Effects of Antidepressants on the Ventral Dentate Gyrus Elena Carazo
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Effects of antidepressants on the ventral dentate gyrus Elena Carazo Arias Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy under the Executive Committee of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2021 © 2021 Elena Carazo Arias All Rights Reserved Abstract Effects of antidepressants on the ventral dentate gyrus Elena Carazo Arias Fluoxetine is a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) often prescribed for the treatment of anxiety and depression. Many of its effects are thought to be mediated by the dentate gyrus, but the mechanism by which some patients respond to treatment and some do not remains poorly understood. In this study we have characterized a previously-unknown component of the behavioral response to fluoxetine in the dentate gyrus, using a combination of genomic, behavioral, and imaging techniques. We have found that different components of the opioid system are involved in the treatment efficacy of fluoxetine in the dentate gyrus. Specifically, we have identified a population of anatomically and transcriptionally distinct mature granule cells that are defined by their high levels of proenkephalin expression after fluoxetine treatment. Furthermore, we have shown that the delta opioid receptor is partly mediating some of the behavioral effects of fluoxetine in a neurogenesis-independent manner. These results open an interesting new avenue for research into the involvement of the opioid system in the behavioral response to SSRIs. Table of Contents List of Charts, Graphs, Illustrations .......................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................... vii Dedication ..................................................................................................................................... ix Preface ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1 : General Introduction ............................................................................................ 2 1.1 Depression and Anxiety ............................................................................................................ 2 1.1.1 The HPA Axis ....................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Antidepressant Treatment ......................................................................................................... 5 1.2.1 A Historical Perspective ........................................................................................................ 5 1.2.2 Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors ............................................................................... 8 1.3 The Hippocampus ..................................................................................................................... 9 1.3.1 Anatomy .............................................................................................................................. 10 1.3.2 Differentiation Along the Longitudinal Axis ...................................................................... 11 1.4 The Dentate Gyrus .................................................................................................................. 13 1.4.1 Anatomy .............................................................................................................................. 13 1.4.2 Semilunar Granule Cells ..................................................................................................... 14 1.4.3 Neurogenesis ....................................................................................................................... 16 1.5 Depression, Antidepressants and the Hippocampus ............................................................... 18 1.6 The Opioid System.................................................................................................................. 21 1.6.1 A Historical Perspective ...................................................................................................... 21 1.6.2 Organization ........................................................................................................................ 23 i 1.6.3 Opioid system in the Dentate Gyrus ................................................................................... 26 1.6.4 Opioid System and Depression ........................................................................................... 29 1.7 Behavioral Paradigms in Mood Disorders .............................................................................. 32 Chapter 2 : Contribution of the Opioid System to the Antidepressant Effects of Fluoxetine ................................................................................................................................. 36 2.1 Fluoxetine Modulates Dentate Gyrus Function Through the Opioid System ......................... 36 2.1.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 36 2.1.2 Methods ............................................................................................................................... 38 2.1.3 Results and Figures ............................................................................................................. 46 2.1.4 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 66 2.1.5 Supplementary Figures ....................................................................................................... 72 2.2 The Opioid System Mediates Some of the Behavioral Effects of Fluoxetine......................... 76 2.2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 76 2.2.2 Methods ............................................................................................................................... 77 2.2.3 Results and Figures ............................................................................................................. 81 2.2.4 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 87 Chapter 3 : Fluoxetine Mediates Changes in Granule Cell Activity in the Dentate Gyrus . ................................................................................................................................. 89 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 89 3.2 Methods ................................................................................................................................... 92 3.3 Results and Figures ................................................................................................................. 97 3.4 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................... 109 Chapter 4 : General Discussion ........................................................................................... 112 ii 4.1 Summary of Results .............................................................................................................. 112 4.2 Responsiveness to Fluoxetine ............................................................................................... 113 4.3 Dentate Gyrus Granule Cell Heterogeneity .......................................................................... 115 4.4 High Adaptability of the Opioid System ............................................................................... 117 4.5 Proposed Mechanism ............................................................................................................ 120 4.6 Future Directions................................................................................................................... 124 References ............................................................................................................................... 126 iii List of Charts, Graphs, Illustrations Figure 1.1: The trisynaptic circuit of the hippocampus ................................................................ 11 Figure 1.2: Differential output streams along the dorsal-ventral hippocampus ............................ 12 Figure 1.3: Morphology of semilunar granule cells...................................................................... 15 Figure 1.4: Important molecular mediators of the effects of SSRIs in the Dentate Gyrus. .......... 20 Figure 1.5: Organization of opioid system ................................................................................... 26 Figure 1.6: Rodent models of mood disorders used in our studies. .............................................. 35 Figure 2.1: Chronic corticosterone and fluoxetine administration results in treatment response. 48 Figure 2.2: Chronic corticosterone and fluoxetine treatment results in treatment responder and non-responder mice in the NSF test. ............................................................................................. 50 Figure 2.3: Behavioral analysis of only the mice used for gene expression analysis. .................. 51 Figure 2.4: Ventral DG