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Brain Structure and Function
Published in: Brain Structure and Function 4/2019

01-05-2019 | Opioids | Original Article

Neurochemically distinct circuitry regulates locus coeruleus activity during female social stress depending on coping style

Authors: Beverly A. S. Reyes, Xiao-Yan Zhang, Elsa C. Dufourt, Seema Bhatnagar, Rita J. Valentino, Elisabeth J. Van Bockstaele

Published in: Brain Structure and Function | Issue 4/2019

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Abstract

Stress-related psychiatric diseases are nearly twice as prevalent in women compared to men. We recently showed in male rats that the resident–intruder model of social stress differentially engages stress-related circuitry that regulates norepinephrine-containing neurons of the locus coeruleus (LC) depending on coping strategy as determined by the latency to assume a defeat posture. Here, we determined whether this social stress had similar effects in female rats. LC afferents were retrogradely labeled with Fluorogold (FG) and rats had one or five daily exposures to an aggressive resident. Sections through the nucleus paragigantocellularis (PGi), a source of enkephalin (ENK) afferents to the LC, and central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), a source of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) afferents to the LC, were processed for immunocytochemical detection of c-fos, a marker of neuronal activity, FG and ENK or CRF. Like male rats, female rats defeated with a relatively short latency (SL) in response to a single resident–intruder exposure and showed significant c-fos activation of LC neurons, PGi-ENK LC afferents, and CeA-CRF-LC afferents. With repeated exposure, some rats exhibited a long latency to defeat (LL). LC neurons and CeA-CRF-LC afferents were activated in SL rats compared to control and LL, whereas PGi-ENK LC afferents were not. Conversely, in LL rats, PGi-ENK LC and CeA-CRF-LC afferents were activated compared to controls but not LC neurons. CRF type 1 receptor (CRF1) and µ-opioid receptor (MOR) expression levels in LC were decreased in LL rats. Finally, electron microscopy showed a relative increase in MOR on the plasma membrane of LL rats and a relative increase in CRF1 on the plasma membrane of SL rats. Together, these results suggest that as is the case for males, social stress engages divergent circuitry to regulate the LC in female rats depending on coping strategy, with a bias towards CRF influence in more subordinate rats and opioid influence in less subordinate rats.
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Metadata
Title
Neurochemically distinct circuitry regulates locus coeruleus activity during female social stress depending on coping style
Authors
Beverly A. S. Reyes
Xiao-Yan Zhang
Elsa C. Dufourt
Seema Bhatnagar
Rita J. Valentino
Elisabeth J. Van Bockstaele
Publication date
01-05-2019
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Keywords
Opioids
Opioids
Published in
Brain Structure and Function / Issue 4/2019
Print ISSN: 1863-2653
Electronic ISSN: 1863-2661
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-019-01837-5

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