scholarly journals What it takes to be at the top: The interrelationship between chronic social stress and social dominance

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merima Šabanović ◽  
He Liu ◽  
Vongai Mlambo ◽  
Hala Aqel ◽  
Dipesh Chaudhury
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Social Preference ◽  
Social Rank ◽  
Social Defeat ◽  
Social Defeat Stress ◽  
Chronic Social Stress ◽  
Hierarchy Formation ◽  
Chronic Social Defeat Stress ◽  
Stress Susceptibility

AbstractDominance hierarchies of social animal groups are influenced by complex factors such as stress. Stress experienced by an animal prior to social interactions with a conspecific may be a determinant of their future social dynamics. Additionally, long-term occupancy of a specific hierarchical rank can have psychophysiological effects, leading to vulnerability to future stress.The current study aimed to delineate differential effects of stress acting before or after hierarchy formation. Using the chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) paradigm we performed behavioural investigations to determine whether exposure to CSDS before hierarchy formation predicted the new dominance status. Moreover, in another study we investigated whether social rank predicted stress vulnerability.We found that CSDS did not impede the establishment of dominance in new hierarchies as both stress-susceptible (socially avoidant) and –resilient (social) mice were able to attain dominant ranks. In contrast, within newly established hierarchies of stress-naïve mice, the subordinate, but not dominant, mice exhibit significantly greater avoidance of novel social targets. However, following exposure to CSDS, both lowest- and highest-ranked mice exhibit strong susceptibility to stress as measured by decreased interactions with a novel social target.These results suggest that the response to chronic social stress did not determine social rank in new cohorts, but low-status mice in newly established groups exhibited lower sociability to novel social targets. Interestingly, exposure of a hierarchical social group to chronic social stress led to stress-susceptibility in both high- and low-status mice as measured by social interaction.HighlightsStress susceptibility to chronic social defeat did not impede the establishment of dominance in new hierarchies.Subordinate mice exhibit reduced social preference after hierarchy formation.Following chronic social defeat stress, both subordinate and dominant mice exhibit susceptible-like reduction in social interaction, but dominant mice exhibit the greater decrease in social preference as compared to baseline.

scholarly journals Dysfunction in Ribosomal Gene Expression in the Hypothalamus and Hippocampus following Chronic Social Defeat Stress in Male Mice as Revealed by RNA-Seq

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dmitry A. Smagin ◽  
Irina L. Kovalenko ◽  
Anna G. Galyamina ◽  
Anatoly O. Bragin ◽  
Yuriy L. Orlov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Ribosome Biogenesis ◽  
Social Defeat ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Ribosomal Gene ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Male Mice ◽  
Social Defeat Stress ◽  
Chronic Social Defeat Stress

Chronic social defeat stress leads to the development of anxiety- and depression-like states in male mice and is accompanied by numerous molecular changes in brain. The influence of 21-day period of social stress on ribosomal gene expression in five brain regions was studied using the RNA-Seq database. MostRps, Rpl, Mprs, andMprlgenes were upregulated in the hypothalamus and downregulated in the hippocampus, which may indicate ribosomal dysfunction following chronic social defeat stress. There were no differentially expressed ribosomal genes in the ventral tegmental area, midbrain raphe nuclei, or striatum. This approach may be used to identify a pharmacological treatment of ribosome biogenesis abnormalities in the brain of patients with “ribosomopathies.”

scholarly journals Splenic NKG2D confers resilience versus susceptibility in mice after chronic social defeat stress: beneficial effects of (R)-ketamine

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Zhang ◽  
Akemi Sakamoto ◽  
Lijia Chang ◽  
Youge Qu ◽  
Siming Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Social Defeat ◽  
Social Defeat Stress ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Nkg2d Expression ◽  
Chronic Social Defeat Stress ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Stress Susceptibility

