scholarly journals Physiological and behavioral responses of house sparrows to repeated stressors

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenna M.G. Gormally ◽  
Jessica Wright-Lichter ◽  
J. Michael Reed ◽  
L. Michael Romero
Keyword(s):  
Uric Acid ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Uric Acid Concentration ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Bacterial Killing

Despite decades of research, we still lack a complete understanding of what factors influence the transition of the necessary and adaptive acute stress response to what has become known as chronic stress. This gap in knowledge has illuminated the necessity for studies that examine the thresholds between these two sides of the stress response. Here, we determine how repeated exposure to acute stressors influences physiological and behavioral responses. In this repeated measures study, house sparrows (Passer domesticus) were exposed to a chronic stress protocol. We took physiological and behavioral measurements before, during, and after the protocol. Blood samples were used to assess four aspects of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function: baseline corticosterone, stress-induced corticosterone, negative feedback, and the maximal capacity to secrete corticosterone. We also assessed bacterial killing capacity and changes in uric acid concentration. Neophobia trials were used to assess behavioral changes throughout the protocol. We found no significant changes in HPA axis regulation in any of the four aspects we tested. However, we found that uric acid concentrations and neophobia significantly decreased after only four days of the chronic stress protocol, while bacterial killing capacity did not decrease until after eight days of exposure. These results indicate that different components of the stress response can be impacted by chronic stress on different timescales. Our results further indicate the importance of assessing multiple aspects of both physiology and behavior in order to understand how exposure to chronic stress may influence ability to cope with future challenges.

scholarly journals The co-chaperone Fkbp5 shapes the acute stress response in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus of male mice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander S. Häusl ◽  
Lea M. Brix ◽  
Jakob Hartmann ◽  
Max L. Pöhlmann ◽  
Juan-Pablo Lopez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Paraventricular Nucleus ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Neuron Activity ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Acute Stress Response ◽  
Cell Type Specific

AbstractDisturbed activation or regulation of the stress response through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a fundamental component of multiple stress-related diseases, including psychiatric, metabolic, and immune disorders. The FK506 binding protein 51 (FKBP5) is a negative regulator of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), the main driver of HPA axis regulation, and FKBP5 polymorphisms have been repeatedly linked to stress-related disorders in humans. However, the specific role of Fkbp5 in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) in shaping HPA axis (re)activity remains to be elucidated. We here demonstrate that the deletion of Fkbp5 in Sim1+ neurons dampens the acute stress response and increases GR sensitivity. In contrast, Fkbp5 overexpression in the PVN results in a chronic HPA axis over-activation, and a PVN-specific rescue of Fkbp5 expression in full Fkbp5 KO mice normalizes the HPA axis phenotype. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed the cell-type-specific expression pattern of Fkbp5 in the PVN and showed that Fkbp5 expression is specifically upregulated in Crh+ neurons after stress. Finally, Crh-specific Fkbp5 overexpression alters Crh neuron activity, but only partially recapitulates the PVN-specific Fkbp5 overexpression phenotype. Together, the data establish the central and cell-type-specific importance of Fkbp5 in the PVN in shaping HPA axis regulation and the acute stress response.

scholarly journals Interparental conflict and child HPA-axis responses to acute stress: Insights using intensive repeated measures.

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 773-782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Ryan Kuhlman ◽  
Rena L. Repetti ◽  
Bridget M. Reynolds ◽  
Theodore F. Robles
Keyword(s):  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Interparental Conflict ◽  
Acute Stress

scholarly journals Facilitation of the HPA Axis to a Novel Acute Stress Following Chronic Stress Exposure Modulates Histone Acetylation and the ERK/MAPK Pathway in the Dentate Gyrus of Male Rats

Endocrinology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 155 (8) ◽  
pp. 2942-2952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantelle L. Ferland ◽  
Erin P. Harris ◽  
Mai Lam ◽  
Laura A. Schrader
Keyword(s):  
Dentate Gyrus ◽  
Histone Acetylation ◽  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Stress Exposure ◽  
Erk Activation ◽  
Acute And Chronic Stress ◽  
Acute Stressor

