Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexander Mordhorst, Priyavathi Dhandapani, Susann Matthes, Valentina Mosienko, Michael Rothe, Mihail Todiras, Julie Self, Wolf-Hagen Schunck, Anja Schutz, Michael Bader, Natalia Alenina
Summary: Serotonin synthesis involves the hydroxylation of tryptophan, with most vertebrates having two known enzymes for this step. However, even in animals lacking these two enzymes, there is still some serotonin production, suggesting the presence of a third enzyme. The study found evidence that phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) may act as a third tryptophan hydroxylase in mammals, contributing to serotonin levels in the blood and potentially serving as a local source of serotonin in organs where other TPHs are not expressed.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Masae Furukawa, Hirobumi Tada, Resmi Raju, Jingshu Wang, Haruna Yokoi, Mitsuyoshi Yamada, Yosuke Shikama, Kenji Matsushita
Summary: This study found that early consumption of a soft diet in mice leads to increased body weight, elevated total cholesterol levels, impaired cognitive and motor function, heightened nocturnal activity, and increased aggression. Interestingly, when switched back to a solid diet, the mice showed improvements in weight, cholesterol levels, cognitive function, and aggression, while nocturnal activity remained high. These findings suggest that long-term consumption of a soft diet during early development can influence various behaviors associated with anxiety and mood regulation, emphasizing the importance of early consumption of hard foods for healthy brain function.
Article
Parasitology
Michaela Herz, Klaus Brehm
Summary: The study reveals the important role of serotonin in E. multilocularis development and proliferation, with evidence that serotonin is crucial for parasite integrity and survival. Serotonin also stimulates parasite metacestode development and proliferation, potentially contributing to parasite formation and growth in the liver.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Zhenya Zhu, Xiaolong Chen, Shuang Chen, Chenmin Hu, Rui Guo, Yuhao Wu, Ziyu Liu, Xiaoli Shu, Mizu Jiang
Summary: In this study, the effects of GsMTx4 on 5-HT secretion in QGP-1 cells were explored. It was found that GsMTx4 increased 5-HT levels in QGP-1 cells and affected the expression of Piezo1/2 ion channels, TPH1 enzyme, and p38 signaling pathway. GsMTx4 also influenced mouse intestinal motility and blocked the response of QGP-1 cells to ultrasound.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Maggie Henry, Anna Kate Shoveller, Terri L. O'Sullivan, Lee Niel, Robert Friendship
Summary: Body lesions resulting from tail-biting and ear-biting can have negative effects on pig health and welfare. Tryptophan, an amino acid essential for protein deposition and serotonin synthesis, may play a role in aggression and abnormal behavior. Two studies were conducted to investigate the influence of dietary tryptophan levels on aggression and abnormal behavior in 8-week-old pigs. The results showed that increasing dietary tryptophan relative to large neutral amino acids can impact circulating plasma tryptophan and serotonin concentrations in pigs. However, no significant effects on body, tail and ear-biting behavior were observed under the conditions studied.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Valentina S. Evsiukova, Alla B. Arefieva, Ivan E. Sorokin, Alexander V. Kulikov
Summary: This study investigated the levels of serotonin and its main metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, as well as the activities of the key enzymes involved in their synthesis and degradation in the brains of male and female turquoise killifish at different ages. The results showed that age had a significant effect on body mass, serotonin level, and enzyme activities in the killifish brain. The level of serotonin decreased with age, and there were age-related alterations in the activities of tryptophan hydroxylases and monoamine oxidase. These findings highlight the suitability of N. furzeri as a model organism for studying age-related changes in the serotonin system in the brain.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Giulia Sbrini, Sabrina I. Hanswijk, Paola Brivio, Anthonieke Middelman, Michael Bader, Fabio Fumagalli, Natalia Alenina, Judith R. Homberg, Francesca Calabrese
Summary: Peripheral serotonin levels have an influence on brain functions under basal and dynamic situations. The lack of peripheral serotonin can reduce anxiety-like behavior, as well as neuronal activation and the expression of brain plasticity-related genes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Tatyana Strekalova, Evgeniy Svirin, Jonas Waider, Anna Gorlova, Raymond Cespuglio, Allan Kalueff, Igor Pomytkin, Angelika G. Schmitt-Boehrer, Klaus-Peter Lesch, Daniel C. Anthony
Summary: Gene-environment interaction determines vulnerability to stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders, with Tph2 gene variants linked to increased impulsivity and aggression. Tph2+/- mice exhibit increased aggression, reduced sociability, and altered brain metabolism of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine after predator stress exposure, showing resilience to stress. This study highlights how GxE interaction studies can reveal genetically determined predispositions and uncover latent behaviors.
