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Hynes T, Fouyssac M, Puaud M, Joshi D, Chernoff C, Stiebahl S, Michaud L, Belin D. Pan-striatal reduction in the expression of the astrocytic dopamine transporter precedes the development of dorsolateral striatum dopamine-dependent incentive heroin seeking habits. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:2502-2521. [PMID: 38650303 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
The emergence of compulsive drug-seeking habits, a hallmark feature of substance use disorder, has been shown to be predicated on the engagement of dorsolateral striatal control over behaviour. This process involves the dopamine-dependent functional coupling of the anterior dorsolateral striatum (aDLS) with the nucleus accumbens core, but the mechanisms by which this coupling occurs have not been fully elucidated. The striatum is tiled by a syncytium of astrocytes that express the dopamine transporter (DAT), the level of which is altered in individuals with heroin use disorder. Astrocytes are therefore uniquely placed functionally to bridge dopamine-dependent mechanisms across the striatum. Here we tested the hypothesis that exposure to heroin influences the expression of DAT in striatal astrocytes across the striatum before the development of DLS-dependent incentive heroin seeking habits. Using Western-blot, qPCR, and RNAscope™, we measured DAT protein and mRNA levels in whole tissue, culture and in situ astrocytes from striatal territories of rats with a well-established cue-controlled heroin seeking habit and rats trained to respond for heroin or food under continuous reinforcement. Incentive heroin seeking habits were associated with a reduction in DAT protein levels in the anterior aDLS that was preceded by a heroin-induced reduction in DAT mRNA and protein in astrocytes across the striatum. Striatal astrocytes were also shown to be susceptible to direct dopamine- and opioid-induced downregulation of DAT expression. These results suggest that astrocytes may critically regulate the striatal dopaminergic adaptations that lead to the development of incentive heroin seeking habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tristan Hynes
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Maxime Fouyssac
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mickaël Puaud
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Dhaval Joshi
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Chloe Chernoff
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sonja Stiebahl
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Lola Michaud
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - David Belin
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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2
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Chen RS, Liu J, Wang YJ, Ning K, Liu JG, Liu ZQ. Glutamatergic neurons in ventral pallidum modulate heroin addiction via epithalamic innervation in rats. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2024; 45:945-958. [PMID: 38326624 PMCID: PMC11053033 DOI: 10.1038/s41401-024-01229-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Glutamatergic neurons in ventral pallidum (VPGlu) were recently reported to mediate motivational and emotional behavior, but its role in opioid addiction still remains to be elucidated. In this study we investigated the function of VPGlu in the context-dependent heroin taking and seeking behavior in male rats under the ABA renewal paradigm. By use of cell-type-specific fiber photometry, we showed that the calcium activity of VPGlu were inhibited during heroin self-administration and context-induced relapse, but activated after extinction in a new context. The drug seeking behavior was accompanied by the decreased calcium signal of VPGlu. Chemogenetic manipulation of VPGlu bidirectionally regulated heroin taking and seeking behavior. Anterograde tracing showed that the lateral habenula, one of the epithalamic structures, was the major output region of VPGlu, and its neuronal activity was consistent with VPGlu in different phases of heroin addiction and contributed to the motivation for heroin. VPGlu axon terminals in LHb exhibited dynamic activity in different phases of heroin addiction. Activation of VPGlu-LHb circuit reduced heroin seeking behavior during context-induced relapse. Furthermore, the balance of excitation/inhibition from VP to LHb was shifted to enhanced glutamate transmission after extinction of heroin seeking motivation. Overall, the present study demonstrated that the activity of VPGlu was involved in the regulation of heroin addiction and identified the VPGlu-LHb pathway as a potential intervention to reduce heroin seeking motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruo-Song Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 201204, China
- Center for Neurological and Psychiatric Research and Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Center for Neurological and Psychiatric Research and Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Biopharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Yu-Jun Wang
- Center for Neurological and Psychiatric Research and Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Kuan Ning
- Center for Neurological and Psychiatric Research and Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Jing-Gen Liu
- Center for Neurological and Psychiatric Research and Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.
- Key Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Translational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053, China.
| | - Zhi-Qiang Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 201204, China.