Evidence suggests that when presented with novel acute stress, animals previously exposed to chronic homotypic or heterotypic stressors exhibit normal or enhanced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) response compared with animals exposed solely to that acute stressor. The molecular mechanisms involved in this effect remain unknown. The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) is one of the key pathways regulated in the hippocampus in both acute and chronic stress. The aim of this study was to examine the interaction of prior chronic stress, using the chronic variable stress model (CVS), with exposure to a novel acute stressor (2,5-dihydro-2,4,5-trimethyl thiazoline; TMT) on ERK activation, expression of the downstream protein BCL-2, and the glucocorticoid receptor co-chaperone BAG-1 in control and chronically stressed male rats. TMT exposure after chronic stress resulted in a significant interaction of chronic and acute stress in all 3 hippocampus subregions on ERK activation and BCL-2 expression. Significantly, acute stress increased ERK activation, BCL-2 and BAG-1 protein expression in the dentate gyrus (DG) of CVS-treated rats compared with control, CVS-treated alone, and TMT-only animals. Furthermore, CVS significantly increased ERK activation in medial prefrontal cortex, but acute stress had no significant effect. Inhibition of corticosterone synthesis with metyrapone had no significant effect on ERK activation in the hippocampus; therefore, glucocorticoids alone do not mediate the molecular effects. Finally, because post-translational modifications of histones are believed to play an important role in the stress response, we examined changes in histone acetylation. We found that, in general, chronic stress decreased K12H4 acetylation, whereas acute stress increased acetylation. These results indicate a molecular mechanism by which chronic stress-induced HPA axis plasticity can lead to neurochemical alterations in the hippocampus that influence reactivity to subsequent stress exposure. This may represent an important site of dysfunction that contributes to stress-induced pathology such as depression, anxiety disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

scholarly journals Neuroendocrine Function After Hypothalamic Depletion of Glucocorticoid Receptors in Male and Female Mice

Endocrinology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 156 (8) ◽  
pp. 2843-2853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matia B. Solomon ◽  
Matthew Loftspring ◽  
Annette D. de Kloet ◽  
Sriparna Ghosal ◽  
Ryan Jankord ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Glucocorticoid Receptors ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Feedback Inhibition ◽  
Forced Swim Test ◽  
Feedback Regulation ◽  
Signaling Mechanism ◽  
Cell Groups ◽  
Neuroendocrine Responses

Abstract Glucocorticoids act rapidly at the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) to inhibit stress-excitatory neurons and limit excessive glucocorticoid secretion. The signaling mechanism underlying rapid feedback inhibition remains to be determined. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that the canonical glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) is required for appropriate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation. Local PVN GR knockdown (KD) was achieved by breeding homozygous floxed GR mice with Sim1-cre recombinase transgenic mice. This genetic approach created mice with a KD of GR primarily confined to hypothalamic cell groups, including the PVN, sparing GR expression in other HPA axis limbic regulatory regions, and the pituitary. There were no differences in circadian nadir and peak corticosterone concentrations between male PVN GR KD mice and male littermate controls. However, reduction of PVN GR increased ACTH and corticosterone responses to acute, but not chronic stress, indicating that PVN GR is critical for limiting neuroendocrine responses to acute stress in males. Loss of PVN GR induced an opposite neuroendocrine phenotype in females, characterized by increased circadian nadir corticosterone levels and suppressed ACTH responses to acute restraint stress, without a concomitant change in corticosterone responses under acute or chronic stress conditions. PVN GR deletion had no effect on depression-like behavior in either sex in the forced swim test. Overall, these findings reveal pronounced sex differences in the PVN GR dependence of acute stress feedback regulation of HPA axis function. In addition, these data further indicate that glucocorticoid control of HPA axis responses after chronic stress operates via a PVN-independent mechanism.

scholarly journals Beyond corticosterone: The acute stress response increases DNA damage in house sparrows

