Objective: Mechanisms contributing to the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that involve several physiological systems, and the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) is one of the most known systems in the PTSD pathophysiology. The present study investigates the potential effects of methylprednisolone, metyrapone and their association with the noradrenergic system within the rostral pons, a region containing the locus coeruleus (LC) in a rat model of PTSD induced with predator scent.
Methods: In this study, Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to the stress by exposure to the scent of dirty cat litter, which is a natural stressor of a predator. One week later, the rats were re-exposed to a situational reminder (clean cat litter). The rats were treated using either methylprednisolone, metyrapone or physiological saline before exposure to a situational reminder (n=8 in each group). Noradrenaline (NA) levels in the rostral pons homogenates were analysed using ELISA.
Results: The anxiety indices of the rats exposed to the trauma were found to be significantly higher than the anxiety indices of the control rats. Metyrapone produced a significant increase in the anxiety indices of the non-stressed rats, and methylprednisolone did not produce a change in the anxiety indices of the non-stressed rats. Methylprednisolone treatment suppressed the anxiety in the stressed rats. Metyrapone treatment increased the anxiety indices in the stressed rats but still being lower than that of the saline-treated stressed rats. Significant decrease in the freezing time was observed following the methylprednisolone treatment both in the stressed and non-stressed rats. NA content in the rostral pons of the stressed rats was significantly higher than that of the non-stressed rats. Methylprednisolone or metyrapone treatments decreased the NA content in the non-stressed rats as compared to the saline treatment. However, these decreases were not significant.
Conclusion: In this study, findings suggest that stress may give rise to endocrine, autonomic and behavioural responses. The anxiety indices and NA levels in the rostral pons increased with the traumatic event. The methylprednisolone treatment may suppress anxiety through interactions between the LC and the HPA axis.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6936935 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.14744/nci.2019.69345 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
The effects of aerobic exercise on goal-directed attention and inhibitory control in individuals with high trait anxiety: an EEG study.
BMC Psychol
January 2025
Faculty of Psychology, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.
Anxiety is known to significantly impair cognitive function, particularly attentional control. While exercise has been demonstrated to alleviate these cognitive deficits, the precise neural mechanisms underlying these effects remain poorly understood. This study examines the effects of exercise on attentional control in individuals with high trait anxiety, based on attentional control theory, which suggests that such individuals have reduced top-down attention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlobal research trends in music therapy for surgery: a bibliometric analysis (2009-2023).
Perioper Med (Lond)
January 2025
Department of Neurosurgery, the Second People's Hospital of Yibin, Yibin, 644000, Sichuan Province, China.
Music therapy, known for its profound impact on human emotions and physiology, has gained increasing attention for its applications in medical settings, particularly in surgery. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of publications on the application of music therapy in surgery from 2009 to 2023, utilizing the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) as the primary database. A total of 479 publications were analyzed using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Microsoft Excel, and online bibliometric tools.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSynaptic vulnerability to amyloid-β and tau pathologies differentially disrupts emotional and memory neural circuits.
Mol Psychiatry
January 2025
Institut de Neurociències, Department de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by memory loss and neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with cerebral amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau pathologies, but whether and how these factors differentially disrupt neural circuits remains unclear. Here, we investigated the vulnerability of memory and emotional circuits to Aβ and tau pathologies in mice expressing mutant human amyloid precursor protein (APP), Tau or both APP/Tau in excitatory neurons. APP/Tau mice develop age- and sex-dependent Aβ and phosphorylated tau pathologies, the latter exacerbated at early stages, in vulnerable brain regions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSocial Networks and Loneliness in the Blackfeet American Indian Community.
Int J Behav Med
January 2025
Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
Background: While characteristics of an individual's social network and reported loneliness may be linked, they can be distinct. Prior work indicates that gender moderates the relationship between social networks and loneliness; however, these relationships have not been investigated in American Indian adults. The current work investigates whether the relationship between characteristics of one's social network (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCaregiver Resilience through the First Two Years after Traumatic Brain Injury: A Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Study.
Arch Phys Med Rehabil
January 2025
Kessler Foundation, East Hanover, NJ.
Objective: To examine: (1) the trajectory of caregiver resilience over two years following onset of a care recipient's moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), (2) caregiver-related outcomes associated with resilience, and (3) changes in associations between caregiver resilience, other caregiver characteristics, and care-recipient variables across time.
Design: Prospective cohort.
Setting: TBI Model Systems (TBIMS) centers.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!