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Yuen J, Goyal A, Rusheen AE, Kouzani AZ, Berk M, Kim JH, Tye SJ, Abulseoud OA, Oesterle TS, Blaha CD, Bennet KE, Lee KH, Oh Y, Shin H. Oxycodone-induced dopaminergic and respiratory effects are modulated by deep brain stimulation. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1199655. [PMID: 37408764 PMCID: PMC10318172 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1199655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Opioids are the leading cause of overdose death in the United States, accounting for almost 70,000 deaths in 2020. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising new treatment for substance use disorders. Here, we hypothesized that VTA DBS would modulate both the dopaminergic and respiratory effect of oxycodone. Methods: Multiple-cyclic square wave voltammetry (M-CSWV) was used to investigate how deep brain stimulation (130 Hz, 0.2 ms, and 0.2 mA) of the rodent ventral segmental area (VTA), which contains abundant dopaminergic neurons, modulates the acute effects of oxycodone administration (2.5 mg/kg, i.v.) on nucleus accumbens core (NAcc) tonic extracellular dopamine levels and respiratory rate in urethane-anesthetized rats (1.5 g/kg, i.p.). Results: I.V. administration of oxycodone resulted in an increase in NAcc tonic dopamine levels (296.9 ± 37.0 nM) compared to baseline (150.7 ± 15.5 nM) and saline administration (152.0 ± 16.1 nM) (296.9 ± 37.0 vs. 150.7 ± 15.5 vs. 152.0 ± 16.1, respectively, p = 0.022, n = 5). This robust oxycodone-induced increase in NAcc dopamine concentration was associated with a sharp reduction in respiratory rate (111.7 ± 2.6 min-1 vs. 67.9 ± 8.3 min-1; pre- vs. post-oxycodone; p < 0.001). Continuous DBS targeted at the VTA (n = 5) reduced baseline dopamine levels, attenuated the oxycodone-induced increase in dopamine levels to (+39.0% vs. +95%), and respiratory depression (121.5 ± 6.7 min-1 vs. 105.2 ± 4.1 min-1; pre- vs. post-oxycodone; p = 0.072). Discussion: Here we demonstrated VTA DBS alleviates oxycodone-induced increases in NAcc dopamine levels and reverses respiratory suppression. These results support the possibility of using neuromodulation technology for treatment of drug addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Yuen
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
- IMPACT—The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Barwon Health, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Abhinav Goyal
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Aaron E. Rusheen
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Abbas Z. Kouzani
- School of Engineering, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Michael Berk
- IMPACT—The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Barwon Health, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Jee Hyun Kim
- IMPACT—The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Barwon Health, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Susannah J. Tye
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | | | | | - Charles D. Blaha
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Kevin E. Bennet
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
- Division of Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Kendall H. Lee
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Yoonbae Oh
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Hojin Shin
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
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Milella MS, D'Ottavio G, De Pirro S, Barra M, Caprioli D, Badiani A. Heroin and its metabolites: relevance to heroin use disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:120. [PMID: 37031205 PMCID: PMC10082801 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02406-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Heroin is an opioid agonist commonly abused for its rewarding effects. Since its synthesis at the end of the nineteenth century, its popularity as a recreational drug has ebbed and flowed. In the last three decades, heroin use has increased again, and yet the pharmacology of heroin is still poorly understood. After entering the body, heroin is rapidly deacetylated to 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), which is then deacetylated to morphine. Thus, drug addiction literature has long settled on the notion that heroin is little more than a pro-drug. In contrast to these former views, we will argue for a more complex interplay among heroin and its active metabolites: 6-MAM, morphine, and morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G). In particular, we propose that the complex temporal pattern of heroin effects results from the sequential, only partially overlapping, actions not only of 6-MAM, morphine, and M6G, but also of heroin per se, which, therefore, should not be seen as a mere brain-delivery system for its active metabolites. We will first review the literature concerning the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of heroin and its metabolites, then examine their neural and behavioral effects, and finally discuss the possible implications of these data for a better understanding of opioid reward and heroin addiction. By so doing we hope to highlight research topics to be investigated by future clinical and pre-clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Stanislaw Milella
- Toxicology Unit, Policlinico Umberto I University Hospital, Rome, Italy.
- Laboratory affiliated to the Institute Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti-Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | - Ginevra D'Ottavio
- Laboratory affiliated to the Institute Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti-Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
| | - Silvana De Pirro
- Laboratory affiliated to the Institute Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti-Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research (SERAF), Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Sussex Addiction and Intervention Centre (SARIC), School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | | | - Daniele Caprioli
- Laboratory affiliated to the Institute Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti-Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
- Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy.
| | - Aldo Badiani
- Laboratory affiliated to the Institute Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti-Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
- Sussex Addiction and Intervention Centre (SARIC), School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
- Fondazione Villa Maraini, Rome, Italy.