PROGRESS IN NEURO-PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alla B. Arefieva, Polina D. Komleva, Vladimir S. Naumenko, Nikita V. Khotskin, Alexander V. Kulikov
Summary: This study investigated the effects of the pharmacological chaperone BH4 on the mutant TPH2 enzyme. The results showed that although BH4 demonstrated chaperone effects in vitro, it was unable to increase the activity of mutant TPH2 in vivo.
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Kyoko Kajimoto, Chie Hisada, Suzuko Ochi, Eri Yoshikawa, Ayumi Suzuki, Hiroko Tsugane, Jiahe Zhang, Mitsuo Iinuma, Kin-ya Kubo, Kagaku Azuma
Summary: The study demonstrated that prenatal stress had negative effects on the behavior and brain pathways of mouse offspring, while maternal chewing behavior could alleviate these effects to some extent.
ARCHIVES OF ORAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Shelley R. Winn, Sandra Dudley, Tanja Scherer, Nicole Rimann, Beat Thoeny, Sydney Boutros, Destine Krenik, Jacob Raber, Cary O. Harding
Summary: The study found that lifelong weekly pegvaliase treatment can prevent cognitive deficits associated with hyperphenylalaninemia in mice, particularly with significant improvements in overall growth of the mice with early treatment. However, cognitive deficits may reappear after discontinuation of treatment, especially when treatment is stopped in adulthood.
MOLECULAR GENETICS AND METABOLISM
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Aya Osman, Simone Zuffa, Gemma Walton, Elizabeth Fagbodun, Panos Zanos, Polymnia Georgiou, Ian Kitchen, Jonathan Swann, Alexis Bailey
Summary: The study found that continued consumption of milk containing A1 beta-casein after weaning can lead to increased stress-induced immobility in rats, along with an increase in specific bacteria groups in the intestines, changes in brain receptors, and alterations in urinary biochemical profiles. These results suggest that milk containing A1 beta-casein may affect mood through a gut-brain axis mechanism.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Cezary Chojnacki, Tomasz Poplawski, Anita Gasiorowska, Jan Chojnacki, Janusz Blasiak
Summary: The levels of serotonin and 5-HIAA, as well as the number of EECs, were found to be higher in LC patients compared to healthy controls. Positive correlations were observed between the levels of serotonin and 5-HIAA, serotonin and EEC number, TPH1 mRNA and EEC number, as well as disease severity and 5-HIAA. Budesonide treatment reduced these levels and restored them to values similar to the control group.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mo Xian Chen, Shu Cheng, Lei Lei, Xiao Fan Zhang, Qiang Liu, Aijin Lin, Chloe U. Wallis, Michael James Lukowicz, Pak C. Sham, Qi Li, Li Juan Ao
Summary: The study found that offspring of mothers exposed to FLX during pregnancy exhibited delayed physical development, increased anxiety-like behavior, and impaired social interaction. Down-regulation of 5-HT and SERT expression in the PFC, as well as decreased NAA/tCr levels, were identified. Additionally, a proteomic study revealed sex-dependent differential protein expression.
