Environmental enrichment and intranasal oxytocin administration reverse maternal separation-induced impairments of prosocial choice behavior

2021 ◽  
pp. 173318
Author(s):  
Sara Joushi ◽  
Zahra Taherizadeh ◽  
Khadijeh Esmaeilpour ◽  
Vahid Sheibani
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Choice Behavior ◽  
Maternal Separation

scholarly journals Specific profile of ultrasonic communication in a mouse model of neurodevelopmental disorders

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marika Premoli ◽  
Sara Anna Bonini ◽  
Andrea Mastinu ◽  
Giuseppina Maccarinelli ◽  
Francesca Aria ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Model ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorders ◽  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Maternal Separation ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Social Investigation ◽  
Behavioural Phenotyping ◽  
Ultrasonic Communication ◽  
Specific Profile

Abstract Mice emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in different social conditions: pups maternal separation, juveniles play, adults mating and social investigation. The USVs measurement has become an important instrument for behavioural phenotyping in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Recently, we have demonstrated that the deletion of the NFκB1 gene, which encodes the p50 NF-κB subunit, causes NDDs phenotype in mice. In this study, we investigated the ultrasonic communication and the effects of an early social enrichment in mice lacking the NF-κB p50 subunit (p50 KO). In particular, USVs of wild-type (WT), p50 KO and KO exposed to early social enrichment (KO enriched) were recorded using an ultrasound sensitive microphone and analysed by Avisoft software. USVs analysis showed that p50 KO pups emit more and longer vocalizations compared to WT pups. On the contrary, in adulthood, p50 KO mice emit less USVs than WT mice. We also found significant qualitative differences in p50 KO mice USVs compared to WT mice; the changes specifically involved two USVs categories. Early social enrichment had no effect on USVs number, duration and type in p50 KO mice. Together, these data revealed social communication alterations in a mouse model of NDDs; these deficits were not recovered by early social enrichment, strengthening the fact that genetic background prevails on environmental enrichment.

scholarly journals Early Social Enrichment Improves Social Motivation and Skills in a Monogenic Mouse Model of Autism, theOprm1−/−Mouse

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana Garbugino ◽  
Eleonora Centofante ◽  
Francesca R. D’Amato
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Maternal Separation ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Social Motivation ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Abnormal Response ◽  
Environmental Stimulation ◽  
Social Environmental

Environmental enrichment has been proven to have positive effects on both behavioral and physiological phenotypes in rodent models of mental and neurodevelopmental disorders. In this study, we used mice lacking theµ-opioid receptor gene (Oprm1−/−), which has been shown to have deficits in social competence and communication, to assess the hypothesis that early enrichment can ameliorate sociability during development and adulthood. Due to the immaturity of sensory-motor capabilities of young pups, we chose as environmental stimulation a second lactating female, who provided extra maternal care and stimulation from birth. The results show that double mothering normalized the abnormal response to maternal separation inOprm1−/−pups and increased social motivation in juveniles and adult knockout mice. Additionally, we observed thatOprm1−/−mice act as less attractive social partners than wild types, which suggests that social motivation can be modulated by the stimulus employed. This experiment supports previous findings suggesting that early social environmental stimulation has profound and long-term beneficial effects, encouraging the use of nonpharmacological interventions for the treatment of social defects in neurodevelopmental diseases.

scholarly journals Early life and adult stress promote sex dependent changes in hypothalamic miRNAs and environmental enrichment prevents stress-induced miRNA and gene expression changes in rats

BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Allen McKibben ◽  
Yogesh Dwivedi
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Mirna Expression ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Maternal Separation ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Critical Role

