The medial prefrontal cortex is critical for contextual appraisal, executive function, and goal-directed behavior. Additionally, the infralimbic (IL) subregion of the prefrontal cortex has been implicated in stress responding, mood, and fear memory. However, the specific circuit mechanisms that mediate these effects are largely unknown. To date, IL output to the limbic forebrain has been examined largely qualitatively or within a restricted number of sites. To quantify IL presynaptic input to structures throughout the forebrain, we utilized a lentiviral construct expressing synaptophysin-mCherry. Thus, allowing quantification of IL efferents that are specifically synaptic, as opposed to fibers of passage. Additionally, this approach permitted the determination of IL innervation on a sub-structural level within the multiple heterogeneous limbic nuclei. To examine the functional output of the IL, optogenetic activation of IL projections was followed by quantification of neuronal activation throughout the limbic forebrain via fos-related antigen (Fra). Quantification of synaptophysin-mCherry indicated that the IL provides robust synaptic input to a number of regions within the thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, with limited input to the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens. Furthermore, there was high concordance between structural connectivity and functional activation. Interestingly, some regions receiving substantial synaptic input did not exhibit significant increases in Fra immunoreactivity. Collectively, these studies represent a step toward a comprehensive and quantitative analysis of output circuits. This large scale efferent quantification or ‘projectome’ also opens the door for data-driven analyses of the downstream synaptic mechanisms that mediate the integrative aspects of cortico-limbic interactions.

Background The medial prefrontal cortex is necessary for appropriate appraisal of stressful information, as well as coordinating visceral and behavioral processes. However, prolonged stress impairs medial prefrontal cortex function and prefrontal‐dependent behaviors. Additionally, chronic stress induces sympathetic predominance, contributing to health detriments associated with autonomic imbalance. Previous studies identified a subregion of rodent prefrontal cortex, infralimbic cortex ( IL ), as a key regulator of neuroendocrine‐autonomic integration after chronic stress, suggesting that IL output may prevent chronic stress‐induced autonomic imbalance. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that the IL regulates hemodynamic, vascular, and cardiac responses to chronic stress. Methods and Results A viral‐packaged small interfering RNA construct was used to knockdown vesicular glutamate transporter 1 ( vG luT1) and reduce glutamate packaging and release from IL projection neurons. Male rats were injected with a vG luT1 small interfering RNA‐expressing construct or GFP (green fluorescent protein) control into the IL and then remained as unstressed controls or were exposed to chronic variable stress. IL vG luT1 knockdown increased heart rate and mean arterial pressure reactivity, while chronic variable stress increased chronic mean arterial pressure only in small interfering RNA‐treated rats. In another cohort, chronic variable stress and vGluT1 knockdown interacted to impair both endothelial‐dependent and endothelial‐independent vasoreactivity ex vivo. Furthermore, vG luT1 knockdown and chronic variable stress increased histological markers of fibrosis and hypertrophy. Conclusions Knockdown of glutamate release from IL projection neurons indicates that these cells are necessary to prevent the enhanced physiological responses to stress that promote susceptibility to cardiovascular pathophysiology. Ultimately, these findings provide evidence for a neurobiological mechanism mediating the relationship between stress and poor cardiovascular health outcomes.

In response to an acute threat to homeostasis or well-being, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis is engaged. A major outcome of this HPA axis activation is the mobilization of stored energy, to fuel an appropriate behavioral and/or physiological response to the perceived threat. Importantly, the extent of HPA axis activity is thought to be modulated by an individual's nutritional environment. In this study, we report that nutritional manipulations signaling a relative depletion of dietary carbohydrates, thereby inducing nutritional ketosis, acutely and chronically activate the HPA axis. Male rats and mice maintained on a low-carbohydrate high-fat ketogenic diet (KD) exhibited canonical markers of chronic stress, including increased basal and stress-evoked plasma corticosterone, increased adrenal sensitivity to adrenocorticotropin hormone, increased stress-evoked c-Fos immunolabeling in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, and thymic atrophy, an indicator of chronic glucocorticoid exposure. Moreover, acutely feeding medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) to rapidly induce ketosis among chow-fed male rats and mice also acutely increased HPA axis activity. Lastly, and consistent with a growing literature that characterizes the hepatokine fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) as both a marker of the ketotic state and as a key metabolic stress hormone, the HPA response to both KD and MCTs was significantly blunted among mice lacking FGF21. We conclude that dietary manipulations that induce ketosis lead to increased HPA axis tone, and that the hepatokine FGF21 may play an important role to facilitate this effect.

Apolipoprotein A4 (APOA4) is one of the most abundant and versatile apolipoproteins facilitating lipid transport and metabolism. APOA4 is synthesized in the small intestine, packaged onto chylomicrons, secreted into intestinal lymph and transported via circulation to several tissues, including adipose. Since its discovery nearly 4 decades ago, to date, only platelet integrin αIIbβ3 has been identified as APOA4 receptor in the plasma. Using co-immunoprecipitation coupled with mass spectrometry, we probed the APOA4 interactome in mouse gonadal fat tissue, where ApoA4 gene is not transcribed but APOA4 protein is abundant. We demonstrate that lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) is the cognate receptor for APOA4 in adipose tissue. LRP1 colocalized with APOA4 in adipocytes; it interacted with APOA4 under fasting condition and their interaction was enhanced during lipid feeding concomitant with increased APOA4 levels in plasma. In 3T3-L1 mature adipocytes, APOA4 promoted glucose uptake both in absence and presence of insulin in a dose-dependent manner. Knockdown of LRP1 abrogated APOA4-induced glucose uptake as well as activation of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)-mediated protein kinase B (AKT). Taken together, we identified LRP1 as a novel receptor for APOA4 in promoting glucose uptake. Considering both APOA4 and LRP1 are multifunctional players in lipid and glucose metabolism, our finding opens up a door to better understand the molecular mechanisms along APOA4-LRP1 axis, whose dysregulation leads to obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

Chronic stress in humans has divergent effects on food intake, with some individuals reporting increased vs. decreased food intake during stress. This divergence may depend in part on stress intensity, with higher-intensity stressors preferentially promoting anorexia. Consistent with this idea, rodents given a high-intensity chronic variable stress paradigm have robustly decreased food intake and body weight gain. However, the metabolic effects of a less intense chronic stress paradigm are not clear. Thus in the present study, adult male rats were given chronic intermittent mild stress (CIMS) exposure (3 cycles, in which each cycle consists of once daily mild stress for 5 days/week for 2 weeks, followed by 2 weeks of no stress) vs. non-stress controls, combined with ongoing access to a palatable diet (PD; choice of chow, high-fat diet, 30% sucrose drink, and water) vs. control diet (chow and water). As expected, access to PD increased caloric intake, body weight gain, and adiposity, and impaired glucose tolerance. CIMS decreased body weight gain only during the first cycle of stress and did not affect body weight gain thereafter, regardless of diet. Moreover, CIMS did not alter total food intake, adiposity or glucose tolerance regardless of diet. Lastly, CIMS transiently increased high-fat diet preference in PD-fed rats during the first stress cycle. Collectively, these results suggest that CIMS has relatively modest metabolic effects that occur primarily during initial stress exposure. These results support the hypothesis that the metabolic consequences of chronic stress vary with stress intensity and/or frequency.