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Cited by 18Stress Responses and CortisolNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorMemory and Neural Mechanisms

Neurochemical and behavioral effects of chronic unpredictable stress

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Matuszewich, Leslie, McFadden, Lisa M., Friedman, Ross D., Frye, Cheryl A.·2014·Behavioural Pharmacology
DOI 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000061PMC PMC4119502
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Abstract

Chronic stress can influence behaviors associated with medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) function, such as cognition and emotion regulation. Dopamine in the mPFC is responsive to stress and modulates its behavioral effects. The current study tested whether exposure to 10 days of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) altered the effects of acute elevation stress on dopamine release in the mPFC and on spatial recognition memory. Male rats previously exposed to CUS or nonstressed controls were tested behaviorally, underwent microdialysis to assess mPFC dopamine levels or underwent blood sampling for corticosterone analysis. Dopamine in the mPFC significantly increased in both groups during acute elevation stress compared with baseline levels, but the level was attenuated in CUS rats compared with controls. Control rats exposed to elevation stress immediately before the T-maze test showed impaired performance, whereas CUS rats did not. No group differences were observed in general motor activity or plasma corticosterone levels following elevation stress. The present results indicate that prior exposure to this CUS procedure reduced dopamine release in the mPFC during acute elevation stress and prevented the impairment of performance on a spatial recognition test following an acute stressor. These findings may contribute to an understanding of the complex behavioral consequences of stress.

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  • In contrast to noradrenergic neurons, the dopaminergic axons projecting to rodent PFC become depleted with chronic stress exposure.

    “In contrast to noradrenergic neurons, the dopaminergic axons projecting to rodent PFC become depleted with chronic stress exposure90,91.”

    From Stress weakens prefrontal networks: molecular insults to higher cognition (2015) · cites this paper as [91]

    The Discussion reports that rats exposed to chronic unpredictable stress had a smaller increase in medial PFC dopamine release during a subsequent acute stressor than controls. It does not report depletion of dopaminergic axons or compare those axons with noradrenergic neurons; indeed, dopamine rose above baseline in both groups. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Cited by

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Authors
Matuszewich, L., McFadden, L. M., Friedman, R. D., & Frye, C. A.
Affiliations
  • Northern Illinois University (US)
  • University of Alaska Fairbanks (US)
Corresponding author
Matuszewich, Leslie
ORCID
Venue
Behavioural Pharmacology
Publisher
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Published
2014-09
Volume
25
Issue
5 and 6
Pages
557-566
ISSN
0955-8810 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1097/fbp.0000000000000061
PMC
PMC4119502
OpenAlex
W1977123361
Cited by
18
References
8
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 3
FWCI
0.65
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Behavioural Pharmacology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • Northern Illinois University
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (R03DA016947, DA016947-02)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (P20GM103395)
  • National Center for Research Resources (P20RR016466)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Keywords
chronic unpredictable mild stress, medial prefrontal cortex, dopamine release, acute stress, spatial recognition memory, corticosterone, stress adaptation, T-maze, microdialysis
MeSH terms
Animals, Blood Chemical Analysis, Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid, Chronic Disease, Corticosterone, Dopamine, Exploratory Behavior, Male, Motor Activity, Physical Stimulation, Random Allocation, Stress, Psychological, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Prefrontal Cortex, Microdialysis, Maze Learning, Recognition, Psychology, Uncertainty, Spatial Memory

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