Testing different paradigms to optimize antidepressant deep brain stimulation in different rat models of depression.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of several targets induces beneficial responses in approximately 60% of patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression (TRD). The remaining 40% indicate that these stimulation sites do not bear therapeutic relevance for all TRD patients and consequently DBS-targets should be selected according to individual symptom profiles. We here used two animal models of depression known to have different genetic backgrounds and behavioral responses: the therapy-responsive Flinders sensitive line (FSL) and the therapy-refractory congenitally learned helpless rats (cLH) to study symptom-specific DBS effects i) of different brain sites ii) at different stimulation parameters, and iii) at different expressions of the disease. Sham-stimulation/DBS was applied chronic-intermittently or chronic-continuously to either the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC, rodent equivalent to subgenual cingulate), nucleus accumbens (Nacc) or subthalamic nucleus (STN), and effects were studied on different depression-associated behaviors, i.e. anhedonia, immobility/behavioral despair and learned helplessness. Biochemical substrates of behaviorally effective versus ineffective DBS were analyzed using in-vivo microdialysis and post-mortem high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We found that i) vmPFC-DBS outperforms Nacc-DBS, ii) STN-DBS increases depressive states, iii) chronic-continuous DBS does not add benefits compared to chronic-intermittent DBS, iv) DBS-efficacy depends on the disease expression modeled and iv) antidepressant DBS is associated with an increase in serotonin turnover alongside site-specific reductions in serotonin contents. The reported limited effectiveness of vmPFC DBS suggests that future research may consider the specific disease expression, investigation of different DBS-targets and alternative parameter settings.

Altered local field potential activity and serotonergic neurotransmission are further characteristics of the Flinders sensitive line rat model of depression.

A significant portion of patients suffering from major depression remains refractory to available antidepressant treatment strategies. This highlights the need for a better understanding of the underlying neuropathology in order to develop rationale-based treatments. Here we aimed to further characterize neurobiological abnormalities of the Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) rat model of depression. Biochemically, in FSL rats we mainly found increased levels of serotonin in most cortical and subcortical brain regions when compared to controls. Using electrophysiological measurements, in FSL rats we found decreased alpha, beta and low gamma oscillatory activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens and decreased alpha and beta as well as increased low gamma oscillatory activity in the subthalamicus nucleus when compared to controls. In summary, we show distinct neurochemical properties in combination with particular oscillatory activity patterns for brain areas thought to be pathophysiologically relevant for depression. Our data contribute to the further understanding of neurobiological alterations in the FSL rat model of depression that could provide a basis for research into future therapeutic strategies.

Medial Forebrain Bundle Deep Brain Stimulation has Symptom-specific Anti-depressant Effects in Rats and as Opposed to Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Stimulation Interacts With the Reward System.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has emerged as a promising treatment option for patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Several stimulation targets have successfully been tested in clinical settings, including the subgenual cingulum (Cg25) and the medial forebrain bundle (MFB). MFB-DBS has led to remarkable results, surpassing the effect of previous targets in terms of response latency and number of responders. However, the question remains as to which mechanisms underlie this difference. OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of the present study was to thoroughly study the anti-depressant effect of MFB-DBS in the Flinders sensitive line (FSL) rat model of depression as well as to investigate whether MFB-DBS and Cg25-DBS operate through the same neurobiological circuits. METHODS: FSL and control rats received bilateral high-frequency stimulation to the MFB at the level of the lateral hypothalamus, while being subjected to a variety of depression- and anxiety-related behavioral paradigms. To further compare the effects of MFB-DBS and Cg25-DBS on reward-related behavior, animals were stimulated in either the MFB or ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC, rodent analog to Cg25), while being tested in the intra-cranial self-stimulation paradigm. RESULTS: A marked symptom-specific anti-depressant effect of MFB-DBS was demonstrated. The ICSS-paradigm revealed that MFB-DBS, as opposed to vmPFC-DBS interacts with the reward system. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that MFB-DBS and Cg25-DBS do not operate via the same neurobiological circuits. This differentiation might be of interest when selecting patients for either Cg25- or MFB-DBS.

Anti-anhedonic effect of deep brain stimulation of the prefrontal cortex and the dopaminergic reward system in a genetic rat model of depression: an intracranial self-stimulation paradigm study.

BACKGROUND: One of the two core symptoms of major depression (MD), whether uni- or bipolar, is the inability to experience pleasure, suggested to be triggered by dysregulation within the brain reward system. In recent years, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has evolved as a potential tool to modulate pathological neural activity; stimulation of the subgenual cingulate (Cg25) has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms, including anhedonia. In rodents, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is likely to represent the correlate of Cg25 and accordingly, stimulation of vmPFC reduces anhedonia-like behavior in rats. OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: The present study addresses the question of whether the anti-anhedonic effect of vmPFC-DBS is mediated by the brain reward system. METHODS: Rats of the Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL), a validated genetic animal model of depression, and its controls, the Flinders Resistant Line (FRL), were stimulated in the vmPFC and tested in the forced swim test (FST), sucrose consumption test (SCT) and the intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) paradigm. The curve-shift paradigm of ICSS was used in combination with vmPFC-DBS, d-amphetamine and fluoxetine to quantify reward-facilitating or -attenuating treatment effects. RESULTS: Our findings support anti-depressive efficacy of vmPFC-DBS with respect to despair- and anhedonia-like behavior, as shown in the FST and SCT, respectively. However, DBS did not elicit reward-facilitating or reward-attenuating effects on ICSS behavior. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that it is unlikely that the anti-anhedonic effect of vmPFC-DBS depends on the mesolimbic dopaminergic reward system.

