FC - Schulz et al. (2014) paper on choline, pregnancy, prenatal stress, and adult anxiety

Choline

What nutrient is the focus of Schulz et al. (2014) in relation to prenatal development?

Dietary supplement in the Chow

How was choline administered to participants in the Schulz et al. (2014) study?

Anxiogenic and Social stress behaviors, body weight.

What are the primary developmental outcomes studied in relation to prenatal choline levels?

Unpredictable variable stress 2–3 times daily between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., similar to Koenig (2005)

• restraint in cylindrical restrainers (30 min)

• swim in water at room temperature (15 min)

• social stress - 5 rats/cage (8–9 h)

• overnight fast

• exposure to loud radio static (80 db, 60 min)

• transport on a noisy cart (30 min)

Describe in detail the stress protocol for Schulz et al., 2014.

It modifies fetal brain development and stress regulation potentially reducing the risk of adult anxiety

How does prenatal choline supplementation affect fetal development according to Schulz et al. (2014)?

It increases the risk of developing anxiety and dysregulated stress responses in adulthood

What effect does prenatal stress have on offspring according to the study?

A 2 (sex) x 2 (no/prenatal stress) x 3 (T, E2, or blank) study in pregnant Sprague Dawley Rats.

What type of study design was used by Schulz et al. (2014) to examine the effects of prenatal choline and stress?

It may buffer the negative effects of prenatal stress on offspring

What effect does perinatal choline dietary supplementation have on offspring according to the study?

It suggests that improving maternal nutrition could be a strategy to reduce mental health disorders later in life

Why is the study by Schulz et al. (2014) important for human public health?

1) Increasing hippocampal neurogenesis.

2) Elevating neurotrophic factors (BDNF, NGF, IGF2)

3) Maintaining normative hippocampal nAChRs levels

What are the 3 different explanations provided in Schulz et al (2014) for the effect of Choline on adult anxiety?

Prenatal stress and the high-fat content of the Choline diet interacted to increase body weight in male rats.

How did Schulz et al (2014) explain their failure to replicate the male weight gain due to PS that they observed previously?

• Females fed choline, regardless of stress exposure, experienced reduced anxiety in the open field

  • PS did NOT increase anxiety

• Females fed choline experienced reduced anxiety in the eZERO maze

  • Anxiety increased due to PS

• Males fed choline experienced reduced social anxiety

  • PS increased social anxiety

What are the diet- and sex-specific findings in Schulz et al (2014)?