2020 ◽  
Vol 333 (8) ◽  
pp. 595-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenna M. G. Gormally ◽  
Rodolfo Estrada ◽  
Mitch McVey ◽  
L. Michael Romero
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
House Sparrows ◽  
Acute Stress Response

scholarly journals Differential Adaptive Responses to Chronic Stress of Maternally Stressed Male Mice Offspring

Endocrinology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 146 (7) ◽  
pp. 3202-3210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sooyoung Chung ◽  
Gi Hoon Son ◽  
Sung Ho Park ◽  
Eonyoung Park ◽  
Kun Ho Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Feedback Inhibition ◽  
Corticosterone Level ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Male Mice ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
Repeated Restraint Stress ◽  
Postnatal Stress

Abstract It is well established that stress in early life can alter the activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, but most studies to date have focused on HPA reactivity in response to a single acute stress. The present study addressed whether stress in pregnant mice could influence the adaptive responses of their offspring to chronic stress. Male offspring were exclusively used in this study. Elevated plus maze tests revealed that 14 d of repeated restraint stress (6 h per day; from postnatal d 50–63) significantly increased anxiety-like behavior in maternally stressed mice. NBI 27914, a CRH receptor antagonist, completely eliminated anxiety-related behaviors in a dose-dependent manner, indicating an involvement of a hyperactive CRH system. In accordance with increased anxiety, CRH contents in the hypothalamus and amygdala were significantly higher in these mice. Despite an increased basal activity of the CRH-ACTH system, the combination of chronic prenatal and postnatal stress resulted in a significant reduction of basal plasma corticosterone level, presumably because of a defect in adrenal function. Along with alterations in hypothalamic and hippocampal corticosteroid receptors, it was also demonstrated that a dysfunction in negative feedback inhibition of the HPA axis could be deteriorated by chronic stress in maternally stressed male mice. Taken together, these results indicate that exposure to maternal stress in the womb can affect an animal’s coping capacity to chronic postnatal stress.

Chronic stress, hippocampus and parvalbumin-positive interneurons: what do we know so far?

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 397-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Zaletel ◽  
Dragana Filipović ◽  
Nela Puškaš
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Mood Disorders ◽  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Emotional Information ◽  
Contextual Memory ◽  
Response To Stress ◽  
Unexplored Area

AbstractThe hippocampus is a brain structure involved in the regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and stress response. It plays an important role in the formation of declarative, spatial and contextual memory, as well as in the processing of emotional information. As a part of the limbic system, it is a very susceptible structure towards the effects of various stressors. The molecular mechanisms of structural and functional alternations that occur in the hippocampus under chronic stress imply an increased level of circulating glucocorticoids (GCs), which is an HPA axis response to stress. Certain data show that changes induced by chronic stress may be independent from the GCs levels, opening the possibility of existence of other poorly explored mechanisms and pathways through which stressors act. The hippocampal GABAergic parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneurons represent an especially vulnerable population of neurons in chronic stress, which may be of key importance in the development of mood disorders. However, cellular and molecular hippocampal changes that arise as a consequence of chronic stress still represent a large and unexplored area. This review discusses the current knowledge about the PV+ interneurons of the hippocampus and the influence of chronic stress on this intriguing population of neurons.

scholarly journals Voluntary wheel running initially increases adrenal sensitivity to adrenocorticotrophic hormone, which is attenuated with long-term training

2009 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan E. Campbell ◽  
Nasimeh Rakhshani ◽  
Sergiu Fediuc ◽  
Silvio Bruni ◽  
Michael C. Riddell
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Restraint Stress ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Wheel Running ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Voluntary Wheel Running ◽  
Acute Stress Response ◽  
Voluntary Wheel