AbstractThe spleen is a large immune organ that plays a key role in the immune system. The precise molecular mechanisms underlying the relationship between the spleen and stress-related psychiatric disorders are unknown. Here we investigated the role of spleen in stress-related psychiatric disorders. FACS analysis was applied to determine the contribution of the spleen to susceptibility and resilience in mice that were subjected to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS). We found a notable increase in splenic volume and weight in CSDS-susceptible mice compared to control (no CSDS) mice and CSDS-resilient mice. The number of granulocytes, but not of T cells and B cells, in the spleen of susceptible mice was higher than in the spleen of both control and resilient mice. Interestingly, NKG2D (natural killer group 2, member D) expression in the spleen of CSDS-susceptible mice was higher than that in control mice and CSDS-resilient mice. In addition, NKG2D expression in the spleen of patients with depression was higher than that in controls. Both increased splenic weight and increased splenic NKG2D expression in CSDS-susceptible mice were ameliorated after a subsequent administration of (R)-ketamine. The present findings indicate a novel role of splenic NKG2D in stress susceptibility versus resilience in mice subjected to CSDS. Furthermore, abnormalities in splenic functions in CSDS-susceptible mice were ameliorated after subsequent injection of (R)-ketamine. Thus, the brain–spleen axis might, at least in part, contribute to the pathogenesis of stress-related psychiatric disorders such as depression.

scholarly journals History of winning and hierarchy landscape influence stress susceptibility in mice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine B LeClair ◽  
Kenny L Chan ◽  
Manuella P Kaster ◽  
Lyonna F Parise ◽  
Charles Joseph Burnett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Stress ◽  
Social Rank ◽  
High Mobility ◽  
Social Hierarchy ◽  
Social Stressors ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Mice ◽  
Hierarchy Formation ◽  
History Of ◽  
Stress Susceptibility

Social hierarchy formation is strongly evolutionarily conserved. Across species, rank within social hierarchy has large effects on health and behavior. To investigate the relationship between social rank and stress susceptibility, we exposed ranked male and female mice to social and non-social stressors and manipulated social hierarchy position. We found that rank predicts same sex social stress outcomes: dominance in males and females confers resilience while subordination confers susceptibility. Pre-existing rank does not predict non-social stress outcomes in females and weakly does so in males, but rank emerging under stress conditions reveals social interaction deficits in male and female subordinates. Both history of winning and rank of cage mates affect stress susceptibility in males: rising to the top rank through high mobility confers resilience and mice that lose dominance lose stress resilience, though gaining dominance over a subordinate animal does not confer resilience. Overall, we have demonstrated a relationship between social status and stress susceptibility, particularly when taking into account individual history of winning and the overall hierarchy landscape in male and female mice.

scholarly journals History of winning and hierarchy landscape influence stress susceptibility in mice

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine B LeClair ◽  
Kenny L Chan ◽  
Manuella P Kaster ◽  
Lyonna F Parise ◽  
Charles Joseph Burnett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Stress ◽  
Social Rank ◽  
High Mobility ◽  
Social Hierarchy ◽  
Social Stressors ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Mice ◽  
Hierarchy Formation ◽  
History Of ◽  
Stress Susceptibility

Social hierarchy formation is strongly evolutionarily conserved. Across species, rank within social hierarchy has large effects on health and behavior. To investigate the relationship between social rank and stress susceptibility, we exposed ranked male and female mice to social and non-social stressors and manipulated social hierarchy position. We found that rank predicts same sex social stress outcomes: dominance in males and females confers resilience while subordination confers susceptibility. Pre-existing rank does not predict non-social stress outcomes in females and weakly does so in males, but rank emerging under stress conditions reveals social interaction deficits in male and female subordinates. Both history of winning and rank of cage mates affect stress susceptibility in males: rising to the top rank through high mobility confers resilience and mice that lose dominance lose stress resilience, though gaining dominance over a subordinate animal does not confer resilience. Overall, we have demonstrated a relationship between social status and stress susceptibility, particularly when taking into account individual history of winning and the overall hierarchy landscape in male and female mice.

