scholarly journals Sex Differences in the Hypothalamic Oxytocin Pathway to Locus Coeruleus and Augmented Attention with Chemogenetic Activation of Hypothalamic Oxytocin Neurons

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (16) ◽  
pp. 8510
Author(s):  
Xin Wang ◽  
Joan B. Escobar ◽  
David Mendelowitz
Keyword(s):  
Locus Coeruleus ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Novel Object Recognition ◽  
Noradrenergic Neurons ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Novel Objects

The tightly localized noradrenergic neurons (NA) in the locus coeruleus (LC) are well recognized as essential for focused arousal and novelty-oriented responses, while many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit diminished attention, engagement and orienting to exogenous stimuli. This has led to the hypothesis that atypical LC activity may be involved in ASD. Oxytocin (OXT) neurons and receptors are known to play an important role in social behavior, pair bonding and cognitive processes and are under investigation as a potential treatment for ASD. However, little is known about the neurotransmission from hypothalamic paraventricular (PVN) OXT neurons to LC NA neurons. In this study, we test, in male and female rats, whether PVN OXT neurons excite LC neurons, whether oxytocin is released and involved in this neurotransmission, and whether activation of PVN OXT neurons alters novel object recognition. Using “oxytocin sniffer cells” (CHO cells that express the human oxytocin receptor and a Ca indicator) we show that there is release of OXT from hypothalamic PVN OXT fibers in the LC. Optogenetic excitation of PVN OXT fibers excites LC NA neurons by co-release of OXT and glutamate, and this neurotransmission is greater in males than females. In male, but not in female animals, chemogenetic activation of PVN OXT neurons increases attention to novel objects.

scholarly journals Effects of Maternal Deprivation on Anxiety, Depression, and Empathy in Male and Female Offspring of Wistar Rats in the Face of Novel Objects

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 1093
Author(s):  
Solmaz Khalifeh ◽  
Fariba Khodagholi ◽  
Mehrad Moghtadaei ◽  
Ali Behvarmanesh ◽  
Afshin Kheradmand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Stress ◽  
Wistar Rats ◽  
Female Offspring ◽  
Maternal Deprivation ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Novel Objects ◽  
Anxiety Depression

Background: Early life stress (ELS) models such as maternal deprivation (MD) are used to in¬vestigate behavioral changes in rodents under stressful situations. MD is a situation in which rat pups are separated from the dam; MD has different paradigms. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effects of maternal deprivation on anxiety, depression, and empathy in adult Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: MD was applied to pups as per specifically designed protocol to compare rats of the control group with maternal deprivation rats and also the group, which faced novel objects. Each group consisted of eight rats. In this study, separation started from postnatal day (PND) 14 for various periods up to PND 60. EPM test was undertaken to measure anxiety; moreover, FST was used to indicate levels of depression. Also, changes in the empathy ratio were also demonstrated. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Tukey’s post hoc analysis, and t-test were applied to analyze the results. Results: MD-treated rats showed a significant decrease in anxiety and empathy indexes compared with those in the control group (P<0.05). However, MD significantly increased depression in both male and female rats (P<0.05). Final¬ly, exposure to novel objects decreased depression but did not have any effect on anxiety and empathy levels in MD rats (P<0.05). Conclusion: ELS may lead to various states of mood and behavior in adulthood. According to the findings of this study, depression increases due to MD, though both anxiety and empathy decrease in both male and female Wistar rats. Moreover, ex¬posure to novel objects decreases depression, while anxiety and empathy do not change signifi¬cantly with exposure to novel objects. [GMJ.2019;8:e1093]

scholarly journals Sex and metabolic state interact to influence expression of passive avoidance memory in rats: Potential contribution of A2 noradrenergic neurons

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlyn M. Edwards ◽  
Tyla Dolezel ◽  
Linda Rinaman
Keyword(s):  
Passive Avoidance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Noradrenergic Neurons ◽  
Metabolic State ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Neural Populations ◽  
Avoidance Memory