NEUROCHEMISTRY INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Valentina S. Evsiukova, Daria Bazovkina, Ekaterina Bazhenova, Elizabeth A. Kulikova, Alexander V. Kulikov
Summary: The mechanisms of resistance to antidepressant drugs remain a key and unresolved issue in psychopharmacology. Using zebrafish as a model organism, it was found that disruption of TPH2 function may lead to refractoriness to antidepressant treatment.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jelena Jankovic-Rankovic, Rahul C. Oka, Jerrold S. Meyer, Lee T. Gettler
SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE
(2020)
Article
Developmental Biology
Stacey N. Doan, Shruthi Venkatesh, Melissa Predroza, Amanda Tarullo, Jerrold S. Meyer
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY
(2020)
Review
Developmental Biology
Jerrold S. Meyer, Melinda A. Novak
Summary: This review discusses the impact of prenatal stress on fetal development and the methods of measuring fetal cortisol exposure, introducing the emerging approach of measuring cortisol in maternal hair and newborn hair or nail samples.
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Zoology
Melinda A. Novak
Summary: Researchers sought to understand the causes and treatment methods of self-injurious behavior (SIB) in monkeys housed in research facilities, identifying factors such as individual differences, environmental factors, and physiological factors that influence the occurrence of SIB. Through observations of behavior and environments, evaluation of different treatment models, and examination of risk factors, the research team has yet to find a single effective treatment for SIB, indicating the complex nature of this disorder.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lauren E. Petty, Kathrine Phillippi-Falkenstein, H. Michael Kubisch, Muthuswamy Raveendran, R. Alan Harris, Eric J. Vallender, Chad D. Huff, Rudolf P. Bohm, Jeffrey Rogers, Jennifer E. Below
Summary: The accurate estimation of relatedness among individuals is crucial in analyzing free-ranging animal populations. Methods developed for human genetic data have been applied and evaluated in the analysis of nonhuman primates, showing high concordance between expected and identified relationships for close relatives. These methods are valuable for determination of relatedness in various animal populations, with diverse applications to conservation biology, evolutionary and ecological research and biomedical studies.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Matthew T. Tull, Margaret M. Baer, Tara L. Spitzen, Aaron A. Lee, Eric J. Vallender, Michael R. Garrett, Michael D. Anestis, Kim L. Gratz
Summary: The study examined the relationship between borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms and the catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Results indicated that Val/Val carriers have a higher probability of lifetime suicide attempts as BPD symptom severity increases, suggesting an increased risk for suicide attempts.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Eric J. Vallender, Mark E. Ladner, Margaret O. Akinhanmi, Felicia V. Caples, Mark A. Frye, Joyce E. Balls-Berry
Summary: The study aimed to understand motivating and discouraging factors towards genetic research and biobank programs in bipolar disorder patients, revealing that Black/African American participants were less willing to participate compared to White participants. Concerns about trust, privacy, and autonomy were more prominent among Black/African American participants. Additionally, support for motivating factors such as increasing knowledge and personal benefit decreased among those not interested in participating.
PUBLIC HEALTH GENOMICS
(2021)
Article
Developmental Biology
Katrina R. Simon, Emily C. Merz, Xiaofu He, Pooja M. Desai, Jerrold S. Meyer, Kimberly G. Noble
Summary: This study found that greater exposure to stressful life events was associated with higher child hair cortisol concentrations, and physiological stress levels, as indexed by hair cortisol concentrations, were associated with higher fractional anisotropy in the cingulum bundle.
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Monica J. Taylor-Desir, Joyce E. Balls-Berry, Susan L. McElroy, David J. Bond, Eric J. Vallender, Mark Ladner, Brandon J. Coombes, Linsey Jackson, Danielle Arceo, Felicia Caples, Colin Colby, Christi A. Patten, Joanna M. Biernacka, Mark A. Frye
Summary: This study compared demographic and clinical features of bipolar disorder between individuals of African ancestry and European ancestry, finding that individuals with African ancestry were more likely to have a history of trauma, substance use disorder, and tardive dyskinesia. These findings highlight potential health disparities in bipolar disorder among individuals of African ancestry.
