Summary Developmental alterations of excitatory synapses are implicated in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Here, we report increased dendritic spine density with reduced developmental spine pruning in layer V pyramidal neurons in postmortem ASD temporal lobe. These spine deficits correlate with hyperactivated mTOR and impaired autophagy. In Tsc2+/- ASD mice where mTOR is constitutively overactive, we observed postnatal spine pruning defects, blockade of autophagy, and ASD-like social behaviors. The mTOR inhibitor rapamycin corrected ASD-like behaviors and spine pruning defects in Tsc2+/ mice, but not in Atg7CKO neuronal autophagy deficient mice or Tsc2+/-:Atg7CKO double mutants. Neuronal autophagy furthermore enabled spine elimination with no effects on spine formation. Our findings suggest that mTOR regulated autophagy is required for developmental spine pruning, and activation of neuronal autophagy corrects synaptic pathology and social behavior deficits in ASD models with hyperactivated mTOR.

SUMMARY Adult hippocampal neurogenesis declines in aging rodents and primates. Aging humans are thought to exhibit waning neurogenesis and exercise-induced angiogenesis, with a resulting volumetric decrease in the neurogenic hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) region, although concurrent changes in these parameters are not well studied. Here we assessed whole-autopsy hippocampi from healthy human individuals ranging from 14 to 79 years of age. We found similar numbers of intermediate neural progenitors and thousands of immature neurons in the DG, comparable numbers of glia and mature granule neurons, and equivalent DG volume across ages. Nevertheless, older individuals have less angiogenesis and neuroplasticity and a smaller quiescent progenitor pool in anterior-mid DG, with no changes in posterior DG. Thus, healthy older subjects without cognitive impairment, neuropsychiatric disease, or treatment display preserved neurogenesis. It is possible that ongoing hippocampal neurogenesis sustains human-specific cognitive function throughout life and that declines may be linked to compromised cognitive-emotional resilience.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) increase neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus (DG) of rodents and nonhuman primates. We determined whether SSRIs or TCAs increase neural progenitor (NPCs) and dividing cells in the human DG in major depressive disorder (MDD). Whole frozen hippocampi from untreated subjects with MDD (N = 5), antidepressant-treated MDD (MDDT, N = 7), and controls (C, N = 7) were fixed, sectioned and immunostained for NPCs and dividing cell markers (nestin and Ki-67 respectively), NeuN and GFAP, in single and double labeling. NPC and dividing cell numbers in the DG were estimated by stereology. Clinical data were obtained by psychological autopsy and toxicological and neuropathological examination performed in all subjects. NPCs decreased with age (p = 0.034). Females had more NPCs than males (p = 0.023). Correcting for age and sex, MDDT receiving SSRIs had more NPCs than untreated MDD (p ≤ 0.001) and controls (p ≤ 0.001), NPCs were not different in SSRIs- and TCAs-treated MDDT (p = 0.169). Dividing cell number, unaffected by age or sex, was greater in MDDT receiving TCAs than in untreated MDD (p ≤ 0.001), SSRI-treated MDD (p = 0.001) and controls (p ≤ 0.001). The NPCs and dividing cells increase in MDDT was localized to the rostral DG. MDDT had a larger DG volume compared with untreated MDD or controls (p = 0.009). Antidepressants increase neural progenitor cell number in the anterior human dentate gyrus. Whether this finding is critical or necessary for the antidepressants effect remains to be determined.

New neurons are generated in the adult hippocampus of many species including rodents, monkeys, and humans. Conditions associated with major depression, such as social stress, suppress hippocampal neurogenesis in rodents and primates. In contrast, all classes of antidepressants stimulate neuronal generation, and the behavioral effects of these medications are abolished when neurogenesis is blocked. These findings generated the hypothesis that induction of neurogenesis is a necessary component in the mechanism of action of antidepressant treatments. To date, the effects of antidepressants on newborn neurons have been reported only in rodents and tree shrews. This study examines whether neurogenesis is increased in nonhuman primates after antidepressant treatment. Adult monkeys received repeated electroconvulsive shock (ECS), which is the animal analog of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), the most effective short-term antidepressant. Compared with control conditions, ECS robustly increased precursor cell proliferation in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus in the monkey hippocampus. A majority of these precursors differentiated into neurons or endothelial cells, while a few matured into glial cells. The ECS-mediated induction of cell proliferation and neurogenesis was accompanied by increased immunoreactivity for the neuroprotective gene product BCL2 (B cell chronic lymphocytic lymphoma 2) in the SGZ. The ECS interventions were not accompanied by increased hippocampal cell death or injury. This study demonstrates that ECS is capable of inducing neurogenesis in the nonhuman primate hippocampus and supports the possibility that antidepressant interventions produce similar alterations in the human brain.