Although exercise is a common and potent activator of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, the effects of exercise on the acute stress response are not well understood. Here, we investigated the effects of short- (2 wk) and long-term (8 wk) voluntary wheel running on adrenal sensitivity to ACTH stimulation and the acute stress response to restraint in male rats. Diurnal glucocorticoid patterns were measured on days 7 (all groups) and 35 (8-wk groups). Rats were subjected to 20 min of restraint stress on either week 1 or on week 7 of treatment to assess HPA activation. One week later, exogenous ACTH (75 ng/kg) was administered to assess adrenal sensitivity to ACTH. Following this, adrenals were collected and analyzed for key proteins involved in corticosterone (CORT) synthesis. By the end of week 1, exercising (E) animals had twofold higher peak diurnal CORT levels compared with sedentary (S) animals ( P < 0.01). CORT values were not different between groups at week 8. In response to restraint stress at week 2, CORT values in E were approximately threefold greater than in S ( P < 0.05). No difference was found between E and S rats in the response to, or recovery from, restraint at week 8. During the ACTH challenge at week 2, E demonstrated a ∼2.5-fold increase in adrenal sensitivity compared with S, while no difference was found between E and S at week 8. The expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein was found to be ∼50% higher in the adrenals in E compared with S at week 2 ( P < 0.05), but no difference existed between groups at week 8. These results show that volitional wheel running initially causes hyperactivation of the HPA axis, due to enhanced adrenal sensitivity to ACTH, but that these alterations in HPA activity are completely restored by 8 wk of training.

scholarly journals Comparison of miRNA expression profiles in pituitary–adrenal axis between Beagle and Chinese Field dogs after chronic stress exposure

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Luo ◽  
Meixia Fang ◽  
Haiping Xu ◽  
Huijie Xing ◽  
Jiangnan Fu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Adrenal Cortex ◽  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Mirna Expression ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Stress Exposure ◽  
Mirna Expression Profiles ◽  
Pituitary Adrenal Axis

MicoRNAs (miRNAs), usually as gene regulators, participate in various biological processes, including stress responses. The hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis) is an important pathway in regulating stress response. Although the mechanism that HPA axis regulates stress response has been basically revealed, the knowledge that miRNAs regulate stress response within HPA axis, still remains poor. The object of this study was to investigate the miRNAs in the pituitary and adrenal cortex that regulate chronic stress response with high-throughput sequencing. The pituitary and adrenal cortex of beagles and Chinese Field dogs (CFD) from a stress exposure group (including beagle pituitary 1 (BP1), CFD pituitary 1 (CFDP1), beagle adrenal cortex 1 (BAC1), CFD adrenal cortex 1 (CFDAC1)) and a control group (including beagle pituitary 2 (BP2), CFD pituitary 2 (CFDP2), beagle adrenal cortex 2 (BAC2), CFD adrenal cortex 2 (CFDAC2)), were selected for miRNA-seq comparisons. Comparisons, that were made in pituitary (including BP1 vs. BP2, CFDP1 vs. CFDP2, BP1 vs. CFDP1 and BP2 vs. CFDP2) and adrenal cortex (including BAC1 vs. BAC2, CFDAC1 vs. CFDAC2, BAC1 vs. CFDAC1 and BAC2 vs. CFDAC2), showed that a total of 39 and 18 common differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) (Total read counts > 1,000, Fold change > 2 &p-value < 0.001), that shared in at least two pituitary comparisons and at least two adrenal cortex comparisons, were detected separately. These identified DE-miRNAs were predicted for target genes, thus resulting in 3,959 and 4,010 target genes in pituitary and adrenal cortex, respectively. Further, 105 and 10 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (Fold change > 2 &p-value < 0.05) from those target genes in pituitary and adrenal cortex were obtained separately, in combination with our previous corresponding transcriptome study. Meanwhile, in line with that miRNAs usually negatively regulated their target genes and the dual luciferase reporter assay, we finally identified cfa-miR-205 might play an important role by upregulatingMMDin pituitary and hippocampus, thus enhancing the immune response, under chronic stress exposure. Our results shed light on the miRNA expression profiles in the pituitary and adrenal cortex with and without chronic stress exposure, and provide a new insight into miR-205 with its feasible role in regulating chronic stress in the pituitary and hippocampus through targetingMMD.

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