title: HIV-1 transgenic female rat: synaptodendritic alterations of medium spiny neurons in the nucleus accumbens.
abstract: HIV-1 associated neurocognitive deficits are increasing in prevalence, although the neuronal basis for these deficits is unclear. HIV-1 Tg rats constitutively express 7 of 9 HIV-associated proteins, and may be useful for studying the neuropathological substrates of HIV-1 associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). In this study, adult female HIV-1 Tg rats and F344 control rats had similar growth rates, estrous cyclicity and startle reflex inhibition to a visual prepulse stimulus. Medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) were ballistically-labeled utilizing the indocarbocyanine dye DiI. The branching complexity of MSNs in the NAcc was significantly decreased in HIV-1 Tg rats, relative to controls; moreover, the shorter length and decreased volume of dendritic spines, but unchanged head diameter, in HIV-1 Tg rats suggested a reduction of longer spines and an increase in shorter, less projected spines, indicating a population shift to a more immature spine phenotype. Collectively, these results from HIV-1 Tg female rats indicated significant synaptodendritic alterations of MSNs in the NAcc occur as a consequence of chronic, low-level, exposure to HIV-1 associated proteins.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, 29208, Columbia, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Roscoe
authors.forename: Charles F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Mactutus
authors.forename: Rosemarie M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Booze
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D055647:Rats, Transgenic; D013569:Synapses / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology