PAC1 GENE VARIABILITY, TEMPERAMENTAL TRAITS AND BRAIN ACTIVATION DURING SOCIAL STRESS. W Dragan, A Marchewka, P Czerski, J Pruessner, School of Psychology, University of Warsaw; Laboratory of Brain Imaging, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw; Laboratory of Psychiatric Genetics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland; McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada. Pituitary adenylate cyclase- activating polypeptide (PACAP) and its receptor (PAC1) are involved in orchestrating behavioral stress responses. Recently, gender-specific relation of PAC1 (ADCYAP1R1) gene’s polymorphism - rs2267735 to PTSD has been found. METHODS: In the first stage of the study we investigated possible associations between 30 SNPs in the PAC1 (ADCYAP1R1) gene and temperamental traits according to Gray\'s reinforcement sensitivity
theory in a group of 426 adults. Temperament traits were assessed using Polish version of Carver and White’s BIS/BAS scales. In the second stage of the study we evaluated fMRI brain activation patterns in a group of 48 participants selected on the basis of genotype at ADCYAP1R1 locus. Participants underwent scans while facing psychosocial stressors (the Montreal Imaging Stress Task). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: We found gender specific association between rs2267732 polymorphism (in high LD with rs2267735) and BAS scale. We also revealed differences in brain activation patterns between groups differing in rs2267732 genotype. Our results indicate that BAS trait may be potential mechanism linking the PAC1 (ADCYAP1R1) gene variability and proneness to adverse stress reactions. RESEARCH SUPPORT: Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education Grant IuventusPlus No. IP2010 007870 and by the Polish National Center Grant No. 2011/01/B/HS6/01912.
IMPACT OF HIERARCHICAL RANK ON COOPERATIVE BEHAVIOUR AND PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS REACTIONS IN SOLDIERS. B Siart and B Wallner, Department of Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. This study concerns itself with the impact of military rank (MR) on an individual’s willingness to cooperate with another individual of differing MR. Studying members of the Austrian Armed Forces enables us to measure the effects of hierarchy, in the form of military rank, on human interaction and physiological stress. For this purpose a behavioral experiment was designed to measure cooperative interactions between individuals representing different MR. It consists of two soldiers of differing MR bargaining about how long each of them needs to stand guard in multiple rounds. The maximum time a soldier could spend standing guard is 40 min. The soldier designated to start the bargaining is at a severe disadvantage. The experiment can be manipulated in order to create non-cooperative situations. Non-cooperative behavior is then used as a stressor. The effects of different MR on physiological stress reactions to cooperative and non-cooperative behavior were examined. Salivary cortisol and testosterone levels are being used as marker for physiological stress reactions. METHODS: Subjects are 320 male members of the Austrian Armed Forces of two distinct groups of rank: Warrant Officers (equivalent to ranks ranging from OR-5 to OR-9 on the NATO standard rank scale) and Enlisted Men (OR-2 to OR-4). The experiment is conducted at barracks in Austria. Hormone levels are measured using ELISA. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Preliminary results show that warrant officers make better use of being in the advantageous position. When warrant officers are in the advantageous position they an average of 4.5 min less standing guard than enlisted men. When enlisted men have the advantage they only spend 0.5 min less standing guard. These results marginally missed the significance level although only a fraction of all subjects has as yet been tested. Endocrine data from saliva samples are going to be processed as soon as all subjects have been exposed to the experiment. According to our preliminary results we conclude that the physiological stress reaction to non-cooperative behavior differs between warrant officers and enlisted men.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND ANXIETY-RELATED
PERSONALITY TRAITS: THE MODIFYING EFFECT ON NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR AND NEUREXIN FAMILY GENES. A Kazantseva, Yu Kutlumbetova, S Malykh, T Traks, S Koks and E Khusnutdinova, Institute of Biochemistry and Genetics, Ufa Scientific Center RAS, Bashkir State University, Ufa, Psychological Institute RAS, Moscow, Russia; Department of Physiology, Department of Pathophysiology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia. Personality traits are thought to be the predictors of important life outcomes and the endophenotypes for most psychiatric disorders including depression, suicide, schizophrenia, addiction, etc. that cause great pain for the individual and high costs for society. Genetic influences on personality traits are attributable to many genes of small effect and are modulated by environmental factors. We aimed to examine gene-environment (GxE) and gene-gene (GxG) interaction models based on neurotrophic factor (NGF, BDNF, NTRK2, NTRK3) and neurexin family (NRXN1, NXPH1) gene polymorphisms contributing into anxiety-related personality traits in healthy individuals. METHODS: In total, 1018 healthy individuals (68% women) from Russia (mean age±SD: 19.81±2.65 years) without any history of psychopathologies were subjected to
