Early Life Stress Alters Gene Expression and Cytoarchitecture in the Prefrontal Cortex Leading to Social Impairment and Increased Anxiety
Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: Early life stress (ELS), such as abuse, neglect, and maltreatment, exhibits a strong impact on the brain and mental development of children. However, it is not fully understood how ELS affects social behaviors and social-associated behaviors as well as developing prefrontal cortex (PFC). In this study, we performed social isolation on weaned pre-adolescent mice until adolescence and investigated these behaviors and PFC characteristics in adolescent mice. We found the ELS induced social impairments in social novelty, social interaction, and social preference in adolescent mice. We also observed increases of anxiety-like behaviors in ELS mice. In histological analysis, we found a reduced number of neurons and an increased number of microglia in the PFC of ELS mice. To identify the gene associated with behavioral and histological features, we analyzed transcriptome in the PFC of ELS mice and identified 15 differentially expressed genes involved in transcriptional regulation, stress, and synaptic signaling. Our study demonstrates that ELS influences social behaviors, anxiety-like behaviors through cytoarchitectural and transcriptomic alterations in the PFC of adolescent mice.
Source: Frontiers in Genetics
Authors: Noriyoshi Usui, Yuta Ono, Ryoko Aramaki, Stefano Berto, Genevieve Konopka, Hideo Matsuzaki, Shoichi Shimada
Institutions: University of Fukui, Osaka Psychiatric Medical Center, Global Center for Medical Engineering and Informatics, The University of Osaka, Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, The University of Osaka, Medical University of South Carolina, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Life Science Innovation Center, University of Fukui
Language: English
Topic: Child Abuse and Trauma
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,950
Funders: Eli Lilly and Company, Takeda Science Foundation, Uehara Memorial Foundation, University of Fukui, Osaka Medical Research Foundation for Intractable Diseases, SENSHIN Medical Research Foundation, Fakultet Medicinskih Nauka, Univerziteta U Kragujevcu, Eli Lilly Japan, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Awards: Molecular mechanism of chronic pain with its onset in the limbic system and development of new therapeutic agents, Molecular mechanisms controlling social behaviors, The synaptic insufficient delivery hypothesis of autism based on PET findings, G3568253387, G5884379532, Identify the genes and glia epigenetically affected by social isolation, G6118465966
OpenAlex ID: W3207990800