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5
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Bossert JM, Mejias-Aponte CA, Saunders T, Altidor L, Emery M, Fredriksson I, Batista A, Claypool SM, Caldwell KE, Reiner DJ, Chow JJ, Foltz M, Kumar V, Seasholtz A, Hughes E, Filipiak W, Harvey BK, Richie CT, Vautier F, Gomez JL, Michaelides M, Kieffer BL, Watson SJ, Akil H, Shaham Y. Effect of Selective Lesions of Nucleus Accumbens µ-Opioid Receptor-Expressing Cells on Heroin Self-Administration in Male and Female Rats: A Study with Novel Oprm1-Cre Knock-in Rats. J Neurosci 2023; 43:1692-1713. [PMID: 36717230 PMCID: PMC10010456 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2049-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The brain µ-opioid receptor (MOR) is critical for the analgesic, rewarding, and addictive effects of opioid drugs. However, in rat models of opioid-related behaviors, the circuit mechanisms of MOR-expressing cells are less known because of a lack of genetic tools to selectively manipulate them. We introduce a CRISPR-based Oprm1-Cre knock-in transgenic rat that provides cell type-specific genetic access to MOR-expressing cells. After performing anatomic and behavioral validation experiments, we used the Oprm1-Cre knock-in rats to study the involvement of NAc MOR-expressing cells in heroin self-administration in male and female rats. Using RNAscope, autoradiography, and FISH chain reaction (HCR-FISH), we found no differences in Oprm1 expression in NAc, dorsal striatum, and dorsal hippocampus, or MOR receptor density (except dorsal striatum) or function between Oprm1-Cre knock-in rats and wildtype littermates. HCR-FISH assay showed that iCre is highly coexpressed with Oprm1 (95%-98%). There were no genotype differences in pain responses, morphine analgesia and tolerance, heroin self-administration, and relapse-related behaviors. We used the Cre-dependent vector AAV1-EF1a-Flex-taCasp3-TEVP to lesion NAc MOR-expressing cells. We found that the lesions decreased acquisition of heroin self-administration in male Oprm1-Cre rats and had a stronger inhibitory effect on the effort to self-administer heroin in female Oprm1-Cre rats. The validation of an Oprm1-Cre knock-in rat enables new strategies for understanding the role of MOR-expressing cells in rat models of opioid addiction, pain-related behaviors, and other opioid-mediated functions. Our initial mechanistic study indicates that lesioning NAc MOR-expressing cells had different effects on heroin self-administration in male and female rats.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The brain µ-opioid receptor (MOR) is critical for the analgesic, rewarding, and addictive effects of opioid drugs. However, in rat models of opioid-related behaviors, the circuit mechanisms of MOR-expressing cells are less known because of a lack of genetic tools to selectively manipulate them. We introduce a CRISPR-based Oprm1-Cre knock-in transgenic rat that provides cell type-specific genetic access to brain MOR-expressing cells. After performing anatomical and behavioral validation experiments, we used the Oprm1-Cre knock-in rats to show that lesioning NAc MOR-expressing cells had different effects on heroin self-administration in males and females. The new Oprm1-Cre rats can be used to study the role of brain MOR-expressing cells in animal models of opioid addiction, pain-related behaviors, and other opioid-mediated functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Bossert
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse-National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
| | - Carlos A Mejias-Aponte
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse-National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
| | | | - Lindsay Altidor
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse-National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
| | | | - Ida Fredriksson
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse-National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
| | - Ashley Batista
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse-National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
| | - Sarah M Claypool
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse-National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
| | - Kiera E Caldwell
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse-National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
| | - David J Reiner
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse-National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
| | - Jonathan J Chow
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse-National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
| | | | - Vivek Kumar
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48104
| | | | | | | | - Brandon K Harvey
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse-National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
| | - Christopher T Richie
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse-National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
| | - Francois Vautier
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse-National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
| | - Juan L Gomez
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse-National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
| | - Michael Michaelides
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse-National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
| | - Brigitte L Kieffer
- University of Strasbourg-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1114, Strasbourg, France, 67084
| | | | - Huda Akil
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48104
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse-National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, 21224
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6
