Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that are known neuroendocrine disrupting chemicals with adverse neurodevelopmental effects. PBDEs may act as risk factors for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), characterized by abnormal psychosocial functioning, although direct evidence is currently lacking. Using a translational exposure model, we tested the hypothesis that maternal transfer of a commercial mixture of PBDEs, DE-71, produces ASD-relevant behavioral and neurochemical deficits in female offspring. C57Bl6/N mouse dams (F0) were exposed to DE-71 via oral administration of 0 (VEH/CON), 0.1 (L-DE-71) or 0.4 (H-DE-71) mg/kg bw/d from 3 wk prior to gestation through end of lactation. Mass spectrometry analysis indicated in utero and lactational transfer of PBDEs (in ppb) to F1 female offspring brain tissue at postnatal day (PND) 15 which was reduced by PND 110. Neurobehavioral testing of social novelty preference (SNP) and social recognition memory (SRM) revealed that adult L-DE-71 F1 offspring display deficient short- and long-term SRM, in the absence of reduced sociability, and increased repetitive behavior. These effects were concomitant with reduced olfactory discrimination of social odors. Additionally, L-DE-71 exposure also altered short-term novel object recognition memory but not anxiety or depressive-like behavior. Moreover, F1 L-DE-71 displayed downregulated mRNA transcripts for oxytocin (Oxt) in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and supraoptic nucleus, and vasopressin (Avp) in the BNST and upregulated Avp1ar in BNST, and Oxtr in the paraventricular nucleus. Our work demonstrates that developmental PBDE exposure produces ASD-relevant neurochemical, olfactory processing and behavioral phenotypes that may result from early neurodevelopmental reprogramming within central social and memory networks.
This research is a new application of Dress and the Public, Private and Secret Self (PPSS) Model. From a symbolic interaction theory approach, dress and parts of the self were developed in 1981 and expanded in 1994 from three categories to nine. According to the literature, adolescents use dress in two cells of the PPSS Model while older adults use dress in nine cells. To find out whether there is a different stage of dress between adolescence and older adulthood, this research uses the concept of emerging adulthood (18–25 years) to test the use of dress and levels of the self. A quantitative scale was developed for this purpose since none were found in the literature. A total of 351 questionnaires were analysed and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) ensured the validity of the measure. Data analyses included test of within-subjects effects, a paired sample t-test, mean differences and an independent t-test. Findings from 261 surveys from respondents 18–25 years of age indicate that this sample experienced six cells at an average to above-average level of experience, supporting the hypothesis that differences among age groups on dress and PPSS could result from a maturation process. Implications are discussed for further research.
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that are known neuroendocrine disrupting chemicals with adverse neurodevelopmental effects. PBDEs may act as risk factors for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), characterized by abnormal psychosocial functioning, although direct evidence is currently lacking. Using a translational exposure model, we tested the hypothesis that maternal transfer of a commercial mixture of PBDEs, DE-71, produces ASD-relevant behavioral and neurochemical deficits in female offspring. C57Bl6/N mouse dams (F0) were exposed to DE-71 via oral administration of 0 (VEH/CON), 0.1 (L-DE-71) or 0.4 (H-DE-71) mg/kg bw/d from 3 wk prior to gestation through lactation. Mass spectrometry analysis indicated in utero and lactational transfer of PBDEs (ppb) to F1 female offspring brain tissue at postnatal day (PND) 15 which was reduced by PND 110. Neurobehavioral testing of social novelty preference (SNP) and social recognition memory (SRM) revealed that adult L-DE-71 F1 offspring display altered short- and long-term SRM, in the absence of reduced sociability, and increased repetitive behavior. These effects were concomitant with reduced olfactory discrimination of social odors. Additionally, L-DE-71 exposure also altered short-term novel object recognition memory but not anxiety or depressive-like behavior. Moreover, F1 L-DE-71 displayed downregulated mRNA transcripts for oxytocin (Oxt) in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and supraoptic nucleus, vasopressin (Avp) in the BNST and upregulated Avp1ar in BNST, and Oxtr in the paraventricular nucleus. Our work demonstrates that developmental PBDE exposure produces ASD-relevant neurochemical, olfactory processing and behavioral phenotypes that may result from early neurodevelopmental reprogramming within central social and memory networks.
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is characterized by the persistent presence of at least five depressive symptoms over a two-week period . These symptoms must include either depressed mood, or loss of interest or pleasure. Early identification, and ultimately treatment, of depression may be accomplished by identifying neural markers of individuals at risk for MDD, including those with subclinical depressive symptoms . Neuroimaging studies have shown that MDD is associated with impairments to integrity in white matter tracts such as the corpus callosum and internal capsule . However, it is unclear whether these same structures also are disrupted in subclinical depression . The present study sought to examine this question through utilizing diffusion tensor imaging to assess white matter integrity as a function of Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form (GDS-SF) scores . Using a median split of GDS-SF scores, statistical analyses revealed no difference in white matter integrity between low risk and high risk depression groups. However, there was a nonsignificant trend (p=0 .072) such that higher GDS-SF scores were associated with decreased white matter integrity localized to the corpus callosum, right internal capsule, left cingulum, external capsule and fornix . This finding extends previous research on MDD by providing evidence for similar neural correlates of subclinical depression . This may provide insight into the development of MDD and ultimately aid diagnostic and treatment efforts with early identification and intervention.
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are flame retardant pollutants with adverse neurobehavioral effects. In this study, we examined affective and social behaviors in male offspring of pregnant/lactating mothers exposed to a penta‐BDE mixture DE‐71 (low dose (LD) (0.1 mg/Kg/day), high dose (HD) (0.4 mg/Kg/day), corn oil vehicle (control). LD exposure significantly decreased pup litter size which may be associated with changes in dam parameters in gestation. Adult offspring were subjected to behavioral testing that measure social memory, sensorimotor integration/anxiety and depressive like behavior: Social Recognition Task (SRT), SUOK and forced swim tests (FS). HD male offspring showed abnormal SRT ability showing no preference for novel over familiar stimulus mice as compared to control (p<.0001). For SUOK test HD males showed significantly less falls/segments crossed relative to control (p=.024), indicating altered sensorimotor ability. For FS, LD mice spent significantly less time immobile compared to control (p=.002), suggesting that PBDE exposure alters affective behavior and/or promotes hyperactivity. To examine altered neurodevelopment that may underlie behavioral results, we examined intraneocortical connections (INCs) in male offspring at postnatal day 7 (PN7). DiI and DiA fluorescent dyes were injected into the frontal and visual cortices, respectively and dyes were localized to cell layers containing the cells with fibers projecting to dye projection zones (DPZs). DiI and DiA tracing revealed significantly wider normalized DPZs over the visual cortex in LD (p=.04, n=3–8 per group): control 37%, LD 53%, HD 48%. A similar but insignificant change was observed in HD. Frontal association cortex DPZ showed an apparent increase in HD (p=.09, n=3–7 per group): control 47%, LD 53%, HD 57%. The larger dye distribution in LD offspring is not due to gross anatomical differences (cortical length). These results suggest that PBDEs may produce changes in affective behavior in LD male offspring, in part, by altering neurodevelopment of the neocortex.Support or Funding InformationSupported by APS (L.A.), UCMEXUS (E.K.,) UCR Chancellor's Research Fellowship (J.K), DOE HSI‐STEM Fellowship (E.K, N.H ).This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
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