personality traits assessment via TCI-125 (Cloninger et al., 1993). Involved individuals are Caucasians from Russian (N=409), Tatar (N=290), Bashkir (N=130) and Udmurt populations (N=189). Socio- demographic data including gender, ethnicity, order and season of birth (SOB), parental style of rearing, place of residence, level of income, childhood maltreatment were obtained. Genotyping of 70 SNPs was performed with SNPlexTM platform (Applied Biosystems). Statistical analysis was conducted with PLINK v.1.07 corrected via FDR-procedure for multiple comparisons. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Conducted GxE analysis demonstrated that
interaction models between BDNF Val66Met and SOB
(PFDR=0.036), NTRK2 haplotypes (based on rs7048278, rs10465180, rs1899640) and gender (PFDR=0.039), NRXN1 haplotype (based on rs2678228, rs694309, rs1715997) and order of birth (PFDR=0.034) affected anxiety-related traits (namely, Harm Avoidance, HA). Moreover, GxG interaction analysis between single SNPs found significant effect of NRXN1 (rs694309) and NTRK3 (rs1435402) interaction in case of HA (p=5.5E-5). In conclusion, our data suggest the role of neurotrophin and neurexin family genes and their interaction with environmental factors in the expression of anxious personality known to be the endophenotype for suicidal behavior, depression and other disorders. RESEARCH SUPPORT: Russian Foundation for Humanities grant (13-06- 00583a).
COMPLIANCE EFFECTS OF BREATHING MEDITATION
PROGRAM ON EEG STRESS QUOTIENT. DK Kim, EM Kim and SW Kang, Data Center for Korean EEG, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul University of Buddhism, Seoul, Republic of Korea. In this study, the compliance effects of 8-week breathing meditation program on EEG stress quotients were tested with old- aged people. METHODS : Participants were recruited as volunteers from local senior wellness center. 19 channel EEG was recorded in the international 10/20 locations during baseline and meditation after 8-week breathing meditation program (n=23). QEEG stress quotients were transformed from the EEGs during baseline and meditation, respectively. Amounts of decreasing QEEG stress quotients during meditation compared to baseline were calculated and grouped by their compliance. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: As a result, high compliance group shows reductions in stress quotients(n=14, -26.18±24.25 %) during meditation whereas low compliance group shows increases in stress quotients (n=9, 47.01±41.22 %) during meditation compared to baseline. The EEG stress quotients extracted from 19 channel EEGs seems to reflect compliance effect on meditation program for old-aged populations. RESEARCH SUPPORT: R&D Program of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea (Program of Advanced Technology Development for Future Industry, 1004- 4399).
DISABILITY AND ANXIETY-DEPRESSIVE STATES IN
PATIENTS WITH CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE. A Yenel, M Sunbul, E Sunbul, FSM Research and Training Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. Anxious and depressive symptoms are frequent in coronary artery disorders. This study estimates the prevalence of disability among patients with coronary artery disorder and identifies important correlates of disability among this population. METHODS: Disability was assessed among 51 participants of the Marmara University Cardiology Clinic outpatient department at the 2013 follow-up using the brief disability quastionnare-BDQ. Demographic and health measures were related to disability status using logistic regression models (none or mild vs. moderate, severe, or extreme disability). When the sex, education, occupation, the hospitalizing clinic and HAD mean points were compared, the difference was found to be statistically significant (p<0.01). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Patients with Coronary Artery Disease have 10.5 ± 2.7 depression level and 11.5 ± 2.3 anxiety level on scale. Mostly patients reported moderate to
extreme global disability, economic strain, depressive
symptomatology were associated with global disability. Obesity, and hypertension were only associated with disability for the mobility domain (getting around). The prevalence of disability is relatively high among this population of coronary artery patients. While planning the treatment of patients with cardiac illness, evaluating them mentally will help to provide optimal treatment and care services.
