{"title":"Sex-dependent perturbations in risky choice behavior and prefrontal tyrosine hydroxylase levels induced by repetitive mild traumatic brain injury","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115244","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Head trauma often impairs cognitive processes mediated within the prefrontal cortex (PFC), leading to impaired decision making and risk-taking behavior. Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) accounts for approximately 80 % of reported head injury cases. Most neurological symptoms of a single mTBI are transient; however, growing evidence suggests that repeated mTBI (rmTBI) results in more severe impairments that worsen with each subsequent injury. Although mTBI-induced disruption of risk/reward decision making has been characterized, the potential for rmTBI to exacerbate these effects and the neural mechanisms involved are unknown. Catecholamine neurotransmitters, dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE), modulate PFC-mediated functions. Imbalances in catecholamine function have been associated with TBI and may underlie aberrant decision making. We used a closed head-controlled cortical impact (CH-CCI) model in rats to evaluate the effects of rmTBI on performance of a probabilistic discounting task of risk/reward decision making behavior and expression levels of catecholamine regulatory proteins within the PFC. RmTBI produced transient increases in risky choice preference in both male and female rats, with these effects persisting longer in females. Additionally, rmTBI increased expression of the catecholamine synthetic enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), within the orbitofrontal (OFC) region of the PFC in females only. These results suggest females are more susceptible to rmTBI-induced disruption of risk/reward decision making behavior and dysregulation of catecholamine synthesis within the OFC. Together, using the CH-CCI model of rodent rmTBI to evaluate the effects of multiple insults on risk-taking behavior and PFC catecholamine regulation begins to differentiate how mTBI occurrences affect neuropathological outcomes across different sexes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8823,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Brain Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166432824004005/pdfft?md5=12349e943fe7d21fed3315bb35d860db&pid=1-s2.0-S0166432824004005-main.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Behavioural Brain Research","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166432824004005","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Head trauma often impairs cognitive processes mediated within the prefrontal cortex (PFC), leading to impaired decision making and risk-taking behavior. Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) accounts for approximately 80 % of reported head injury cases. Most neurological symptoms of a single mTBI are transient; however, growing evidence suggests that repeated mTBI (rmTBI) results in more severe impairments that worsen with each subsequent injury. Although mTBI-induced disruption of risk/reward decision making has been characterized, the potential for rmTBI to exacerbate these effects and the neural mechanisms involved are unknown. Catecholamine neurotransmitters, dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE), modulate PFC-mediated functions. Imbalances in catecholamine function have been associated with TBI and may underlie aberrant decision making. We used a closed head-controlled cortical impact (CH-CCI) model in rats to evaluate the effects of rmTBI on performance of a probabilistic discounting task of risk/reward decision making behavior and expression levels of catecholamine regulatory proteins within the PFC. RmTBI produced transient increases in risky choice preference in both male and female rats, with these effects persisting longer in females. Additionally, rmTBI increased expression of the catecholamine synthetic enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), within the orbitofrontal (OFC) region of the PFC in females only. These results suggest females are more susceptible to rmTBI-induced disruption of risk/reward decision making behavior and dysregulation of catecholamine synthesis within the OFC. Together, using the CH-CCI model of rodent rmTBI to evaluate the effects of multiple insults on risk-taking behavior and PFC catecholamine regulation begins to differentiate how mTBI occurrences affect neuropathological outcomes across different sexes.
期刊介绍:
Behavioural Brain Research is an international, interdisciplinary journal dedicated to the publication of articles in the field of behavioural neuroscience, broadly defined. Contributions from the entire range of disciplines that comprise the neurosciences, behavioural sciences or cognitive sciences are appropriate, as long as the goal is to delineate the neural mechanisms underlying behaviour. Thus, studies may range from neurophysiological, neuroanatomical, neurochemical or neuropharmacological analysis of brain-behaviour relations, including the use of molecular genetic or behavioural genetic approaches, to studies that involve the use of brain imaging techniques, to neuroethological studies. Reports of original research, of major methodological advances, or of novel conceptual approaches are all encouraged. The journal will also consider critical reviews on selected topics.