Repeated stress exposure in mid-adolescence attenuates behavioral, noradrenergic, and epigenetic effects of trauma-like stress in early adult male rats

Lauren E. Chaby, Nareen Sadik, Nicole A. Burson, Scott Lloyd, Kelly O’Donnel, Jesse Winters, Alana C. Conti, Israel Liberzon, Shane A. Perrine

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Stress in adolescence can regulate vulnerability to traumatic stress in adulthood through region-specific epigenetic activity and catecholamine levels. We hypothesized that stress in adolescence would increase adult trauma vulnerability by impairing extinction-retention, a deficit in PTSD, by (1) altering class IIa histone deacetylases (HDACs), which integrate effects of stress on gene expression, and (2) enhancing norepinephrine in brain regions regulating cognitive effects of trauma. We investigated the effects of adolescent-stress on adult vulnerability to severe stress using the single-prolonged stress (SPS) model in male rats. Rats were exposed to either (1) adolescent-stress (33–35 postnatal days) then SPS (58–60 postnatal days; n = 14), or (2) no adolescent-stress and SPS (58–60 postnatal days; n = 14), or (3) unstressed conditions (n = 8). We then measured extinction-retention, norepinephrine, HDAC4, and HDAC5. As expected, SPS exposure induced an extinction–retention deficit. Adolescent-stress prior to SPS eliminated this deficit, suggesting adolescent-stress conferred resiliency to adult severe stress. Adolescent-stress also conferred region-specific resilience to norepinephrine changes. HDAC4 and HDAC5 were down-regulated following SPS, and these changes were also modulated by adolescent-stress. Regulation of HDAC levels was consistent with the pattern of cognitive effects of SPS; only animals exposed to SPS without adolescent-stress exhibited reduced HDAC4 and HDAC5 in the prelimbic cortex, hippocampus, and striatum. Thus, HDAC regulation caused by severe stress in adulthood interacts with stress history such that seemingly conflicting reports describing effects of adolescent stress on adult PTSD vulnerability may stem in part from dynamic HDAC changes following trauma that are shaped by adolescent stress history.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number17935
Pages (from-to)17935
JournalScientific Reports
Volume10
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 21 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Repeated stress exposure in mid-adolescence attenuates behavioral, noradrenergic, and epigenetic effects of trauma-like stress in early adult male rats'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this