Neuroscience
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Anxiety-related defensive behavior is controlled by a distributed network of brain regions and interconnected neural circuits. The dorsal raphe nucleus (DR), which contains the majority of forebrain-projecting serotonergic neurons, is a key brain region involved in fear states and anxiety-related behavior via modulation of this broad neural network. Evidence suggests that relaxin-3 neurons in the nucleus incertus (NI) may also interact with this network, however, the potential role of the NI in the control of anxiety-related defensive behavior requires further investigation. ⋯ Administration of caffeine and exposure to the EPM activated a broad network of brain regions involved in control of anxiety-like behaviors, including serotonergic neurons in the DR, as measured using c-Fos immunohistochemistry. However, only exposure to the EPM activated relaxin-3-containing neurons in the NI, and activation of these neurons was not correlated with changes in anxiety-like behavior. These data suggest activation of the NI relaxin-3 system is associated with expression of behavior in tests of anxiety, but may not be directly involved in the approach-avoidance conflict inherent in anxiety-related defensive behavior in rodents.
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The Age-dependent Elevation of miR-335-3p Leads to Reduced Cholesterol and Impaired Memory in Brain.
MiR-335-3p, a neuron-enriched microRNA, has been reported to be involved in aging and age-related neurological diseases. However, the role of miR-335-3p in cholesterol metabolism of astrocytes, and whether it affects neuronal functions, particularly during aging process, largely remains unknown. In this study, we uncover that miR-335-3p is significantly increased in aged cultured astrocytes and aged hippocampal brains, accompanied by decreased cellular cholesterol and diminished expression of HMGCR (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase) and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase-1 (HMGCS1), both step-limiting enzymes in cholesterol synthesis pathway. ⋯ More importantly, aged mice with miR-335-3p deficiency in hippocampal brains exhibit improved learning and memory, accompanied by enhanced levels of postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95). We further reveal that the level change of PSD95 is resulted from altered cholesterol metabolism. Our findings provide a novel insight into the regulatory role of miR-335-3p in cholesterol metabolism in astrocytes, and consequently cognitive functions during aging.
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Nerve damage leads to the development of disabling neuropathic pain in susceptible individuals, where patients present with pain as well as co-morbid behavioral changes, such as anhedonia, decreased motivation and depression. In this study we evaluated whether radial maze behavioral disruptions and glia-cytokine-neuronal adaptations in the hippocampus occurred in individual rats after nerve injury. Exploration behavior and spatial memory were quantified using a radial maze task, while mechanical allodynia was assessed using von Frey testing. ⋯ The withdrawal from pellet-seeking was found to be concomitant with distinct glial-cytokine-neuronal adaptations within the contralateral ventral hippocampus, including; increased expression of IL-1β and MCP-1; astrocyte atrophy and decreased area in the dentate gyrus; reactive microglia and increased FosB/ΔFosB expression in the cornu ammonis subfield. Therefore, glial-cytokine-neuronal adaptations in the ventral hippocampus may mediate individual differences in radial maze behavior following CCI. Our data suggest that individual neuroimmune signatures play a significant role in divergent behavioral trajectories following nerve injury, toward functional recovery and coping, or the emergence of ongoing affective state disturbances.
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Adult neurogenesis has potential to ameliorate a number of disorders that negatively impact the hippocampus, including age-related cognitive decline, depression, and schizophrenia. A number of treatments enhance adult neurogenesis including exercise, NMDA receptor antagonism, antidepressant drugs and environmental enrichment. Despite the chronic nature of many disorders, most animal studies have only examined the efficacy of neurogenic treatments over short timescales (≤1 month). ⋯ Two months of iRUN increased DCX+ cells in females and iRUN followed by mMEM increased DCX+ cells in males, indicating that neurogenesis was increased in the later stages of the treatments. However, thymidine analogs revealed that neurogenesis was minimally increased during the initial stages of the treatments. These findings highlight temporal limitations and sex differences in the efficacy of neurogenic manipulations, which may be relevant for designing plasticity-promoting treatments.
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The encoding, consolidation and retrieval of memories is a multifaceted process that depends strongly on the optimal level of arousal but high levels of arousal may trigger anxiety, which negatively impacts the memory processing by the brain. We investigated the role of CRH neurons in the central amygdala (CeA) for their capacity to modulate both, the anxiety-like behavior and hippocampus-dependent memory. First, we activated the CRH neurons in CeA using cre-dependent AAV-DREADD in CRH-cre mice. ⋯ The behavioral and memory effects were accompanied by increased c-Fos expression in the LC region. Pretreatment with CRH1 receptor antagonist antalarmin hydrochloride blocked the effects that were observed after the activation of the CeA projections to LC. Our findings highlight the role of CeA CRH neuronal population not only as a generator of anxiety but also demonstrate their role in the control of hippocampus-dependent memory.