scholarly journals Chronic Social Stress Impairs Prefrontal Cortical Myelination in Juvenile Mice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Sun ◽  
Qiu-Hui-Hong Yu ◽  
Fei Luo ◽  
Bao-Ming Li
Keyword(s):  
Social Stress ◽  
Basic Protein ◽  
Social Defeat ◽  
Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells ◽  
Potential Mechanism ◽  
Social Defeat Stress ◽  
Prefrontal Cortical ◽  
Chronic Social Defeat Stress ◽  
Oligodendrocyte Precursor ◽  
Medial Pfc

Abstract The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a key brain region mediating many cognitive functions, and its structures and functions are particularly vulnerable to stress. Chronic social defeat stress (CSD) has been proposed as a model of anxiety/depressive-like behaviors. In the present study, we examined whether CSD affects the myelination in the medial PFC (mPFC) in mice. Our results show that CSD dramatically reduced the myelin basic protein (MBP) staining in the mPFC, with no effect on the MBP-labeling in the motor cortex, striatum, hippocampus and corpus callosum. Consistently, the CSD mice demonstrated a significant increase in oligodendrocyte precursor cells (PDGFRα+ cells) and a significant decrease in mature oligodendrocytes (CC1+/Olig2+ cells) in the mPFC. The present study demonstrates that CSD impairs the differentiation of oligodendrocytes and myelination in the mPFC, suggesting a potential mechanism for stress-induced change in PFC-dependent behaviors.

scholarly journals Region-specific myelin differences define behavioral consequences of chronic social defeat stress in mice

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Bonnefil ◽  
Karen Dietz ◽  
Mario Amatruda ◽  
Maureen Wentling ◽  
Antonio V Aubry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Preference ◽  
Social Defeat ◽  
Editorial Note ◽  
Social Avoidance ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Social Defeat Stress ◽  
Internodal Length ◽  
Critical Determinant ◽  
Chronic Social Defeat Stress ◽  
Myelin Thickness

Exposure to stress increases the risk of developing mood disorders. While a subset of individuals displays vulnerability to stress, others remain resilient, but the molecular basis for these behavioral differences is not well understood. Using a model of chronic social defeat stress, we identified region-specific differences in myelination between mice that displayed social avoidance behavior (‘susceptible’) and those who escaped the deleterious effect to stress (‘resilient’). Myelin protein content in the nucleus accumbens was reduced in all mice exposed to stress, whereas decreased myelin thickness and internodal length were detected only in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of susceptible mice, with fewer mature oligodendrocytes and decreased heterochromatic histone marks. Focal demyelination in the mPFC was sufficient to decrease social preference, which was restored following new myelin formation. Together these data highlight the functional role of mPFC myelination as critical determinant of the avoidance response to traumatic social experiences.Editorial note: This article has been through an editorial process in which the authors decide how to respond to the issues raised during peer review. The Reviewing Editor's assessment is that all the issues have been addressed (<xref ref-type="decision-letter" rid="SA1">see decision letter</xref>).

Chronic social defeat stress: Impacts on ethanol-induced stimulation, corticosterone response, and brain monoamine levels

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 412-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristiane A Favoretto ◽  
Yasmin C Nunes ◽  
Giovana C Macedo ◽  
Janaína Silva Rocha Lopes ◽  
Isabel M Hartmann Quadros
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Chronic Exposure ◽  
Social Defeat ◽  
Plasma Corticosterone ◽  
Social Defeat Stress ◽  
Brain Monoamines ◽  
Corticosterone Secretion ◽  
Chronic Social Defeat Stress ◽  
Brain Monoamine

