Cited by 24Memory and Neural MechanismsNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorStress Responses and Cortisol

Epigenetic mechanisms within the cingulate cortex regulate innate anxiety-like behavior

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Sah, Anupam, Sotnikov, Sergey, Kharitonova, Maria, Schmuckermair, Claudia, Diepold, Rebekka P, Landgraf, Rainer, Whittle, Nigel, Singewald, Nicolas·2019·International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Pathological anxiety originates from a complex interplay of genetic predisposition and environmental factors, acting via epigenetic mechanisms. Epigenetic processes that can counteract detrimental genetic risk towards innate high anxiety are not well characterized. METHODS: We used female mouse lines of selectively bred high (HAB)- vs low (LAB)-innate anxiety-related behavior and performed select environmental and pharmacological manipulations to alter anxiety levels as well as brain-specific manipulations and immunohistochemistry to investigate neuronal mechanisms associated with alterations in anxiety-related behavior. RESULTS: Inborn hyperanxiety of high anxiety-like phenotypes was effectively reduced by environmental enrichment exposure. c-Fos mapping revealed that hyperanxiety in high anxiety-like phenotypes was associated with blunted challenge-induced neuronal activation in the cingulate-cortex, which was normalized by environmental enrichment. Relating this finding with epigenetic modifications, we found that high anxiety-like phenotypes (compared with low-innate anxiety phenotypes) showed reduced acetylation in the hypoactivated cingulate-cortex neurons following a mild emotional challenge, which again was normalized by environmental enrichment. Paralleling the findings using environmental enrichment, systemic administration of histone-deacetylase-inhibitor MS-275 elicited an anxiolytic-like effect, which was correlated with increased acetylated-histone-3 levels within cingulate-cortex. Finally, as a proof-of-principle, local MS-275 injection into cingulate-cortex rescued enhanced innate anxiety and increased acetylated-histone-3 within the cingulate-cortex, suggesting this epigenetic mark as a biomarker for treatment success. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the present findings provide the first causal evidence that the attenuation of high innate anxiety-like behavior via environmental/pharmacological manipulations is epigenetically mediated via acetylation changes within the cingulate-cortex. Finally, histone-3 specific histone-deacetylase-inhibitor could be of therapeutic importance in anxiety disorders.

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  • Histone-deacetylase inhibitors may be useful in anxiety disorders by promoting relevant gene expression and targeting some common comorbidities of anxiety disorders.

    “histone-deacetylase inhibitors may be useful in anxiety disorders, by promoting relevant gene expression (Sah et al., 2019;Tran, Schulkin, Ligon, & Greenwood-Van Meerveld, 2015;Whittle & Singewald, 2014) and targeting also some common comorbidities of anxiety disorders (Moloney, Stilling, Dinan, & Cryan, 2015).”

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Authors
Sah, A., Sotnikov, S., Kharitonova, M., Schmuckermair, C., Diepold, R. P., Landgraf, R., Whittle, N., & Singewald, N.
Affiliations
  • Universität Innsbruck (AT)
  • Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry (DE)
Corresponding author
Singewald, Nicolas
Venue
International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
Published
2019-01-21
Volume
22
Issue
4
Pages
317-328
ISSN
  • 1461-1457 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-5111
OpenAlex
W2913564378
Cited by
24
References
77
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 1
FWCI
1.73
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Austrian Science Fund (SFB F4410, W1206-B18)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
Keywords
cingulate cortex, epigenetic regulation, histone acetylation, histone deacetylase inhibition, entinostat, environmental enrichment, anxiety-like behavior, c-Fos neuronal activation, histone H3 acetylation, anxiety disorders, anxiolytic effects
MeSH terms
Proof of Concept Study, Animals, Anxiety, Behavior, Animal, Benzamides, Environment, Female, Gyrus Cinguli, Histones, Instinct, Male, Mice, Inbred Strains, Pyridines, Anti-Anxiety Agents, Epigenesis, Genetic, Mice, Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors

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