JOURNAL OF RACIAL AND ETHNIC HEALTH DISPARITIES
(2023)
Review
Zoology
Corrine K. Lutz, Kristine Coleman, Lydia M. Hopper, Melinda A. Novak, Jaine E. Perlman, Ori Pomerantz
Summary: Across captive settings, abnormal behavior in nonhuman primates can indicate poor welfare but may also be unrelated to psychological distress and part of an animal's coping mechanism. Risk factors, both intrinsic and environmental, contribute to the development of abnormal behavior, and appropriately trained staff should regularly assess and address these behaviors.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Manuel Gardea-Resendez, Monica J. Taylor-Desir, Francisco Romo-Nava, David Bond, Eric J. Vallender, Alfredo B. Cuellar-Barboza, Miguel L. Prieto, Nicolas Nunez, Marin Veldic, Aysegul Ozerdem, Balwinder Singh, Matej Markota, Colin L. Colby, Brandon J. Coombes, Joanna M. Biernacka, Susan L. McElroy, Mark A. Frye
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical correlates and antipsychotic use patterns of tardive dyskinesia (TD+) in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). The prevalence rate of TD was 5.1%. TD+ participants were older, more likely to be female, and have type I bipolar illness compared to the TD- group. Limitations of the study included a cross-sectional design and the lack of severity assessment for tardive illness.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Kalpana Poudel-Tandukar, Cynthia S. Jacelon, Christopher R. Martell, Krishna C. Poudel, Shan Rai, Razu Ramdam, Holly Laws, Jerrold S. Meyer, Elizabeth R. Bertone-Johnson, Steven D. Hollon
Summary: This study aims to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the preventive intervention program Problem Management Plus for immigrants (PMP-I), as well as the difference between PMP-I and community support services pamphlets on primary outcomes like stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. The study will measure recruitment rates, session attendance, program acceptability, and fidelity of intervention delivery. It will also compare the effects of PMP-I and pamphlets in a randomized controlled trial. The results will be used to inform the design of a larger intervention and will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and conferences.
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Eric J. Vallender, Charlotte E. Hotchkiss, Anne D. Lewis, Jeffrey Rogers, Joshua A. Stern, Samuel M. Peterson, Betsy Ferguson, Ken Sayers
Summary: Pre-clinical research and development heavily relies on translationally valid models of disease. One major challenge in understanding and treating rare diseases is the lack of animal models. Nonhuman primates offer similarities with humans in terms of physiology, anatomy, and behavior due to close evolutionary relationships and high genetic homology. The post-genomic era provides opportunities to discover and develop more nonhuman primate models with clinically relevant phenotypes, which can aid in exploring therapeutics for genetic diseases.
ORPHANET JOURNAL OF RARE DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Sonya V. Troller-Renfree, Natalie H. Brito, Pooja M. Desai, Ana G. Leon-Santos, Cynthia A. Wiltshire, Summer N. Motton, Jerrold S. Meyer, Joseph Isler, William P. Fifer, Kimberly G. Noble
DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Farrah N. Madison, Verner P. Bingman, Tom Smulders, Christine R. Lattin
Summary: Although research on the avian hippocampus has been limited, it is crucial for understanding its evolution and changes over time. The avian hippocampus plays important roles in spatial cognition as well as regulating anxiety, approach-avoidance behavior, and stress responses. Future research should focus on elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms, including endocrinology, to resolve outstanding questions about avian hippocampal function and organization.
HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR
(2024)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Judith A. H. Smit, Riet Vooijs, Peter Lindenburg, Alexander T. Baugh, Wouter Halfwerk
Summary: This study investigates the effects of urbanization on hormone levels in tungara frogs and found that urban frogs and forest frogs have different endocrine phenotypes. Exposure to urban noise and light pollution led to an increase in testosterone and a decrease in corticosterone in urban frogs, while forest frogs showed no endocrine response to sensory pollutants. These results suggest that urbanization can modulate hormone levels and influence behavior in frogs.
HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR
(2024)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Hannah D. Fulenwider, Yangmiao Zhang, Andrey E. Ryabinin
Summary: Social hierarchies have significant effects on overall health of individuals in animal groups, particularly the lowest-ranking individuals. Tube test can be used to determine social rank in male and female mice, and the complex interactions between social rank, sex, environment, and testing length influence peptide levels.
HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR
(2024)