DEPRESSION AND IDIOPATHIC NORMAL PRESSURE HYDROCEPHALUS (iNPH): A CASE REPORT. V Rutkauskas, I Kazlauskaite and A Siurkute, Republican Vilnius Psychiatric Hospital, Vilnius University School of Medicine, Vilnius, Lithuania. Idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a poorly understood and gradually progressive condition which is characterized by a triad of gait disturbance, cognitive impairment and urinary incontinence. Brain imaging shows enlarged ventricles and normal cerebrospinal fluid pressure is found in such patients. The condition is often accompanied with a wide spectrum of psychiatric conditions which can be determined by iNHP or be an isolated psychiatric disorder. METHODS: We report the case of 62- year-old female patient with iNPH. She started exhibiting neurological symptoms of iNPH (gait and posture abnormalities, mild cognitive impairment, urinary incontinence and right hand tremor) at the age of 55 and the diagnosis was established at the age of 57. As neurological symptoms gradually intensified, a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt was inserted at the age of 62. During a few-month period, the neurological symptoms considerably improved while psychiatric symptoms (apathy, insomnia, suicidal ideation, fatigue, self-guilt ideas) gradually became more intense, affecting her functions. She was only then referred to a psychiatrist for treatment. The psychiatric examination revealed that the patient had been having third depressive episode lasting for two years, which had some organic personality disorder features. In her psychiatric history she had two depressive episodes at the age of 42 and 51, which were successfully treated with psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, respectively. The psychiatric symptoms of the third depressive episode responded fairly well to a course of antidepressant drugs as well. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: This case report illustrates the importance of revealing previous psychiatric history of patients with both iNPH and a psychiatric condition. Clinicians must be aware of the possibility of isolated psychiatric disease in patients with iNHP as psychiatric symptoms are not necessarily part of the same syndrome as neurological symptoms. An earlier diagnosis of a psychiatric disease in patients with iNPH may provide a chance of faster improvement.
EMOTIONAL REACTIONS OF THE HIGH SCOOL STUDENT’S WITH DIFFERENT ACADEMIC SUCCESS. EI Nikolaeva and EG Vergunov, Herzen State Pedagogical University, St. Petersburg State Transport University, St. Petersburg, Russia. Providing the student’s health during their education is the important mission and problem for the modern schools. Currently, the high school students need to pass the evaluation testing. These exams are very stressful for most of students, and the training to these exams during the school year can also be stressful for children. Thus, the
question is what psychophysiological and psychological
mechanisms may ensure academic success in such stressful situations? One of the effective methods of the functional state evaluation is heart rate variability’s recording (Myrtek, 2004). We suggested that psychophysiological mechanisms ensuring the academic success of the high school students can depend on the emotional reactions of these students. METHODS: Subjects were 197 students of the 10th and 11th grades of the comprehensive school. The tests included variability of heart rate records; Strelau’s Temperament Inventory; Spielberger’s State/Trait Anxiety Inventory; coping strategies test (adapted by Krjukova and Kuftjak); Taylor’s alexithymia scale. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Among students of the 11th grade, there was a group with the inverted heart rate reaction: in the emotional situation (control work) their sympathetic activation decreased, as compared with the background state. Students with average academic success levels have the typical psycho-physiological reactions in the stress situations. They all have adequate coping strategies. Students with inverted reactions were divided to two sub-groups: with high academic success (girls), and with very low level of the academic success (boys). Overall, the less level of the anxiety was, the higher the level of the academic success was observed.
EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE SUCCESS OF EMOTION RECOGNITION BY CHILDREN AGED 6 TO 11 YEARS. MN
Anderson, Academy of Teachers’ Postgraduate Education, St.
Petersburg, Russia. Research is devoted to studying the problem of recognition of emotions examinees in the age range from six to eleven years. In the course of the execution of quantitative and qualitative analysis of the results were taken into account age and
sex characteristics: each age subgroup included the subjects of both sexes. METHODS: Methodical apparatus of the study included the coding technique facial expressions FAST (methodology P. Ekman) with the aim of studying the peculiarities of emotion recognition schemes face expression and methods of individual success emotion recognition JACFEE with the aim of studying the peculiarities of emotion recognition from photographs. To determine the effect of factors of age and sex on the success of emotion recognition, we performed two-factor analysis of variance results of all studied subjects ages. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Boys 6-7 years significantly better than girls recognize schematic representation of the emotions that indicates the reliability of the impact of gender on the success of recognition of emotions of
anger in this age range. Boys 8, 9 and 11 years of age are also
several girls better recognize the emotion, however, these differences are statistically insignificant. With regard to the significant age differences, the boys they are observed in 7- and 10-year-old in comparison with the previous ages, while girls in 8 years. The analysis of successful recognition of emotions of anger from photographs revealed the opposite picture: girl 6-7 years is significantly meaningful level, and in 8-9 years a tendency better boys recognize the emotion of anger. A similar picture is revealed by the analysis of the success of the recognition of emotion of fear. Boys 6-9 years of age significantly better than girls recognize the emotion scheme person. The best results they show in the subsequent age (10-11 years), but as a tendency. Analysis of age dynamics recognition of the success of this emotion shows that 8- year-old boys and girls dramatically improve this ability in comparison with 7 years of age. Throughout all the ages there are no significant sex differences in recognition of the emotion of
surprise. As for the age differences, both boys and girls, they are
recorded in the age of 8, when there is a sharp improvement in the identification of the emotions in her schematic image (28, 2 to 70% in boys and from 20 to 75% among girls). In subsequent years the growth of the success was stable and amounted in both groups of 8%. Different dynamics observed when analyzing the recognition emotion of surprise on photos. During 6-9-year-old range girls outperform boys, and in 7-8 years, the differences are statistically significant. However, 10- and 11-year-old boys take revenge and significantly better than girls learn the emotion of surprise. CONCLUSION: Children of both sexes and of all ages better recognize the schematic images of all studied emotions in comparison with their photographic analogues, that explain more vivid pictorial signs displayed emotions. The highest number of validly significant age differences in both groups of subjects accounted for 8 years of age. This allows us to conclude about the critical nature of the 8 years of age in developing the ability to recognize these emotions, which is probably connected with the critical nature of this age group in general.
