Sex differences in oxytocin receptor binding in forebrain regions: Correlations with social interest in brain region- and sex- specific ways

Social interest reflects the motivation to approach a conspecific for the assessment of social cues and is measured in rats by the amount of time spent investigating conspecifics. Virgin female rats show lower social interest towards unfamiliar juvenile conspecifics than virgin male rats. We hypothesized that the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) may modulate sex differences in social interest because of the involvement of OT in pro-social behaviors. We determined whether there are sex differences in OT system parameters in the brain and whether these parameters would correlate with social interest. We also determined whether estrus phase or maternal experience would alter low social interest and whether this would correlate with changes in OT system parameters. Our results show that regardless of estrus phase, females have significantly lower OT receptor (OTR) binding densities than males in the majority of forebrain regions analyzed, including the nucleus accumbens, caudate putamen, lateral septum, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, medial amygdala, and ventromedial hypothalamus. Interestingly, male social interest correlated positively with OTR binding densities in the medial amygdala, while female social interest correlated negatively with OTR binding densities in the central amygdala. Proestrus/estrus females showed similar social interest to non-estrus females despite increased OTR binding densities in several forebrain areas. Maternal experience had no immediate or long-lasting effects on social interest or OT brain parameters except for higher OTR binding in the medial amygdala in primiparous females. Together, these findings demonstrate that there are robust sex differences in OTR binding densities in multiple forebrain regions of rats and that OTR binding densities correlate with social interest in brain region- and sex-specific ways.     

小鼠初级听皮质神经元的强度调谐特性与机制分析

强度是声音的基本参数之一,听神经元的强度调谐在听觉信息处理方面具有重要意义．以往研究发现γ-氨基丁酸(γ-aminobutyric acid, GABA)能抑制性输入在强度调谐的形成过程中起重要作用,但对抑制性输入与局部神经回路之间的关系并不清楚．本实验通过在体细胞外电生理记录和神经药理学方法,分析了小鼠初级听皮质神经元的强度调谐特性,结果显示：单调型神经元在声刺激强度自中等强度增高时潜伏期缩短(P < 0.05)且发放持续时间延长(P < 0.05),非单调型神经元在声刺激强度自最佳强度增高时潜伏期不变且发放持续时间缩短(P < 0.01)．注射GABA能阻断剂荷包牡丹碱(bicuculline, Bic)后,39.3%的神经元强度调谐类型不变,42.9%的神经元非单调性减弱,17.9%的神经元非单调性增强．表明GABA能抑制并非是形成非单调性的唯一因素,兴奋性输入本身的非单调性和高阈值非GABA能抑制的激活也可能在其中发挥作用．推测由兴奋性和抑制性输入所构成的局部神经功能回路及其整合决定了听皮质神经元的强度调谐特性．     

BDNF rs6265 methylation and genotype interact on risk for schizophrenia

Epigenetic mechanisms can mediate gene-environment interactions relevant for complex disorders. The BDNF gene is crucial for development and brain plasticity, is sensitive to environmental stressors, such as hypoxia, and harbors the functional SNP rs6265 (Val⁶⁶Met), which creates or abolishes a CpG dinucleotide for DNA methylation. We found that methylation at the BDNF rs6265 Val allele in peripheral blood of healthy subjects is associated with hypoxia-related early life events (hOCs) and intermediate phenotypes for schizophrenia in a distinctive manner, depending on rs6265 genotype: in ValVal individuals increased methylation is associated with exposure to hOCs and impaired working memory (WM) accuracy, while the opposite is true for ValMet subjects. Also, rs6265 methylation and hOCs interact in modulating WM-related prefrontal activity, another intermediate phenotype for schizophrenia, with an analogous opposite direction in the 2 genotypes. Consistently, rs6265 methylation has a different association with schizophrenia risk in ValVals and ValMets. The relationships of methylation with BDNF levels and of genotype with BHLHB2 binding likely contribute to these opposite effects of methylation. We conclude that BDNF rs6265 methylation interacts with genotype to bridge early environmental exposures to adult phenotypes, relevant for schizophrenia. The study of epigenetic changes in regions containing genetic variation relevant for human diseases may have beneficial implications for the understanding of how genes are actually translated into phenotypes.     

Tissue-specific patterns of allelically-skewed DNA methylation

While DNA methylation is usually thought to be symmetrical across both alleles, there are some notable exceptions. Genomic imprinting and X chromosome inactivation are two well-studied sources of allele-specific methylation (ASM), but recent research has indicated a more complex pattern in which genotypic variation can be associated with allelically-skewed DNA methylation in cis. Given the known heterogeneity of DNA methylation across tissues and cell types we explored inter- and intra-individual variation in ASM across several regions of the human brain and whole blood from multiple individuals. Consistent with previous studies, we find widespread ASM with > 4% of the ～220,000 loci interrogated showing evidence of allelically-skewed DNA methylation. We identify ASM flanking known imprinted regions, and show that ASM sites are enriched in DNase I hypersensitivity sites and often located in an extended genomic context of intermediate DNA methylation. We also detect examples of genotype-driven ASM, some of which are tissue-specific. These findings contribute to our understanding of the nature of differential DNA methylation across tissues and have important implications for genetic studies of complex disease. As a resource to the community, ASM patterns across each of the tissues studied are available in a searchable online database: http://epigenetics.essex.ac.uk/ASMBrainBlood.     