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Darcq E, Nouel D, Hernandez G, Pokinko M, Ash P, Moquin L, Gratton A, Kieffer B, Flores C. Reduced dopamine release in Dcc haploinsufficiency male mice abolishes the rewarding effects of cocaine but not those of morphine and ethanol. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:637-646. [PMID: 36471064 PMCID: PMC10296775 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06288-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The Netrin-1/DCC guidance cue pathway is critically involved in the adolescent organization of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine circuitry. Adult mice heterozygous for Dcc show reduced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens in response to amphetamine and, in turn, blunted sensitivity to the rewarding effects of this drug. OBJECTIVE Here, we tested whether the protective effects of Dcc haploinsufficiency are specific to stimulant drugs of abuse or instead extrapolate to opioids and ethanol. METHODS We used the place preference paradigm to measure the rewarding effects of cocaine (20 mg/kg), morphine (5 or 10 mg/Kg), or ethanol (20%) in adult (PND 75) male Dcc haploinsufficient mice or their wild-type litter mates. In a second experiment, we compared in these two genotypes, in vivo dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens after a single i.p. injection of morphine (10 mg/kg). RESULTS We found reduced morphine-induced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens of Dcc haploinsufficient male mice, but, contrary to the effects of stimulant drugs, there is no effect of genotype on morphine-induced conditioned preference. CONCLUSION These findings show that reduced drug-induced mesolimbic dopamine in Dcc haploinsufficient male mice protects specifically against the rewarding effects of stimulant drugs, but not against the rewarding properties of morphine and ethanol. These results suggest that these drugs exert their rewarding effect via different brain circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Darcq
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- INSERM U1114, Centre de Recherche en Biomédecine de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Dominique Nouel
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | | | - Matthew Pokinko
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience (IPN), McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Polina Ash
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience (IPN), McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Luc Moquin
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Alain Gratton
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Brigitte Kieffer
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- INSERM U1114, Centre de Recherche en Biomédecine de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Cecilia Flores
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Perry Pavilion, Room 2111, 6875 LaSalle Boulevard, Montréal (Verdun), Québec, H4H 1R3, Canada.
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7
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Samson KR, Xu W, Kortagere S, España RA. Intermittent access to oxycodone decreases dopamine uptake in the nucleus accumbens core during abstinence. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13241. [PMID: 36301217 PMCID: PMC10262085 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
A major obstacle in treating opioid use disorder is the persistence of drug seeking or craving during periods of abstinence, which is believed to contribute to relapse. Dopamine transmission in the mesolimbic pathway is posited to contribute to opioid reinforcement, but the processes by which dopamine influences drug seeking have not been completely elucidated. To examine whether opioid seeking during abstinence is associated with alterations in dopamine transmission, female and male rats self-administered oxycodone under an intermittent access schedule of reinforcement. Following self-administration, rats underwent a forced abstinence period, and cue-induced seeking tests were conducted to assess oxycodone seeking. One day following the final seeking test, rats were sacrificed to perform ex vivo fast scan cyclic voltammetry and western blotting in the nucleus accumbens. Rats displayed reduced dopamine uptake rate on abstinence day 2 and abstinence day 15, compared to oxycodone-naïve rats. Further, on abstinence day 15, rats had reduced phosphorylation of the dopamine transporter. Additionally, local application of oxycodone to the nucleus accumbens reduced dopamine uptake in oxycodone-naïve rats and in rats during oxycodone abstinence, on abstinence day 2 and abstinence day 15. These observations suggest that abstinence from oxycodone results in dysfunctional dopamine transmission, which may contribute to sustained oxycodone seeking during abstinence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle R. Samson
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy
| | - Wei Xu
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
| | - Sandhya Kortagere
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
| | - Rodrigo A. España
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy
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8
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Piccin A, Courtand G, Contarino A. Morphine reduces the interest for natural rewards. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:2407-2419. [PMID: 35396673 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06131-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Alongside a pathological, excessive, motivation for substances of abuse, substance use disorder (SUD) patients often show a dramatic loss of interest for naturally rewarding activities, such as positive peer social interaction and food intake. Yet, pre-clinical evidence of the latter SUD features remains scarce and inconsistent. OBJECTIVES In the current study, we investigated the effect of non-rewarding and rewarding doses of morphine upon social behaviour, motivation for and intake of palatable food, in male and female C57BL/6J mice. METHODS First, the rewarding effects of two relatively low morphine doses (1.25 and 2.5 mg/kg) were assessed using a newly established single substance administration/conditioning trial conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. Then, morphine (1.25 and 2.5 mg/kg) effects upon social behaviour, motivation for and intake of palatable food were examined by the three-chamber (3-CH), an operant behaviour and a palatable food preference test, respectively. RESULTS Morphine (2.5 mg/kg) induced CPP in both male and female mice, whereas morphine (1.25 mg/kg) induced CPP only in female mice. Both morphine doses (1.25 and 2.5 mg/kg) reduced sociability, motivation for and intake of palatable food in male and female mice, independently of cognitive function or locomotor activity. CONCLUSIONS Female mice were more sensitive than male mice to the rewarding effects of morphine. Moreover, both a non-rewarding and a rewarding dose of morphine impaired the interest for naturally rewarding activities, indicating that brain reward systems might be more sensitive to the deleterious than to the rewarding effects of substances of abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Piccin
- Université de Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.,CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - Gilles Courtand
- Université de Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.,CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - Angelo Contarino
- Université de Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France. .,CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.