PUBLISHED ABSTRACT:
THE NITRIC OXIDE INVOLVEMENT IN ALUMINIUM
NEUROTOXICITY. A Jelenkovic, MD Jovanovic, ID Stevanovic, D Bokonjic and N Petronijevic, University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", Military Medical Academy, Institute for Medical Research, University of Defense, National Poison Control Centre, University of Belgrade, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical and Clinical Biochemistry, Belgrade, Republic of Serbia. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive, age-related, neurodegenerative disease resulting in decreased cognitive functions. Its etiology and pathogenesis is not fully elucidated. However, a potential role of aluminum in the pathogenesis of AD cannot be dismissed. Its neurotoxicity, among other effects, exhibits increases in NO production. Thus, it was of interest to examine the behavioral effects of aluminum as to the consequences of cognitive processes, and also influence of the modulation of nitric oxide synthesis on these activities. METHODS: Methods: During the total anesthesia, chemicals were given to six groups of adult male Wistar rats. Saline (0.9% NaCl, control group), aluminum chloride (3.7×10-4 g/kg), WHILE next three groups were given a different dose of a non-specific nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) given before aluminum. The sixth group received the highest dose of L- NAME (100 µg) only. All the chemicals were administered into the CA1 sector of the hippocampus. After a 6-day recovery period, rats underwent the two way active avoidance testing during five
consecutive days with the aim to examine their learning ability and memory capacity. Active avoidance (AA) response was measured, i.e. the correct reaction to the conditioned stimulus that prevented the unconditioned one. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Results and discussion: Differences in the AA responses between control and aluminum-treated group became evident on the third day of AA testing, and progressively increased over the next two days. That was due to the increased number of positive responses in the control group and the decreased ones in the aluminum-treated rats. Furthermore, L-NAME by itself exhibited even worse effects with regard to the aluminum-treated rats. However, inhibition of NO synthesis in the aluminum-treated groups obtained by the pretreatment with L-NAME, improved the AA responses in a dose- dependent manner. Conclusion: Aluminum chloride decreased the ability of learning and memory, as did the reduction of NO synthesis in untreated rats. However, the pretreatment with L- NAME reduced the examined neurotoxic effects of aluminum in a dose-dependent manner. RESEARCH SUPPORT: Ministry of Science (contract 175058) and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Serbia (contract MMA/06-10/B3).
SATELLITE ISBS/ZNRC SYMPOSIUM: 5th INTERNATIONAL
ZEBRAFISH NEUROBEHAVIORAL AND NEURO-
PHENOTYPING WORKSHOP ZB2N-2014
Moderators: AV Kalueff (USA), WH Norton (UK), C Buske (UK), E Batut (ViewPoint, France)
GENERAL INTRODUCTION: As more and more labs are establishing zebrafish (Danio rerio) projects, zebrafish are rapidly becoming a popular model organism for neuroscience research.
This workshop consists of a series of presentations covering major neurobehavioral domains and advanced phenotyping techniques for probing normal and pathological behaviors in zebrafish. The talks will be followed by informal breakout sessions discussing the practical application of zebrafish screens, 2D and 3D behavioral analyses, video-tracking tools, and future new directions in the field. Workshop participants will also have the opportunity to
discuss their own research problems, and obtain
expert consultation.
TOPICS FOR WORKSHOP DISCUSSION
Introduction to behavioral ecology of zebrafish
General motor phenotypes, neurotoxicity models
Anxiety and fear-related behaviors
Social phenotypes: Manual and automated analyses of
shoaling and social preference
Memory and Learning; PTSD
Predator avoidance, depression-like phenotypes
Drug abuse and withdrawal
Genetic/strain differences
Aggression and boldness phenotypes
Zebrafish behavioral syndromes
Advanced video-tracking techniques
Three-dimensional neurophenotyping
Zebrafish high-throughput small molecule screens
Zebrafish models of psychoses; hallucinogenic, anxiolytic and
antidepressant drugs’ effects
Physiological biomarkers
Zebrafish research and online databases and tools