Effects of taurine on resting-state fMRI activity in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Vincent Chin-Hung Chen; Tsai-Ching Hsu; Li-Jeng Chen; Hong-Chun Chou; Jun-Cheng Weng; Bor-Show Tzang

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0181122

Effects of taurine on resting-state fMRI activity in spontaneously hypertensive rats

PLoS One. 2017 Jul 10;12(7):e0181122. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181122. eCollection 2017.

Authors

Vincent Chin-Hung Chen^{1

2}, Tsai-Ching Hsu^{3

4}, Li-Jeng Chen³, Hong-Chun Chou⁵, Jun-Cheng Weng^{5

6}, Bor-Show Tzang^{3

4

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
² Department of Psychiatry, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.
³ Institute of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁴ Clinical Laboratory, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.

Abstract

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a global behavior illness among children and adults. To investigate the effects of taurine on resting-state fMRI activity in ADHD, a spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) animal model was adopted. Significantly decreased serum C-reactive protein (CRP) was detected in rats of Wistar Kyoto (WKY) high-taurine group and significantly decreased interleukin (IL)-1β and CRP were detected in rats of SHR low-taurine and high-taurine groups. Moreover, significantly higher horizontal locomotion was detected in rats of WKY low-taurine and SHR low-taurine groups than in those of controls. In contrast, significantly lower horizontal locomotion was detected in rats of the SHR high-taurine group than in those of the SHR control group. Additionally, significantly lower functional connectivity (FC) and mean amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (mALFF) in the bilateral hippocampus in rats of WKY high-taurine and SHR high-taurine groups was detected. Notably, the mALFF in rats of the SHR low-taurine and high-taurine groups was significantly lower than in those of the SHR control group. These findings suggest that the administration of a high-dose taurine probably improves hyperactive behavior in SHR rats by ameliorating the inflammatory cytokines and modulating brain functional signals in SHR rats.

MeSH terms

Animals
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / drug therapy
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / metabolism
C-Reactive Protein / metabolism
Disease Models, Animal
Hippocampus / drug effects
Hippocampus / metabolism
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
Male
Rats
Rats, Inbred SHR
Rats, Inbred WKY
Taurine / metabolism
Taurine / therapeutic use*

Substances

Taurine
C-Reactive Protein

Grants and funding

This study was funded by Chang Gung Medical Foundation, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University, Chiayi, Taiwan, Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare Clinical Trial and Research Center of Excellence (CMRPG6E0261). This study was also funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan (MOST104-2628-E-040-001-MY2).