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9
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Altered Accumbal Dopamine Terminal Dynamics Following Chronic Heroin Self-Administration. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158106. [PMID: 35897682 PMCID: PMC9332320 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Administration of heroin results in the engagement of multiple brain regions and the rewarding and addictive effects are mediated, at least partially, through activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system. However, less is known about dopamine system function following chronic exposure to heroin. Withdrawal from chronic heroin exposure is likely to drive a state of low dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), as previously observed during withdrawal from other drug classes. Thus, we aimed to investigate alterations in NAc dopamine terminal function following chronic heroin self-administration to identify a mechanism for dopaminergic adaptations. Adult male Long Evans rats were trained to self-administer heroin (0.05 mg/kg/inf, IV) and then placed on a long access (FR1, 6-h, unlimited inf, 0.05 mg/kg/inf) protocol to induce escalation of intake. Following heroin self-administration, rats had decreased basal extracellular levels of dopamine and blunted dopamine response following a heroin challenge (0.1 mg/kg/inf, IV) in the NAc compared to saline controls. FSCV revealed that heroin-exposed rats exhibited reduced stimulated dopamine release during tonic-like, single-pulse stimulations, but increased phasic-like dopamine release during multi-pulse stimulation trains (5 pulses, 5–100 Hz) in addition to an altered dynamic range of release stimulation intensities when compared to controls. Further, we found that presynaptic D3 autoreceptor and kappa-opioid receptor agonist responsivity were increased following heroin self-administration. These results reveal a marked low dopamine state following heroin exposure and suggest the combination of altered dopamine release dynamics may contribute to increased heroin seeking.
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Grasing KW, Burnell K, De A. Biphasic reward effects are characteristic of both lorcaserin and drugs of abuse: implications for treatment of substance use disorders. Behav Pharmacol 2022; 33:238-248. [PMID: 35324488 PMCID: PMC9149059 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Lorcaserin is a modestly selective agonist for 2C serotonin receptors (5-HT2CR). Despite early promising data, it recently failed to facilitate cocaine abstinence in patients and has been compared with dopamine antagonist medications (antipsychotics). Here, we review the effects of both classes on drug reinforcement. In addition to not being effective treatments for cocaine use disorder, both dopamine antagonists and lorcaserin can have biphasic effects on dopamine and reward behavior. Lower doses can cause enhanced drug taking with higher doses causing reductions. This biphasic pattern is shared with certain stimulants, opioids, and sedative-hypnotics, as well as compounds without abuse potential that include agonists for muscarinic and melatonin receptors. Additional factors associated with decreased drug taking include intermittent dosing for dopamine antagonists and use of progressive-ratio schedules for lorcaserin. Clinically relevant doses of lorcaserin were much lower than those that inhibited cocaine-reinforced behavior and can also augment this same behavior in different species. Diminished drug-reinforced behavior only occurred in animals after higher doses that are not suitable for use in patients. In conclusion, drugs of abuse and related compounds often act as biphasic modifiers of reward behavior, especially when evaluated over a broad range of doses. This property may reflect the underlying physiology of the reward system, allowing homeostatic influences on behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken W Grasing
- Substance Use Research Laboratory, Research Service, Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Kansas City, Missouri
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, Kansas, USA
| | - Kim Burnell
- Substance Use Research Laboratory, Research Service, Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Alok De
- Substance Use Research Laboratory, Research Service, Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Kansas City, Missouri
