that GLP-1 can regulate food reward behavior by acting directly on the hindbrain, the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), GLP-1 receptors (GLP-1R). Using two models of food reward, sucrose progressive ratio operant conditioning and conditioned place preference for food in rats, we show that intra-NTS microinjections of GLP-1 or Exendin-4, a stable analogue of GLP-1, inhibit food reward behavior. When the rats were given a choice between palatable food and chow, intra-NTS Exendin-4 treatment preferentially reduced intake of palatable food but not chow. However, chow intake and body weight were reduced by the NTS GLP-1R activation if chow was offered alone. The NTS GLP-1 activation did not alter general locomotor activity and did not induce nausea, measured by PICA. We further show that GLP-1 fibers are in close apposition to the NTS noradrenergic neurons, which were previously shown to provide a monosynaptic connection between the NTS and the mesolimbic system. Central GLP-1R activation also increased NTS expression of dopamine-ß-hydroxylase, a key enzyme in noradrenaline synthesis, indicating a biological link between these two systems. Moreover, NTS GLP-1R activation altered the expression of dopamine-related genes in the ventral tegmental area. These data reveal a food reward-suppressing role of the NTS GLP-1R and indicate that the neurobiological targets underlying food reward control are not limited to the mesolimbic system, instead they are distributed throughout the CNS.

GLP-1 receptor stimulation of the lateral parabrachial nucleus reduces food intake: neuroanatomical, electrophysiological, and behavioral evidence.

The parabrachial nucleus (PBN) is a key nucleus for the regulation of feeding behavior. Inhibitory inputs from the hypothalamus to the PBN play a crucial role in the normal maintenance of feeding behavior, because their loss leads to starvation. Viscerosensory stimuli result in neuronal activation of the PBN. However, the origin and neurochemical identity of the excitatory neuronal input to the PBN remain largely unexplored. Here, we hypothesize that hindbrain glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) neurons provide excitatory inputs to the PBN, activation of which may lead to a reduction in feeding behavior. Our data, obtained from mice expressing the yellow fluorescent protein in GLP-1-producing neurons, revealed that hindbrain GLP-1-producing neurons project to the lateral PBN (lPBN). Stimulation of lPBN GLP-1 receptors (GLP-1Rs) reduced the intake of chow and palatable food and decreased body weight in rats. It also activated lPBN neurons, reflected by an increase in the number of c-Fos-positive cells in this region. Further support for an excitatory role of GLP-1 in the PBN is provided by electrophysiological studies showing a remarkable increase in firing of lPBN neurons after Exendin-4 application. We show that within the PBN, GLP-1R activation increased gene expression of 2 energy balance regulating peptides, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and IL-6. Moreover, nearly 70% of the lPBN GLP-1 fibers innervated lPBN CGRP neurons. Direct intra-lPBN CGRP application resulted in anorexia. Collectively, our molecular, anatomical, electrophysiological, pharmacological, and behavioral data provide evidence for a functional role of the GLP-1R for feeding control in the PBN.

Dopamine signaling in the amygdala, increased by food ingestion and GLP-1, regulates feeding behavior.

Mesolimbic dopamine plays a critical role in food-related reward processing and learning. The literature focuses primarily on the nucleus accumbens as the key dopaminergic target in which enhanced dopamine signaling is associated with reward. Here, we demonstrate a novel neurobiological mechanism by which dopamine transmission in the amygdala regulates food intake and reward. We show that food intake was associated with increased dopamine turnover in the amygdala. Next, we assess the impact of direct intra-amygdala D1 and D2 receptor activation on food intake and sucrose-driven progressive ratio operant conditioning in rats. Amygdala D2 receptor activation reduced food intake and operant behavior for sucrose, whereas D2 receptor blockade increased food intake but surprisingly reduced operant behavior. In contrast, D1 receptor stimulation or blockade did not alter feeding or operant conditioning for food. The glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) system, a target for type 2 diabetes treatment, in addition to regulating glucose homeostasis, also reduces food intake. We found that central GLP-1R receptor activation is associated with elevated dopamine turnover in the amygdala, and that part of the anorexic effect of GLP-1 is mediated by D2 receptor signaling in the amygdala. Our findings indicate that amygdala dopamine signaling is activated by both food intake and the anorexic brain-gut peptide GLP-1 and that amygdala D2 receptor activation is necessary and sufficient to change feeding behavior. Collectively these studies indicate a novel mechanism by which the dopamine system affects feeding-oriented behavior at the level of the amygdala.