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Deficits in hippocampal-dependent memory across different rodent models of early life stress: systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: Exposure to early life stress (ELS) causes abnormal hippocampal development and functional deficits in rodents and humans, but no meta-analysis has been used yet to quantify the effects of different rodent models of ELS on hippocampal-dependent memory. We searched PubMed and Web of Science for publications that assessed the effects of handling, maternal separation (MS), and limited bedding and nesting (LBN) on performance in the Morris water maze (MWM), novel object recognition (NOR), and contextual fear conditioning (CFC). Forty-five studies met inclusion criteria (n = 451-763 rodents per test) and were used to calculate standardized mean differences (Hedge's g) and to assess heterogeneity, publication bias, and the moderating effects of sex and species (rats vs. mice). We found significantly lower heterogeneity in LBN compared to handling and MS with no consistent effects of sex or species across the three paradigms. LBN and MS caused similar cognitive deficits in tasks that rely heavily on the dorsal hippocampus, such as MWM and NOR, and were significantly different compared to the improved performance seen in rodents exposed to handling. In the CFC task, which relies more on the ventral hippocampus, all three paradigms showed reduced freezing with moderate effect sizes that were not statistically different. These findings demonstrate the utility of using meta-analysis to quantify outcomes in a large number of inconsistent preclinical studies and highlight the need to further investigate the possibility that handling causes different alterations in the dorsal hippocampus but similar outcomes in the ventral hippocampus when compared to MS and LBN.

SUBMITTER: Rocha M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8058062 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Background: Maternal care refers to the behavior performed by the dam to nourish and protect her litter during its early development. Frequent and high-quality performance of such maternal behaviors is critical for the neurodevelopment of the pups. Maternal exposure to stress during early development can impair maternal care and amplify the deleterious effects of poor maternal caregiving and neglect. As such, a thorough understanding of the effects caused by several models of early life stress on maternal care may yield more insights into the relationship between stress and maternal behavior. Methods: A systematic review was performed to identify and address the effects of early life stress on maternal behavior. The search was conducted using three online databases: PUBMED, Embase, and Web of Science. To provide clear evidence of the impact of stress on maternal care, in every study, the stress group was always compared to a control group. Outcomes were categorized into eight different behaviors: (1) licking/grooming; (2) arched-back nursing; (3) blanket-nursing/passive nursing; (4) nest building; (5) contact with pups; (6) harmful/adverse caregiving; (7) no contact; (8) nest exits. Additionally, the methodological quality of the studies was evaluated. Results: A total of 12 different early life stress protocols were identified from the 56 studies included in this systematic review. Our data demonstrate that different stress models can promote specific maternal patterns of behavior. Regarding the maternal separation protocol, we observed an overall increase in nursing and licking/grooming behaviors, which are essential for pup development. An increase in the number of nest exits, which represents a fragmentation of maternal care, was observed in the limited bedding protocol, but the total amount of maternal care appears to remain similar between groups. Conclusions: Each stress protocol has unique characteristics that increase the difficulty of rendering comparisons of maternal behavior. The increase in maternal care observed in the maternal separation protocol may be an attempt to overcompensate for the time off-nest. Fragmented maternal care is a key component of the limited bedding protocol. Moreover, the methodological approaches to evaluate maternal behavior, such as time, duration, and behavior type should be more homogeneous across studies.

Project description:The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were differences in gene expression in the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in memory consolidation, between male mice with age-related memory deficits (SAMP8 mice) and control mice with no age-related memory deficits. The senescence-accelerated mouse (SAMP8) strain exhibits decreased learning and memory and increased amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) accumulation at 12 months compared to 4 months. To detect differences in gene expression in SAMP8 mice, we used a Control mouse that was a 50% cross between SAMP8 and CD-1 mice and which showed no memory deficits (50% SAMP8 mouse). We then compared gene expression in the hippocampus of 4 month and 12 month old SAMP8 and Control mice using Affymetrix gene arrays. At 12 months, but not at 4 months, pathway analysis revealed significant differences in the Long Term Potentiation (LTP) (6 genes), Phosphatidylinositol Signaling (6 genes), and Endocytosis (10 genes) pathways. The changes in LTP included MAPK signaling (N-ras, CREB binding protein, protein phosphatase inhibitor 1) and Ca-dependent signaling (PI receptors 1 and 2 and phospholipase C). Changes in phosphatidylinositol signaling genes suggested altered signaling through PI3-kinase, and Western blotting revealed phosphorylation changes in AKT and 70S6K. Changes in the Endocytosis pathway involved genes related to clathrin-mediated endocytosis (dynamin and clathrin). Endocytosis is required for receptor recycling, is involved in Aβ metabolism, and is regulated by phosphatidylinositol signaling. In summary, these studies demonstrate altered genes expression in three SAMP8 hippocampal pathways associated with memory formation and consolidation. These pathways may provide new therapeutic targets in addition to targeting Aβ metabolism itself. Global differential profiling of hippocampal gene expression (4 month and 12 month old SAMP8 and Control mice) was performed using Affymetrix GeneChip® Mouse Genome 430 2.0 Arrays. At 12 months, but not at 4 months, pathway analysis revealed significant differences in the Long Term Potentiation (LTP) (6 genes), Phosphatidylinositol Signaling (6 genes), and Endocytosis (10 genes) pathways. The changes in LTP included MAPK signaling (N-ras, CREB binding protein, protein phosphatase inhibitor 1) and Ca-dependent signaling (PI receptors 1 and 2 and phospholipase C). Changes in phosphatidylinositol signaling genes suggested altered signaling through PI3-kinase, and Western blotting revealed phosphorylation changes in AKT and 70S6K. Changes in the Endocytosis pathway involved genes related to clathrin-mediated endocytosis (dynamin and clathrin). Endocytosis is required for receptor recycling, is involved in Aβ metabolism, and is regulated by phosphatidylinositol signaling. In summary, these studies demonstrate altered genes expression in three SAMP8 hippocampal pathways associated with memory formation and consolidation. These pathways may provide new therapeutic targets in addition to targeting Aβ metabolism itself. 2-way ANOVA (2 x 2 conditions, n=4). First variable was age (4 and 12 months) and second variable was mouse strain (Control and SAMP8). This results in 4 groups: Control-4 month, Control-12 month, SAMP8-4 month, and SAMP8-12 month. Each group had 4 biological replicates (4 mice). The ”Control” mice were a 50% backcross of the SAMP8 mice with CD-1 mice (50% SAMP8 mice). These mice were closely related to SAMP8 mice but exhibited no memory deficits at 4 or 12 months. The SAMP8 mice had memory deficits at 12 months but not at 4 months.

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Deficits in hippocampal-dependent memory across different rodent models of early life stress: systematic review and meta-analysis.

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