Estradiol modulates effort-based decision making in female rats.

Disorders of the dopamine system, such as schizophrenia or stimulant addiction, are associated with impairments in different forms of cost/benefit decision making. The neural circuitry (ie amygdala, prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens) underlying these functions receives dopamine input, which is thought to have a central role in mediating cost/benefit decisions. Estradiol modulates dopamine activity, and estrogen receptors (ERs) are found within this neurocircuitry, suggesting that decision making may be influenced by estradiol. The present study examined the contribution of estradiol and selective ERα and ß agonists on cost/benefit decision making in adult female Long-Evans rats. An effort-discounting task was utilized, where rats could either emit a single response on a low-reward lever to receive two pellets, or make 2, 5, 10, or 20 responses on a high-reward lever to obtain four pellets. Ovariectomy increased the choice on the high-reward lever, whereas replacement with high (10 µg), but not low (0.3 µg), levels of estradiol benzoate reduced the choice on the high-reward lever. Interestingly, both an ERα agonist (propyl-pyrazole triol (PPT)) and an ERß agonist (diarylpropionitrile (DPN)) increased choice on the high-reward lever when administered independently, but when these two agonists were combined, a decrease in choice for the high-reward lever was observed. The effects of estradiol, PPT, and DPN were more pronounced 24 h post-administration, suggesting that these effects may be genomic in nature. Together, these results demonstrate that estradiol modulates cost/benefit decision making in females, whereby concomitant activation of ERα and ß receptors shifts the decision criteria and reduces preference for larger, yet more costly rewards.

Structural elucidation of direct analysis in real time ionized nerve agent simulants with infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy.

Infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) was used to generate vibrational spectra of ions produced with a direct analysis in real time (DART) ionization source coupled to a 4.7 T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer. The location of protonation on the nerve agent simulants diisopropyl methylphosphonate (DIMP) and dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) was studied while solutions of the compounds were introduced for extended periods of time with a syringe pump. Theoretical vibrational spectra were generated with density functional theory calculations. Visual comparison of experimental mid-IR IRMPD spectra and theoretical spectra could not establish definitively if a single structure or a mixture of conformations was present for the protonated parent of each compound. However, theoretical calculations, near-ir IRMPD spectra, and frequency-to-frequency and statistical comparisons indicated that the protonation site for both DIMP and DMMP was predominantly, if not exclusively, the phosphonyl oxygen instead of one of the oxygen atoms with only single bonds.

Estradiol does not influence strategy choice but place strategy choice is associated with increased cell proliferation in the hippocampus of female rats.

Adult neurogenesis occurs in the hippocampus of most mammals. While the function of adult hippocampal neurogenesis is not known, there is a relationship between neurogenesis and hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. Ovarian hormones can influence learning and memory and strategy choice. In competitive memory tasks, higher levels of estradiol shift female rats towards the use of the place strategy. Previous studies using a cue-competition paradigm find that 36% of male rats will use a hippocampus-dependent place strategy and place strategy users had lower levels of cell proliferation in the hippocampus. Here, we used the same paradigm to test whether endogenous or exogenous ovarian hormones influence strategy choice in the cue-competition paradigm and whether cell proliferation was related to strategy choice. We tested ovariectomized estradiol-treated (10 microg of estradiol benzoate) or sham-operated female rats on alternating blocks of hippocampus-dependent and hippocampus-independent versions of the Morris water task. Rats were then given a probe session with the platform visible and in a novel location. Preferred strategy was classified as place strategy (hippocampus-dependent) if they swam to the old platform location or cue strategy (hippocampus-independent) if they swam to the visible platform. All groups showed a preference for the cue strategy. However, proestrous rats were more likely to be place strategy users than rats not in proestrus. Female place strategy users had increased cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus compared to cue strategy users. Our study suggests that 78% of female rats chose the cue strategy instead of the place strategy. In summary the present results suggest that estradiol does not shift strategy use in this paradigm and that cell proliferation is related to strategy use with greater cell proliferation seen in place strategy users in female rats.

The coupling of direct analysis in real time ionization to Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry for ultrahigh-resolution mass analysis.

Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) is an ambient ionization technique for mass spectrometry that provides rapid and sensitive analyses with little or no sample preparation. DART has been reported primarily for mass analyzers of low to moderate resolving power such as quadrupole ion traps and time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometers. In the current work, a custom-built DART source has been successfully coupled to two different Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometers for the first time. Comparison of spectra of the isobaric compounds, diisopropyl methylphosphonate and theophylline, acquired by 4.7 T FT-ICR MS and TOF MS, demonstrates that the TOF resolving power can be insufficient for compositionally complex samples. 9.4 T FT-ICR MS yielded the highest mass resolving power yet reported with DART ionization for 1,2-benzanthracene and 9,10-diphenylanthracene. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exhibit a spatial dependence in ionization mechanisms between the DART source and the mass spectrometer. The feasibility of analyzing a variety of samples was established with the introduction and analysis of food products and crude oil samples. DART FT-ICR MS provides complex sample analysis that is rapid, highly selective and information-rich, but limited to relatively low-mass analytes.