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Interactions between opioids and stimulants: Behavioral pharmacology of abuse-related effects. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2022; 93:1-33. [PMID: 35341563 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2021.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Opioid abuse continues to be a significant public health challenge, with rates of opioid-related overdose deaths increasing continuously over the last two decades. There also has been a sharp increase in overdose deaths involving stimulant drugs, primarily cocaine and methamphetamine. Recent estimates indicate a high prevalence of co-use of opioids and stimulants, which is a particularly complex problem. Behavioral pharmacology research over the last few decades has characterized interactions between opioids and stimulants as well as evaluated potential treatments. This chapter describes interactions between opioids and stimulants, with a focus on pre-clinical studies of abuse-related behavioral effects using self-administration, reinstatement, drug discrimination, place conditioning, and intracranial self-stimulation paradigms in laboratory animals. In general, the literature provides substantial evidence of mutual enhancement between opioids and stimulants for abuse-related effects, although such results are not ubiquitous. Enhanced abuse-related effects could manifest in many ways including engaging in drug seeking and taking behaviors with greater persistence, effort, and motivation and/or increased likelihood of relapse. Moreover, studies on opioid/stimulant combinations set the stage for evaluating potential treatments for polysubstance use. Behavioral pharmacology research has proven invaluable for elucidating these relationships using rigorous experimental designs and quantitative analyses of pharmacological and behavioral data.
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Peart DR, Andrade AK, Logan CN, Knackstedt LA, Murray JE. Regulation of Cocaine-related Behaviors by Estrogen and Progesterone. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104584. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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13
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Morella I, Pohořalá V, Calpe-López C, Brambilla R, Spanagel R, Bernardi RE. Nicotine self-administration and ERK signaling are altered in RasGRF2 knockout mice. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:986566. [PMID: 36120353 PMCID: PMC9479000 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.986566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK (Ras-ERK) signaling has been demonstrated to play a role in the effects of drugs of abuse such as cocaine and alcohol, but has not been extensively examined in nicotine-related reward behaviors. We examined the role of Ras Guanine Nucleotide Releasing Factor 2 (RasGRF2), an upstream mediator of the Ras-ERK signaling pathway, on nicotine self-administration (SA) in RasGRF2 KO and WT mice. We first demonstrated that acute nicotine exposure (0.4 mg/kg) resulted in an increase in phosphorylated ERK1/2 (pERK1/2) in the striatum, consistent with previous reports. We also demonstrated that increases in pERK1/2 resulting from acute (0.4 mg/kg) and repeated (0.4 mg/kg, 10 daily injections) exposure to nicotine in WT mice were not present in RasGRF2 KO mice, confirming that RasGRF2 at least partly regulates the activity of the Ras-ERK signaling pathway following nicotine exposure. We then performed intravenous nicotine SA (0.03 mg/kg/infusion for 10 days) in RasGRF2 KO and WT mice. Consistent with a previous report using cocaine SA, RasGRF2 KO mice demonstrated an increase in nicotine SA relative to WT controls. These findings suggest a role for RasGRF2 in the reinforcing effects of nicotine, and implicate the Ras-ERK signaling pathway as a common mediator of the response to drugs of abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Morella
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.,Division of Neuroscience, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Veronika Pohořalá
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Claudia Calpe-López
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Riccardo Brambilla
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.,Division of Neuroscience, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Rainer Spanagel
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Rick E Bernardi
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
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Abstract
Addictive drugs are habit-forming. Addiction is a learned behavior; repeated exposure to addictive drugs can stamp in learning. Dopamine-depleted or dopamine-deleted animals have only unlearned reflexes; they lack learned seeking and learned avoidance. Burst-firing of dopamine neurons enables learning-long-term potentiation (LTP)-of search and avoidance responses. It sets the stage for learning that occurs between glutamatergic sensory inputs and GABAergic motor-related outputs of the striatum; this learning establishes the ability to search and avoid. Independent of burst-firing, the rate of single-spiking-or "pacemaker firing"-of dopaminergic neurons mediates motivational arousal. Motivational arousal increases during need states and its level determines the responsiveness of the animal to established predictive stimuli. Addictive drugs, while usually not serving as an external stimulus, have varying abilities to activate the dopamine system; the comparative abilities of different addictive drugs to facilitate LTP is something that might be studied in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roy A Wise
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, 250 Mason Lord Drive, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Behavior Genetics Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA.