Abstract Background The hypothalamus plays a key role in the stress response. While early life stress (ELS) increases susceptibility to psychiatric disorders including major depressive disorder (MDD), acute stress during adulthood can also precipitate MDD after ELS. Aim Here, we tested the expression of miRNAs following ELS and susceptibility to depression-like behavior and whether sex or acute stress exacerbates this response. We also tested whether environmental enrichment (Enr) promotes early life and adult behavioral stress resilience and its effect on hypothalamic miRNA and gene expression. Following rat maternal separation (MS) as an ELS model, Enr from weaning through adulthood, and restraint (RS) as acute adult stress, we tested both animal behavior and miRNA expression in the hypothalamus. Target genes and their enrichment and ontology were analyzed using bioinformatic tools. Target gene expression changes were tested using qPCR, and miRNA promoter methylation was studied using methylated-DNA immunoprecipitation qPCR. Results MS, Enr, RS, and sex altered hypothalamic miRNAs, including several previously reported in MS literature: miRs-29, − 124, − 132, − 144, − 504. Sex had a significant effect on the greatest number of miRNAs. Also, Enr reversed downregulation of miR-29b-1-5p and -301b-3p in MS. qPCR showed that MAPK6 and MMP19, targets of miR-301b-3p, were upregulated in MS and reversed by Enr. Additionally, miR-219a was hypermethylated in MS coinciding with decreased miR-219a expression. Conclusions This study found that sex plays a critical role in the hypothalamic miRNA response to both ELS and acute stress, with males expressing greater changes following postnatal stress. Moreover, enrichment significantly altered behavior as well as hypothalamic miRNA expression and their gene targets. Because of its role as the initiator of the autonomic stress response and connection to hedonic and motivational behavior, the hypothalamic miRNA landscape may significantly alter both the short and long-term behavioral response to stress.

scholarly journals Environmental Enrichment Reverses the Effects of Maternal Separation on Stress Reactivity

2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (18) ◽  
pp. 7840-7843 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darlene D. Francis ◽  
Josie Diorio ◽  
Paul M. Plotsky ◽  
Michael J. Meaney
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Maternal Separation ◽  
Stress Reactivity

scholarly journals Early-life short-term environmental enrichment counteracts the effects of stress on anxiety-like behavior, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nuclear translocation of glucocorticoid receptors in the basolateral amygdala

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akshaya Hegde ◽  
Shruti Suresh ◽  
Rupshi Mitra
Keyword(s):  
Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Glucocorticoid Receptors ◽  
Basolateral Amygdala ◽  
Maternal Separation ◽  
Nuclear Translocation ◽  
Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Spine Density

Abstract Early life is a decisive stage for the development of physiological and psychological characteristics of an individual. Any stress or disruption of healthy development at this stage has serious long-lasting consequences for the remaining life. Unfortunately, early life stress is a common occurrence in humans and other animals. In this context, we investigated if the provision of environmental enrichment during the pre-weaning phase of rat pups and dams could alter the consequences of early-life maternal-separation stress. Pre-weaning enrichment rescued the effects of maternal separation on the excess secretion of adrenal stress hormones and anxiety-like behavior during adulthood. Enrichment also reduced the effect of stress on the spine density of basolateral amygdala neurons, a brain region critical for stress-induced facilitation of emotional behaviors. Pre-weaning enrichment, provided during early-life, blunted the effects of maternal separation stress on decreased intra-nuclear translocation of glucocorticoid receptors within the amygdala neurons when tested later in adulthood. Early-life, pre-weaning environmental enrichment also increased the amount of brain-derived neurotrophic factor within adult basolateral amygdala. Our observations showed that environmental manipulation during early formative years could be utilized to build lifelong resilience to stress. Complex naturalistic housing and sensory enrichment is, thus, an useful buffer against an impoverished and stressful childhood.

Neurobiological effects of neonatal maternal separation and post-weaning environmental enrichment

2013 ◽  
Vol 240 ◽  
pp. 110-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Laura Vivinetto ◽  
Marta Magdalena Suárez ◽  
María Angélica Rivarola
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Maternal Separation ◽  
Neonatal Maternal Separation
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