AbstractCompeting motivational drives coordinate behaviors essential for survival. For example, interoceptive feedback from the body during a state of negative energy balance serves to suppress anxiety-like behaviors and promote exploratory behaviors in rats. Results from past research suggest that this shift in motivated behavior is linked to reduced activation of specific neural populations within the caudal nucleus of the solitary tract (cNTS). However, the potential impact of metabolic state and the potential role of cNTS neurons on conditioned avoidance behaviors has not been examined. The present study investigated these questions in male and female rats, using a task in which rats learn to avoid a context (i.e., a darkened chamber) after it is paired with a single mild footshock. When rats later were tested for passive avoidance of the shock-paired chamber, male rats tested in an overnight food-deprived state and female rats (regardless of feeding status) displayed significantly less avoidance compared to male rats that were fed ad libitum prior to testing. Based on prior evidence that prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP)-positive noradrenergic neurons and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1)-positive neurons within the cNTS are particularly sensitive to metabolic state, we examined whether these neural populations are activated in conditioned rats after re-exposure to the shock-paired chamber, and whether neural activation is modulated by metabolic state. Compared to the control condition, chamber re-exposure activated PrRP+ noradrenergic neurons and also activated neurons within the anterior ventrolateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (vlBNST), which receives dense input from PrRP+ terminals. In parallel with sex differences in passive avoidance behavior, PrRP+ neurons were less activated in female vs. male rats after chamber exposure. GLP1+ neurons were not activated in either sex. Overnight food deprivation before chamber re-exposure reduced activation of PrRP+ neurons, and also reduced vlBNST activation. Our results support the view that PrRP+ noradrenergic neurons and their inputs to the vlBNST contribute to the expression of passive avoidance memory, and that this contribution is modulated by metabolic state.

Developmental changes in hypothalamic oxytocin and oxytocin receptor mRNA expression and their sensitivity to fasting in male and female rats

2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshiya Matsuzaki ◽  
Takeshi Iwasa ◽  
Munkhsaikhan Munkhzaya ◽  
Altankhuu Tungalagsuvd ◽  
Takako Kawami ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mrna Expression ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor ◽  
Developmental Changes ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Receptor Mrna ◽  
Male And Female Rats

scholarly journals A Sensitive Homecage-Based Novel Object Recognition Task for Rodents

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica I. Wooden ◽  
Michael J. Spinetta ◽  
Teresa Nguyen ◽  
Charles I. O’Leary ◽  
J. Leigh Leasure
Keyword(s):  
Object Recognition ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Test Phase ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Novel Object Recognition ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Novel Objects ◽  
Rats And Mice

The recognition of novel objects is a common cognitive test for rodents, but current paradigms have limitations, such as low sensitivity, possible odor confounds and stress due to being performed outside of the homecage. We have developed a paradigm that takes place in the homecage and utilizes four stimuli per trial, to increase sensitivity. Odor confounds are eliminated because stimuli consist of inexpensive, machined wooden beads purchased in bulk, so each experimental animal has its own set of stimuli. This paradigm consists of three steps. In Step 1, the sampling phase, animals freely explore familiar objects (FO). Novel Objects (NO1 and NO2) are soiled with bedding from the homecage, to acquire odor cues identical to those of the FO. Steps 2 and 3 are test phases. Herein we report results of this paradigm from neurologically intact adult rats and mice of both sexes. Identical procedures were used for both species, except that the stimuli used for the mice were smaller. As expected in Step 2 (NO1 test phase), male and female rats and mice explored NO1 significantly more than FO. In Step 3 (NO2 test phase), rats of both sexes demonstrated a preference for NO2, while this was seen only in female mice. These results indicate robust novelty recognition during Steps 2 and 3 in rats. In mice, this was reliably seen only in Step 2, indicating that Step 3 was difficult for them under the given parameters. This paradigm provides flexibility in that length of the sampling phase, and the delay between test and sampling phases can be adjusted, to tailor task difficulty to the model being tested. In sum, this novel object recognition test is simple to perform, requires no expensive supplies or equipment, is conducted in the homecage (reducing stress), eliminates odor confounds, utilizes 4 stimuli to increase sensitivity, can be performed in both rats and mice, and is highly flexible, as sampling phase and the delay between steps can be adjusted to tailor task difficulty. Collectively, these results indicate that this paradigm can be used to quantify novel object recognition across sex and species.

scholarly journals Participation of Locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic neurons on breathing in female rats

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debora Carvalho ◽  
Danuzia A Marques ◽  
Raphael E Szawka ◽  
Janete Alselmo-Franci ◽  
Kenia C Bicego ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Locus Coeruleus ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Noradrenergic Neurons

scholarly journals Effects of Maternal Deprivation on Anxiety, Depression, and Empathy in Male and Female Offspring of Wistar Rats in the Face of Novel Objects

