Department of Psychology, Colby College, 5550 Mayflower Hill Dr., Waterville, ME 04901, USA.
Brain Res. 2012 Mar 14;1443:52-63. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.01.018. Epub 2012 Jan 17.
Perinatal choline supplementation in rats is neuroprotective against insults such as fetal alcohol exposure, seizures, and advanced age. In the present study we explored whether dietary choline supplementation may also confer protection from psychological challenges, like stress, and act as a natural buffer against stress-linked psychological disorders, like depression. We previously found that choline supplementation increased adult hippocampal neurogenesis, a function compromised by stress, lowered in depression, and boosted by antidepressants; and increased levels of growth factors linked to depression, like brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Together, these were compelling reasons to study the role of choline in depressed mood. To do this, we treated rats with a choline supplemented diet (5 mg/kg choline chloride in AIN76A) prenatally on embryonic days 10-22, on postnatal days (PD) 25-50, or as adults from PD75 onward. Outside of these treatment periods rats were fed a standard diet (1.1 mg/kg choline chloride in AIN76A); control rats consumed only this diet throughout the study. Starting on PD100 rats' anxiety-like responses to an open field, learning in a water maze, and reactivity to forced swimming were assessed. Rats given choline supplementation during pre- or post-natal development, but not adult-treated rats, were less anxious in the open field and less immobile in the forced swim test than control rats. These effects were not mediated by a learning deficit as all groups performed comparably and well in the water maze. Thus, we offer compelling support for the hypothesis that supplemental dietary choline, at least when given during development, may inoculate an individual against stress and major psychological disorders, like depression.
孕期补充胆碱可保护大鼠免受胎儿酒精暴露、癫痫发作和衰老等损伤。本研究旨在探讨饮食补充胆碱是否也能预防心理应激，如压力，并作为应对与应激相关的心理障碍（如抑郁症）的天然缓冲剂。我们之前发现，胆碱补充可增加成年海马神经发生，而这一功能会受到应激的损害，在抑郁症中降低，并被抗抑郁药增强；同时还可增加与抑郁症相关的生长因子水平，如脑源性神经营养因子。所有这些都有力地说明有必要研究胆碱在抑郁情绪中的作用。为此，我们用添加胆碱的饮食（AIN76A 中的 5mg/kg 氯化胆碱）对孕鼠进行了产前（胚胎第 10-22 天）、产后（PD25-50）或成年期（PD75 后）处理。在这些治疗期之外，大鼠喂食标准饮食（AIN76A 中的 1.1mg/kg 氯化胆碱）；对照组大鼠在整个研究期间仅食用该饮食。从 PD100 开始，评估大鼠的旷场焦虑样反应、水迷宫学习能力以及强迫游泳的反应性。与对照组相比，在产前或产后接受胆碱补充的大鼠在旷场中焦虑程度较低，在强迫游泳试验中不动时间较短，但仅在成年期接受胆碱补充的大鼠则没有这种作用。这些影响不是由学习缺陷引起的，因为所有组在水迷宫中的表现都相当且良好。因此，我们为补充饮食胆碱的假说提供了有力支持，即在至少在发育期间补充胆碱，可能会使个体免受应激和重大心理障碍（如抑郁症）的影响。
