scholarly journals Altered Expression of Phox2 Transcription Factors in the Locus Coeruleus in Major Depressive Disorder Mimicked by Chronic Stress and Corticosterone Treatment In Vivo and In Vitro

Neuroscience ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 393 ◽  
pp. 123-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Fan ◽  
Ping Chen ◽  
Muhammad U. Raza ◽  
Attila Szebeni ◽  
Katalin Szebeni ◽  
...  
Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1728
Author(s):  
Dinyadarshini Johnson ◽  
Sivakumar Thurairajasingam ◽  
Vengadesh Letchumanan ◽  
Kok-Gan Chan ◽  
Learn-Han Lee

The field of probiotic has been exponentially expanding over the recent decades with a more therapeutic-centered research. Probiotics mediated microbiota modulation within the microbiota–gut–brain axis (MGBA) have been proven to be beneficial in various health domains through pre-clinical and clinical studies. In the context of mental health, although probiotic research is still in its infancy stage, the promising role and potential of probiotics in various mental disorders demonstrated via in-vivo and in-vitro studies have laid a strong foundation for translating preclinical models to humans. The exploration of the therapeutic role and potential of probiotics in major depressive disorder (MDD) is an extremely noteworthy field of research. The possible etio-pathological mechanisms of depression involving inflammation, neurotransmitters, the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and epigenetic mechanisms potentially benefit from probiotic intervention. Probiotics, both as an adjunct to antidepressants or a stand-alone intervention, have a beneficial role and potential in mitigating anti-depressive effects, and confers some advantages compared to conventional treatments of depression using anti-depressants.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 247054701772045 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mounira Banasr ◽  
Ashley Lepack ◽  
Corey Fee ◽  
Vanja Duric ◽  
Jaime Maldonado-Aviles ◽  
...  

Background Evidence continues to build suggesting that the GABAergic neurotransmitter system is altered in brains of patients with major depressive disorder. However, there is little information available related to the extent of these changes or the potential mechanisms associated with these alterations. As stress is a well-established precipitant to depressive episodes, we sought to explore the impact of chronic stress on GABAergic interneurons. Methods Using western blot analyses and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, we assessed the effects of five-weeks of chronic unpredictable stress exposure on the expression of GABA-synthesizing enzymes (GAD65 and GAD67), calcium-binding proteins (calbindin, parvalbumin, and calretinin), and neuropeptides co-expressed in GABAergic neurons (somatostatin, neuropeptide Y, vasoactive intestinal peptide, and cholecystokinin) in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of rats. We also investigated the effects of corticosterone and dexamethasone exposure on these markers in vitro in primary cortical and hippocampal cultures. Results We found that chronic unpredictable stress induced significant reductions of GAD67 protein levels in both the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of chronic unpredictable stress-exposed rats but did not detect changes in GAD65 protein expression. Similar protein expression changes were found in vitro in cortical neurons. In addition, our results provide clear evidence of reduced markers of interneuron population(s), namely somatostatin and neuropeptide Y, in the prefrontal cortex, suggesting these cell types may be selectively vulnerable to chronic stress. Conclusion Together, this work highlights that chronic stress induces regional and cell type-selective effects on GABAergic interneurons in rats. These findings provide additional supporting evidence that stress-induced GABA neuron dysfunction and cell vulnerability play critical roles in the pathophysiology of stress-related illnesses, including major depressive disorder.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly J. Heard ◽  
Maxim N. Shokhirev ◽  
Caroline Becronis ◽  
Callie Fredlender ◽  
Nadia Zahid ◽  
...  

AbstractMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent psychiatric disorder, and exposure to stress is a robust risk factor for MDD. Clinical data and rodent models have indicated the negative impact of chronic exposure to stress-induced hormones like cortisol on brain volume, memory, and cell metabolism. However, the cellular and transcriptomic changes that occur in the brain after prolonged exposure to cortisol are less understood. Furthermore, the astrocyte-specific contribution to cortisol-induced neuropathology remains understudied. Here, we have developed an in vitro model of “chronic stress” using human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived astrocytes treated with cortisol for 7 days. Whole transcriptome sequencing reveals differentially expressed genes (DEGs) uniquely regulated in chronic cortisol compared to acute cortisol treatment. Utilizing this paradigm, we examined the stress response transcriptome of astrocytes generated from MDD patient iPSCs. The MDD-specific DEGs are related to GPCR ligand binding, synaptic signaling, and ion homeostasis. Together, these data highlight the unique role astrocytes play in the central nervous system and present interesting genes for future study into the relationship between chronic stress and MDD.