碱中毒对小鼠皮质GABA能神经元特性和编码能力的影响

目的:研究碱中毒对小鼠皮质GABA能神经元内在特性和编码能力的影响,探讨碱中毒引起大脑功能障碍的机制。方法:选择17-22天FVB-Tg小鼠行脑片体外培养,实验对象分为碱中毒组和对照组。DIC光学显微镜下选择皮层II-III层GABA神经元,运用Axo Patch 200 B放大器全细胞模式,记录并分析神经元内在特性(包括阈电位、绝对不应期)的改变;记录与去极化脉冲相对应的峰值,分析GABA能神经元的编码能力。结果:1.阈电位峰值在对照组分别是24.58±0.68,25.44±0.82,27.02±0.78,27.55±0.74和28.66±0.79毫伏,碱中毒组分别是28.32±0.78,30.10±0.91,32.22±0.80,32.88±0.76和33.54±0.74毫伏,碱中毒组阈电位升高;绝对不应期在对照组和碱中毒组分别是4.15±0.06和5.09±0.08毫秒,碱中毒绝对不应期延长。2.两组在相同去极化刺激下诱发的连续峰值波形发生明显改变,碱中毒组产生峰值的能力下降。结论:1、碱中毒使皮质GABA能神经元动阈电位升高和绝对不应期延长;2、碱中毒降低皮质GABA能神经元编码峰值能力。     

Valproic acid stimulates proliferation of glial precursors during cortical gliogenesis in developing rat

Valproic acid (VPA) is a neurotherapeutic drug prescribed for seizures, bipolar disorder, and migraine, including women of reproductive age. VPA is a well‐known teratogen that produces congenital malformations in many organs including the nervous system, as well as later neurodevelopmental disorders, including mental retardation and autism. In developing brain, few studies have examined VPA effects on glial cells, particularly astrocytes. To investigate effects on primary glial precursors, we developed new cell culture and in vivo models using frontal cerebral cortex of postnatal day (P2) rat. In vitro, VPA exposure elicited dose‐dependent, biphasic effects on DNA synthesis and proliferation. In vivo VPA (300 mg/kg) exposure from P2 to P4 increased both DNA synthesis and cell proliferation, affecting primarily astrocyte precursors, as >75% of mitotic cells expressed brain lipid‐binding protein. Significantly, the consequence of early VPA exposure was increased astrocytes, as both S100‐β+ cells and glial fibrillary acidic protein were increased in adolescent brain. Molecularly, VPA served as an HDAC inhibitor in vitro and in vivo as enhanced proliferation was accompanied by increased histone acetylation, whereas it elicited changes in culture in cell‐cycle regulators, including cyclin D1 and E, and cyclin‐dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors, p21 and p27. Collectively, these data suggest clinically relevant VPA exposures stimulate glial precursor proliferation, though at higher doses can elicit inhibition through differential regulation of CDK inhibitors. Because changes in glial cell functions are proposed as mechanisms contributing to neuropsychiatric disorders, these observations suggest that VPA teratogenic actions may be mediated through changes in astrocyte generation during development. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 780–798, 2016     

Early network activity propagates bidirectionally between hippocampus and cortex

Spontaneous activity in the developing brain helps refine neuronal connections before the arrival of sensory‐driven neuronal activity. In mouse neocortex during the first postnatal week, waves of spontaneous activity originating from pacemaker regions in the septal nucleus and piriform cortex propagate through the neocortex. Using high‐speed Ca²⁺ imaging to resolve the spatiotemporal dynamics of wave propagation in parasagittal mouse brain slices, we show that the hippocampus can act as an additional source of neocortical waves. Some waves that originate in the hippocampus remain restricted to that structure, while others pause at the hippocampus‐neocortex boundary and then propagate into the neocortex. Blocking GABAergic neurotransmission decreases the likelihood of wave propagation into neocortex, whereas blocking glutamatergic neurotransmission eliminates spontaneous and evoked hippocampal waves. A subset of hippocampal and cortical waves trigger Ca²⁺ waves in astrocytic networks after a brief delay. Hippocampal waves accompanied by Ca²⁺ elevation in astrocytes are more likely to propagate into the neocortex. Finally, we show that two structures in our preparation that initiate waves—the hippocampus and the piriform cortex—can be electrically stimulated to initiate propagating waves at lower thresholds than the neocortex, indicating that the intrinsic circuit properties of those regions are responsible for their pacemaker function. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 661–672, 2016     

Behavioral and Cortical Correlates of Self-Suppression,Anticipation, and Ambivalence in Rat Tickling

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