Journal Articles

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915

Browse

Filters

2019 - 201912020 - 20241

Settings

Author: search.filters.author.Dalziel JESubject: search.filters.subject.Brain

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Peripherally Restricted Activation of Opioid Receptors Influences Anxiety-Related Behaviour and Alters Brain Gene Expression in a Sex-Specific Manner.
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2024-12-07) Parkar N; Young W; Olson T; Hurst C; Janssen P; Spencer NJ; McNabb WC; Dalziel JE; Szumlinski KK; Shiina T
    Although effects of stress-induced anxiety on the gastrointestinal tract and enteric nervous system (ENS) are well studied, how ENS dysfunction impacts behaviour is not well understood. We investigated whether ENS modulation alters anxiety-related behaviour in rats. We used loperamide, a potent μ-opioid receptor agonist that does not cross the blood-brain barrier, to manipulate ENS function and assess changes in behaviour, gut and brain gene expression, and microbiota profile. Sprague Dawley (male/female) rats were acutely dosed with loperamide (subcutaneous) or control solution, and their behavioural phenotype was examined using open field and elevated plus maze tests. Gene expression in the proximal colon, prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala was assessed by RNA-seq and caecal microbiota composition determined by shotgun metagenome sequencing. In female rats, loperamide treatment decreased distance moved and frequency of supported rearing, indicating decreased exploratory behaviour and increased anxiety, which was associated with altered hippocampal gene expression. Loperamide altered proximal colon gene expression and microbiome composition in both male and female rats. Our results demonstrate the importance of the ENS for communication between gut and brain for normo-anxious states in female rats and implicate corticotropin-releasing hormone and gamma-aminobutyric acid gene signalling pathways in the hippocampus. This study also sheds light on sexually dimorphic communication between the gut and the brain. Microbiome and colonic gene expression changes likely reflect localised effects of loperamide related to gut dysmotility. These results suggest possible ENS pharmacological targets to alter gut to brain signalling for modulating mood.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Metabolome and microbiome profiling of a stress-sensitive rat model of gut-brain axis dysfunction
    (Springer Nature Limited, 2019-10-01) Bassett SA; Young W; Fraser K; Dalziel JE; Webster J; Ryan L; Fitzgerald P; Stanton C; Dinan TG; Cryan JF; Clarke G; Hyland N; Roy NC
    Stress negatively impacts gut and brain health. Individual differences in response to stress have been linked to genetic and environmental factors and more recently, a role for the gut microbiota in the regulation of stress-related changes has been demonstrated. However, the mechanisms by which these factors influence each other are poorly understood, and there are currently no established robust biomarkers of stress susceptibility. To determine the metabolic and microbial signatures underpinning physiological stress responses, we compared stress-sensitive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats to the normo-anxious Sprague Dawley (SD) strain. Here we report that acute stress-induced strain-specific changes in brain lipid metabolites were a prominent feature in WKY rats. The relative abundance of Lactococcus correlated with the relative proportions of many brain lipids. In contrast, plasma lipids were significantly elevated in response to stress in SD rats, but not in WKY rats. Supporting these findings, we found that the greatest difference between the SD and WKY microbiomes were the predicted relative abundance of microbial genes involved in lipid and energy metabolism. Our results provide potential insights for developing novel biomarkers of stress vulnerability, some of which appear genotype specific.