Background: Chronic exposure to stress may dysregulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and brain monoamine levels, contributing to the development of ethanol dependence. Exposure to chronic social defeat stress may impact ethanol-related effects, neural, and endocrine functions. Aim: This study assessed ethanol-induced locomotor activity, corticosterone responses, and brain monoamine levels in Swiss albino mice 10 days post-exposure to chronic social defeat stress. Methods: During a period of 10 days, male Swiss mice were exposed to daily defeat episodes, followed by housing with an aggressive mouse for 24 h. Control mice were housed in pairs and rotated every 24 h. Ten days post-stress, locomotor behavior was recorded after a challenge with ethanol (2.2 g/kg; intraperitoneal) or saline. After the test, blood and brain samples were collected for determination of plasma corticosterone and brain monoamines across different brain areas through high-performance liquid chromatography. Results: Defeated mice failed to show a stimulant locomotor response to ethanol, while controls displayed the expected ethanol-induced stimulation. Ethanol increased plasma corticosterone levels, with lower corticosterone secretion in defeated mice. Brain monoamines were affected by social defeat and ethanol, varying in different brain regions. Social stress reduced levels of dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin in the hypothalamus. Defeated mice presented reduced serotonin and dopamine levels in the frontal cortex. In the striatum, ethanol treatment increased dopamine levels in controls, but failed to do so in defeated mice. Conclusions: Our results suggest that chronic exposure to social defeat blunted ethanol-induced locomotor stimulation, and reduced ethanol-induced corticosterone secretion. Social stress promoted differential reductions in brain monoamine levels in the hypothalamus and frontal cortex and blunted ethanol-induced dopamine increases in the striatum.

scholarly journals Effects of Chronic Social Defeat Stress on Behavior and Dopamine Receptors in Adolescent Mice With 6-Hydroxydopamine Lesions of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tong Zhao ◽  
XiaoLei Gao ◽  
Guang-Biao Huang
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Dopamine Receptors ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Social Defeat ◽  
Stress Factors ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Social Defeat Stress ◽  
Chronic Social Defeat Stress ◽  
6 Hydroxydopamine

Background: Social stress factors in schizophrenia have long-term effects, but will only induce symptoms in a portion of individuals, even if exposed to identical stress.Methods: In the current experiment, we examined mice with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced medial prefrontal cortical (mPFC) injury to select for members of a “stress-susceptible group,” and observed the changes in their behavior and the expression of D1 and D2 dopamine receptors in the amygdala and hippocampus.Results: We observed that after chronic social defeat stress, 72.6% of the 6-OHDA lesioned mice exhibited stress response to aggressors, compared to 52.3% of the blank control group. Both the 6-OHDA lesion + social defeat and social defeat groups exhibited anxiety and depression-like behavior. However, social cognitive impairment in the mice from the 6-OHDA lesion + social defeat group was more significant and the D1 expression levels in the amygdala were significantly decreased.Conclusion: These results suggest that the reason that adolescent mice with cortical injury were highly sensitive to defeat stress and had more prominent social cognitive impairment may be the decreased selectivity of D1 in the amygdala.

scholarly journals Ingestion of probiotic (Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum) alters intestinal microbial structure and behavioral expression following social defeat stress

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine A. Partrick ◽  
Anna M. Rosenhauer ◽  
Jérémie Auger ◽  
Amanda R. Arnold ◽  
Nicole M. Ronczkowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Stress ◽  
Bifidobacterium Longum ◽  
Social Defeat ◽  
Lactobacillus Helveticus ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Social Avoidance ◽  
Social Defeat Stress ◽  
Microbial Structure ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Anti Inflammatory

AbstractSocial stress exacerbates anxious and depressive behaviors in humans. Similarly, anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors are triggered by social stress in a variety of non-human animals. Here, we tested whether oral administration of the putative anxiolytic probiotic strains Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175 reduces the striking increase in anxiety-like behavior and changes in gut microbiota observed following social defeat stress in Syrian hamsters. We administered the probiotic at two different doses for 21 days, and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed a shift in microbial structure following probiotic administration at both doses, independently of stress. Probiotic administration at either dose increased anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10 compared to placebo. Surprisingly, probiotic administration at the low dose, equivalent to the one used in humans, significantly increased social avoidance and decreased social interaction. This behavioral change was associated with a reduction in microbial richness in this group. Together, these results demonstrate that probiotic administration alters gut microbial composition and may promote an anti-inflammatory profile but that these changes may not promote reductions in behavioral responses to social stress.

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