Chronic corticosterone administration in adolescence enhances dorsolateral striatum-dependent learning in adulthood
Previous evidence indicates a link between early life stress (ELS) in humans and a predisposition to psychopathologies that are characterized in part by maladaptive habitual behaviors. Stress and anxiety influence the relative use of mammalian memory systems implicated in these disorders. Specifical...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.970304/full |
| _version_ | 1811310581667332096 |
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| author | Ty M. Gadberry Jarid Goodman Mark G. Packard |
| author_facet | Ty M. Gadberry Jarid Goodman Mark G. Packard |
| author_sort | Ty M. Gadberry |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Previous evidence indicates a link between early life stress (ELS) in humans and a predisposition to psychopathologies that are characterized in part by maladaptive habitual behaviors. Stress and anxiety influence the relative use of mammalian memory systems implicated in these disorders. Specifically, cognitive memory functions of the hippocampus are typically impaired by stress/anxiety, whereas habit memory functions of the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) are enhanced. A stress/anxiety bias toward habit memory has largely been demonstrated in adult rodents and humans, and the effects of ELS on the later use of DLS-dependent habit memory in adult rodents have not been extensively examined. The present study addressed this question by chronically elevating corticosterone (CORT) during adolescence, and investigated the effects of this treatment on DLS-dependent habit learning in adulthood. In experiment 1, adolescent rats received a single daily injection of either CORT (5 mg/kg) or vehicle (cVEH) over 5 days and then matured undisturbed before training as adults in a DLS-dependent water plus-maze task. Rats administered CORT injections during adolescence displayed a strong trend toward enhanced learning during adulthood relative to vehicle-treated rats. Adolescent CORT administration also increased anxiety-like behavior in adulthood in an elevated plus-maze. In experiment 2, adolescent CORT administration enhanced task acquisition in adulthood, and this effect was blocked by concurrent administration of the glucocorticoid antagonist mifepristone (30 mg/kg). Taken together, these findings suggest that chronic elevation of glucocorticoids during adolescence are sufficient to facilitate habit learning in adulthood, and indicate that glucocorticoid function may be a potential underlying mechanism by which ELS influences subsequent habitual behaviors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T10:01:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f52190edbf8b4f47860b25b4b7d21d7f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5153 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T10:01:21Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-f52190edbf8b4f47860b25b4b7d21d7f2022-12-22T02:51:14ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience1662-51532022-08-011610.3389/fnbeh.2022.970304970304Chronic corticosterone administration in adolescence enhances dorsolateral striatum-dependent learning in adulthoodTy M. Gadberry0Jarid Goodman1Mark G. Packard2Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, Delaware State University, Dover, DE, United StatesDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United StatesPrevious evidence indicates a link between early life stress (ELS) in humans and a predisposition to psychopathologies that are characterized in part by maladaptive habitual behaviors. Stress and anxiety influence the relative use of mammalian memory systems implicated in these disorders. Specifically, cognitive memory functions of the hippocampus are typically impaired by stress/anxiety, whereas habit memory functions of the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) are enhanced. A stress/anxiety bias toward habit memory has largely been demonstrated in adult rodents and humans, and the effects of ELS on the later use of DLS-dependent habit memory in adult rodents have not been extensively examined. The present study addressed this question by chronically elevating corticosterone (CORT) during adolescence, and investigated the effects of this treatment on DLS-dependent habit learning in adulthood. In experiment 1, adolescent rats received a single daily injection of either CORT (5 mg/kg) or vehicle (cVEH) over 5 days and then matured undisturbed before training as adults in a DLS-dependent water plus-maze task. Rats administered CORT injections during adolescence displayed a strong trend toward enhanced learning during adulthood relative to vehicle-treated rats. Adolescent CORT administration also increased anxiety-like behavior in adulthood in an elevated plus-maze. In experiment 2, adolescent CORT administration enhanced task acquisition in adulthood, and this effect was blocked by concurrent administration of the glucocorticoid antagonist mifepristone (30 mg/kg). Taken together, these findings suggest that chronic elevation of glucocorticoids during adolescence are sufficient to facilitate habit learning in adulthood, and indicate that glucocorticoid function may be a potential underlying mechanism by which ELS influences subsequent habitual behaviors.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.970304/fullearly life stress (ELS)memoryhabitslearningstriatumcorticosterone |
| spellingShingle | Ty M. Gadberry Jarid Goodman Mark G. Packard Chronic corticosterone administration in adolescence enhances dorsolateral striatum-dependent learning in adulthood Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience early life stress (ELS) memory habits learning striatum corticosterone |
| title | Chronic corticosterone administration in adolescence enhances dorsolateral striatum-dependent learning in adulthood |
| title_full | Chronic corticosterone administration in adolescence enhances dorsolateral striatum-dependent learning in adulthood |
| title_fullStr | Chronic corticosterone administration in adolescence enhances dorsolateral striatum-dependent learning in adulthood |
| title_full_unstemmed | Chronic corticosterone administration in adolescence enhances dorsolateral striatum-dependent learning in adulthood |
| title_short | Chronic corticosterone administration in adolescence enhances dorsolateral striatum-dependent learning in adulthood |
| title_sort | chronic corticosterone administration in adolescence enhances dorsolateral striatum dependent learning in adulthood |
| topic | early life stress (ELS) memory habits learning striatum corticosterone |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.970304/full |
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