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e1093
Author(s):  
Solmaz Khalifeh ◽  
Fariba Khodagholi ◽  
Mehrad Moghtadaei ◽  
Ali Behvarmanesh ◽  
Afshin Kheradmand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Stress ◽  
Wistar Rats ◽  
Female Offspring ◽  
Maternal Deprivation ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Novel Objects ◽  
Anxiety Depression

Background: Early life stress (ELS) models such as maternal deprivation (MD) are used to in¬vestigate behavioral changes in rodents under stressful situations. MD is a situation in which rat pups are separated from the dam; MD has different paradigms. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effects of maternal deprivation on anxiety, depression, and empathy in adult Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: MD was applied to pups as per specifically designed protocol to compare rats of the control group with maternal deprivation rats and also the group, which faced novel objects. Each group consisted of eight rats. In this study, separation started from postnatal day (PND) 14 for various periods up to PND 60. EPM test was undertaken to measure anxiety; moreover, FST was used to indicate levels of depression. Also, changes in the empathy ratio were also demonstrated. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Tukey’s post hoc analysis, and t-test were applied to analyze the results. Results: MD-treated rats showed a significant decrease in anxiety and empathy indexes compared with those in the control group (P<0.05). However, MD significantly increased depression in both male and female rats (P<0.05). Final¬ly, exposure to novel objects decreased depression but did not have any effect on anxiety and empathy levels in MD rats (P<0.05). Conclusion: ELS may lead to various states of mood and behavior in adulthood. According to the findings of this study, depression increases due to MD, though both anxiety and empathy decrease in both male and female Wistar rats. Moreover, ex¬posure to novel objects decreases depression, while anxiety and empathy do not change signifi¬cantly with exposure to novel objects. [GMJ.2019;8:e1093]

Altered attentional processing in male and female rats in a prenatal valproic acid exposure model of autism spectrum disorder

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1929-1944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kumari Anshu ◽  
Ajay Kumar Nair ◽  
U.D. Kumaresan ◽  
Bindu M. Kutty ◽  
Shoba Srinath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Valproic Acid ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Acid Exposure ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Exposure Model ◽  
Attentional Processing ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Male And Female Rats

Exploratory Behavior as a Function of Environmental Novelty and Complexity in Male and Female Rats

2005 ◽  
Vol 97 (2) ◽  
pp. 631-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wojciech Pisula ◽  
Jerome Siegel
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Behavior ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Adaptive Function ◽  
Environmental Complexity ◽  
Laboratory Rats ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Novel Objects ◽  
Male Specific

Laboratory rats show a positive response to low- and nonstressful novel events. The novel event may involve a number of aspects of the stimulus field. It is usually associated with a change in amount of environmental complexity. Most studies concerning novelty-related behavior involve the introduction of novel objects or the rearrangement of familiar objects. The present purpose was to measure exploratory behavior in response to environments of increased and decreased complexity. Both directions of environmental change are conditions of novelty. A two-way manipulation of increasing and decreasing the complexity of the environment was used. Rats of both sexes showed increased exploration to exposure to novelty, no matter which manipulation was applied; however, female and male rats behaved differently to the two types of novelty. Males responded more to novelty from the introduction of an unfamiliar object. The results indicate novel stimulation, whether of increasing or decreasing complexity, has reward properties. Perhaps the male-specific behavior directed toward unfamiliar objects may serve an adaptive function.

Instruction Using Augmentative and Alternative Communication Supports: Description of Current Practices by Speech-Language Pathologists Who Work With Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 586-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlyn A. Clarke ◽  
Diane L. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Diagnostic Category ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Processing Differences

Purpose The aim of this research study was to examine common practices of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who work with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with respect to whether or not SLPs consider processing differences in ASD or the effects of input during their instruction. Method Following a qualitative research method, how SLPs instruct and present augmentative and alternative communication systems to individuals with ASD, their rationale for method selection, and their perception of the efficacy of selected interventions were probed. Semistructured interviews were conducted as part of an in-depth case report with content analysis. Results Based on completed interviews, 4 primary themes were identified: (a) instructional method , (b) input provided , (c) decision-making process , and (d) perceived efficacy of treatment . Additionally, one secondary theme, training and education received , was identified . Conclusions Clinicians reported making decisions based on the needs of the child; however, they also reported making decisions based on the diagnostic category that characterized the child (i.e., ASD). The use of modeling when teaching augmentative and alternative communication to individuals with ASD emerged as a theme, but variations in the method of modeling were noted. SLPs did not report regularly considering processing differences in ASD, nor did they consider the effects of input during instruction.

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