2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (12) ◽  
pp. 1151-1166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail S McGovern ◽  
Adam S Hamlin ◽  
Gal Winter

Objective: Serotonin reuptake inhibitors are the predominant treatment for major depressive disorder. In recent years, the diversity of the gut microbiota has emerged to play a significant role in the occurrence of major depressive disorder and other mood and anxiety disorders. Importantly, the role of the gut microbiota in the treatment of such disorders remains to be elucidated. Here, we provide a review of the literature regarding the effects of physiologically relevant concentrations of serotonin reuptake inhibitors on the gut microbiota and the implications this might have on their efficacy in the treatment of mood disorders. Methods: First, an estimation of gut serotonin reuptake inhibitor concentrations was computed based on pharmacokinetic and gastrointestinal transit properties of serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Literature regarding the in vivo and in vitro antimicrobial properties of serotonin reuptake inhibitors was gathered, and the estimated gut concentrations were examined in the context of these data. Computer-based investigation revealed putative mechanisms for the antimicrobial effects of serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Results: In vivo evidence using animal models shows an antimicrobial effect of serotonin reuptake inhibitors on the gut microbiota. Examination of the estimated physiological concentrations of serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the gastrointestinal tract collected from in vitro studies suggests that the microbial community of both the small intestine and the colon are exposed to serotonin reuptake inhibitors for at least 4 hours per day at concentrations that are likely to exert an antimicrobial effect. The potential mechanisms of the effect of serotonin reuptake inhibitors on the gut microbiota were postulated to include inhibition of efflux pumps and/or amino acid transporters. Conclusion: This review raises important issues regarding the role that gut microbiota play in the treatment of mood-related behaviours, which holds substantial potential clinical outcomes for patients suffering from major depressive disorder and other mood-related disorders.


2020 ◽  
Vol 87 (9) ◽  
pp. S222
Author(s):  
Joseph Scarpa ◽  
Mena Fatma ◽  
Yong-Hwee E. Loh ◽  
Said Romaric Traore ◽  
Théo Stefan ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (40) ◽  
pp. 25138-25149
Author(s):  
Kevin M. Anderson ◽  
Meghan A. Collins ◽  
Ru Kong ◽  
Kacey Fang ◽  
Jingwei Li ◽  
...  

Major depressive disorder emerges from the complex interactions of biological systems that span genes and molecules through cells, networks, and behavior. Establishing how neurobiological processes coalesce to contribute to depression requires a multiscale approach, encompassing measures of brain structure and function as well as genetic and cell-specific transcriptional data. Here, we examine anatomical (cortical thickness) and functional (functional variability, global brain connectivity) correlates of depression and negative affect across three population-imaging datasets: UK Biobank, Brain Genomics Superstruct Project, and Enhancing NeuroImaging through Meta Analysis (ENIGMA; combined n ≥ 23,723). Integrative analyses incorporate measures of cortical gene expression, postmortem patient transcriptional data, depression genome-wide association study (GWAS), and single-cell gene transcription. Neuroimaging correlates of depression and negative affect were consistent across three independent datasets. Linking ex vivo gene down-regulation with in vivo neuroimaging, we find that transcriptional correlates of depression imaging phenotypes track gene down-regulation in postmortem cortical samples of patients with depression. Integrated analysis of single-cell and Allen Human Brain Atlas expression data reveal somatostatin interneurons and astrocytes to be consistent cell associates of depression, through both in vivo imaging and ex vivo cortical gene dysregulation. Providing converging evidence for these observations, GWAS-derived polygenic risk for depression was enriched for genes expressed in interneurons, but not glia. Underscoring the translational potential of multiscale approaches, the transcriptional correlates of depression-linked brain function and structure were enriched for disorder-relevant molecular pathways. These findings bridge levels to connect specific genes, cell classes, and biological pathways to in vivo imaging correlates of depression.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingting An ◽  
Zhenhua Song ◽  
Jin-Hui Wang

Abstract Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a disease that seriously endangers human health and mental state. Chronic stress and lack of reward may reduce the function of the brain's reward circuits, leading to major depressive disorder. The effect of reward treatment on chronic stress-induced depression-like behaviors and its molecular mechanism in the brain remain unclear.Methods Mice were divided into the groups of control, chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), and CUMS-companion. Mice of CUMS group was performed by CUMS for 4 weeks, and CUMS-companion group was treated by CUMS accompanied with companion. The tests of sucrose preference, Y-maze, and forced swimming were conducted to assess depression-like behaviors or resilience. High-throughput sequencing was used to analyze mRNA and miRNA profiles in the medial prefrontal cortex harvested from control, CUMS-MDD (mice with depression-like behaviors in CUMS group), Reward-MDD (mice with depression-like behaviors in CUMS-companion group), CUMS-resilience (resilient mice in CUMS group), Reward-resilience (resilient mice in CUMS-companion group) mice.Results The results provided evidence that accompanying with companion ameliorated CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors in mice. 45 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are associated with depression-like behaviors, 8 DEGs are associated with resilience and 59 DEGs are associated with nature reward (companion) were identified. Furthermore, 196 differentially expressed miRNAs were found to be associated with companion. Based on the differentially expressed miRNAs and DEGs data, miRNA-mRNA network was established to be associated with companion.Conclusion Taken together, our data here provided a method to ameliorate depression-like behaviors, and numerous potential drug targets for the prevention or treatment of depression.


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