| | - Chloe J Jordan
- Division of Alcohol, Drugs and Addiction, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
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15
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George BE, Barth SH, Kuiper LB, Holleran KM, Lacy RT, Raab-Graham KF, Jones SR. Enhanced heroin self-administration and distinct dopamine adaptations in female rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1724-1733. [PMID: 34040157 PMCID: PMC8358024 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01035-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that females are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of drugs of abuse, including opioids. Additionally, rates of heroin-related deaths substantially increased in females from 1999 to 2017 [1], underscoring the need to evaluate sex differences in heroin vulnerability. Moreover, the neurobiological substrates underlying sexually dimorphic responding to heroin are not fully defined. Thus, we evaluated male and female Long Evans rats on acquisition, dose-responsiveness, and seeking for heroin self-administration (SA) as well as using a long access model to assess escalation of intake at low and high doses of heroin, 0.025 and 0.1 mg/kg/inf, respectively. We paired this with ex vivo fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) in the medial nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell and quantification of mu-opioid receptor (MOR) protein in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and NAc. While males and females had similar heroin SA acquisition rates, females displayed increased responding and intake across doses, seeking for heroin, and escalation on long access. However, we found that males and females had similar expression levels of MORs in the VTA and NAc, regardless of heroin exposure. FSCV results revealed that heroin exposure did not change single-pulse elicited dopamine release, but caused an increase in dopamine transporter activity in both males and females compared to their naïve counterparts. Phasic-like stimulations elicited robust increases in dopamine release in heroin-exposed females compared to heroin-naïve females, with no differences seen in males. Together, our results suggest that differential adaptations of dopamine terminals may underlie the increased heroin SA behaviors seen in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brianna E. George
- grid.241167.70000 0001 2185 3318Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC USA
| | - Samuel H. Barth
- grid.241167.70000 0001 2185 3318Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC USA
| | - Lindsey B. Kuiper
- grid.241167.70000 0001 2185 3318Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC USA
| | - Katherine M. Holleran
- grid.241167.70000 0001 2185 3318Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC USA
| | - Ryan T. Lacy
- grid.256069.eDepartment of Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA USA
| | - Kimberly F. Raab-Graham
- grid.241167.70000 0001 2185 3318Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC USA
| | - Sara R. Jones
- grid.241167.70000 0001 2185 3318Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC USA
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Windisch KA, Morochnik M, Reed B, Kreek MJ. Nalmefene, a mu opioid receptor antagonist/kappa opioid receptor partial agonist, potentiates cocaine motivation but not intake with extended access self-administration in adult male mice. Neuropharmacology 2021; 192:108590. [PMID: 33974940 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The mu opioid receptor antagonist/kappa opioid receptor (KOR) partial agonist nalmefene (NMF), a close structural analog of naltrexone (NTX), has been shown to reduce cocaine reward in preclinical models. Given the greater KOR potency and improved bioavailability compared to NTX, NMF may be a promising pharmacotherapeutic for cocaine use disorder (CUD). Here we examine the effects of NMF pretreatment on chronic daily extended access (4h) cocaine intravenous self-administration (IVSA) in adult male C57Bl/6J mice. METHODS separate groups of mice had daily 4h cocaine IVSA sessions (0.25 or 0.5 mg/kg/inf, FR1) for 14 days. Starting on day 8, mice were pretreated with NMF (0, 1, or 10 mg/kg) 30m before each session. A separate group of mice acquired cocaine IVSA [seven days FR1 then four FR3 of 4h daily sessions (0.5 mg/kg/inf)] prior to a single progressive ratio 3 session to examine the effect of 1 mg/kg NMF on cocaine motivation. RESULTS No significant effect of NMF pretreatment on cocaine intake was observed. Acute pretreatment of 1 mg/kg NMF significantly potentiated cocaine motivation as measured by progressive ratio breakpoint. CONCLUSIONS NMF did not significantly attenuate cocaine intake and increased motivation for cocaine suggesting that NMF may not be suitable for non-abstinent CUD patients. Further research is needed with KOR selective partial or full agonists to determine their effect on cocaine reinforcement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle A Windisch
- Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
| | - Michelle Morochnik
- Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Brian Reed
- Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Mary Jeanne Kreek
- Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