Background Adult neurogenesis is coupled to angiogenesis in neurogenic niches in the dentate gyrus (DG) and increased by antidepressants in rodents. We hypothesized that, in major depressive disorder (MDD), antidepressants increase neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and capillaries in the human DG. Methods NPCs and capillaries, detected on hippocampal sections by immunohistochemistry for nestin, were quantified by stereology in matched MDDs (untreated, n=12), MDD treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (MDD*SSRI, n=6) or tricyclic antidepressants (MDD*TCA, n=6) and nonpsychiatric controls (n=12), all confirmed by psychological autopsy. Results MDD*SSRI had a larger capillary area and more NPCs versus MDDs (p=.034 and p=.008, respectively) and controls (p=.010 and p=.002, respectively) in the whole DG, more NPCs in the anterior (pes, p=.042) and central (mid-body, p=.004) DG, and greater capillary area in the pes (p=.002) and mid-body (p=.021). NPC number and capillary area correlated positively in the whole sample (R2=.454, p<.001) and in treated subjects (R2=.749, p=.001). We found no NPCs or antidepressant-related angiogenesis in CA1 and parahippocampal gyrus. DG volume correlated positively with NPC number (p=.004) and capillary area (p<.001), and differed between groups in whole hippocampus (p=.013) and mid-body (p=.036). Age negatively correlated with NPC number (p=.042), capillary area (p=.037) and bifurcations (p=.030). No sex effect was detected. Conclusions Antidepressants increase human hippocampal NPCs and angiogenesis selectively in the anterior and mid DG. These results raise the possibility of a causal relationship between angiogenesis and neurogenesis, as seen in other proliferating tissues, and support their possible role in the mechanism of action of antidepressants.

Smaller hippocampal volume is reported in major depressive disorder (MDD). We hypothesize that it may be related to fewer granule neurons (GN) in the dentate gyrus (DG), a defect possibly reversible with antidepressants. We studied age-, sex-, and postmortem interval-matched groups: no major psychopathology (controls); unmedicated-MDD; and MDD treated with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (MDD*SSRI) or tricyclics (MDD*TCA). Frozen right hippocampi were fixed, sectioned (50 mm), immunostained with neuronal nuclear marker (NeuN), and counterstained with hematoxylin. GN and glial number, and DG and granule cell layer (GCL) volumes were stereologically estimated. Fewer GNs in the anterior DG were present in unmedicated-MDDs compared with controls (p ¼ 0.013). Younger age of MDD onset correlated with fewer GNs (p ¼ 0.021). Unmedicated-MDDs had fewer mid-DG GNs than MDD*SSRIs (p ¼ 0.028) and controls (p ¼ 0.032). Anterior GCL glial number did not differ between groups. Anterior/mid GCL volume was smaller in unmedicated-MDDs vs controls (p ¼ 0.008) and larger in MDD*SSRIs vs unmedicated-MDDs (po0.001), MDD*TCAs (po0.001), and controls (po0.001). Anterior GCL volume and GN number (r ¼ 0.594, p ¼ 0.001), and mid DG volume and GN number (r ¼ 0.398, p ¼ 0.044) were correlated. Anterior DG capillary density correlated with GN number (p ¼ 0.027), and with GCL (p ¼ 0.024) and DG (r ¼ 0.400, p ¼ 0.047) volumes. Posterior DG volume and GN number did not differ between groups. Fewer GNs in unmedicated-MDD without fewer neuronal progenitor cells, as previously reported, suggests a cell maturation or survival defect, perhaps related to MDD duration. This may contribute to a smaller hippocampus and is potentially reversed by SSRIs. Postmortem studies are correlative and animal studies are needed to test implied causal relationships.

Background: Postmortem studies of the subiculum from subjects with schizophrenia have detected smaller pyramidal cell bodies and diminished immunoreactivity for the dendritic protein, microtubule-associated protein 2. While these findings suggest that subicular pyramidal cell dendrites may be structurally altered in subjects with schizophrenia, this possibility had not been tested directly.

Early-life serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] signaling modulates brain development, which impacts adult behavior, but 5-HTsensitive periods, neural substrates, and behavioral consequences remain poorly understood. Here we identify the period ranging from postnatal day 2 (P2) to P11 as 5-HT sensitive, with 5-HT transporter (5-HTT) blockade increasing anxiety-and depression-like behavior, and impairing fear extinction learning and memory in adult mice. Concomitantly, P2-P11 5-HTT blockade causes dendritic hypotrophy and reduced excitability of infralimbic (IL) cortex pyramidal neurons that normally promote fear extinction. By contrast, the neighboring prelimbic (PL) pyramidal neurons, which normally inhibit fear extinction, become more excitable. Excitotoxic IL but not PL lesions in adult control mice reproduce the anxiety-related phenotypes. These findings suggest that increased 5-HT signaling during P2-P11 alters adult mPFC function to increase anxiety and impair fear extinction, and imply a differential role for IL and PL neurons in regulating affective behaviors. Together, our results support a developmental mechanism for the etiology and pathophysiology of affective disorders and fear-related behaviors.