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Swain Y, Gewirtz JC, Harris AC. Behavioral predictors of individual differences in opioid addiction vulnerability as measured using i.v. self-administration in rats. Drug Alcohol Depend 2021; 221:108561. [PMID: 33588371 PMCID: PMC8048102 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 01/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Like other forms of psychopathology, vulnerability to opioid addiction is subject to wide individual differences. Animal behavioral models are valuable in advancing our understanding of mechanisms underlying vulnerability to the disorder's development and amenability to treatment. METHODS This review provides an overview of preclinical work on behavioral predictors of opioid addiction vulnerability as measured using the intravenous (i.v.) self-administration (SA) model in rats. We also highlight several new approaches to studying individual differences in opioid addiction vulnerability in preclinical models that could have greater sensitivity and lead to more clinically relevant findings. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Evidence for the relationship between various behavioral traits and opioid SA in the preclinical literature is limited. With the possible exceptions of sensitivity to opioid agonist/withdrawal effects and stress reactivity, predictors of individual differences in SA of other drugs of abuse (e.g. sensation-seeking, impulsivity) do not predict vulnerability to opioid SA in rats. Refinement of SA measures and the use of multivariate designs and statistics could help identify predictors of opioid SA and lead to more clinically relevant studies on opioid addiction vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yayi Swain
- Departments of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States; Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, United States
| | | | - Andrew C Harris
- Departments of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States; Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, United States; Departments of Medicine, University of Minnesota, United States.
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Abstract
Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder, and a significant amount of research has been devoted to understand the factors that contribute to the development, loss of control, and persistence of compulsive addictive behaviors. In this review, we provide an overview of various theories of addiction to drugs of abuse and the neurobiology involved in elements of the addiction cycle. Specific focus is devoted to the role of the mesolimbic pathway in acute drug reinforcement and occasional drug use, the role of the mesocortical pathway and associated areas (e.g., the dorsal striatum) in escalation/dependence, and the contribution of these pathways and associated circuits to conditioned responses, drug craving, and loss of behavioral control that may underlie drug relapse. By enhancing the understanding of the neurobiological factors that mediate drug addiction, continued preclinical and clinical research will aid in the development of novel therapeutic interventions that can serve as effective long-term treatment strategies for drug-dependent individuals.
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Abstract
Animal models of addictive behaviors are useful for uncovering neural mechanisms involved in the development of dependence and for identifying risk factors for drug abuse. One such risk factor is biological sex, which strongly moderates drug self-administration behavior in rodents. Female rodents are more likely to acquire drug self-administration behaviors, consume higher amounts of drug, and reinstate drug-seeking behavior more readily. Despite this female vulnerability, preclinical addiction research has largely been done in male animals. The study of sex differences in rodent models of addictive behavior is increasing, however, as more investigators are choosing to include both male and female animals in experiments. This commentary is meant to serve as an introductory guide for preclinical investigators new to the study of sex differences in addiction. We provide an overview of self-administration models, a broad view of female versus male self-administration behaviors, and suggestions for study design and implementation. Inclusion of female subjects in preclinical addiction research is timely, as problem drug and alcohol use in women is increasing. With proper attention, design, and analysis, the study of sex differences in addiction has the potential to uncover novel neural mechanisms and lead to greater translational success for addiction research. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna K. Radke
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
| | - Elizabeth A. Sneddon
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
| | - Sean C. Monroe
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
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20
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Cunningham JI, Todtenkopf MS, Dean RL, Azar MR, Koob GF, Deaver DR, Eyerman DJ. Samidorphan, an opioid receptor antagonist, attenuates drug-induced increases in extracellular dopamine concentrations and drug self-administration in male Wistar rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2021; 204:173157. [PMID: 33647274 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2021.173157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Opioid receptors modulate neurochemical and behavioral responses to drugs of abuse in nonclinical models. Samidorphan (SAM) is a new molecular entity that binds with high affinity to human mu- (μ), kappa- (κ), and delta- (δ) opioid receptors and functions as a μ-opioid receptor antagonist with partial agonist activity at κ- and δ-opioid receptors. Based on its in vitro profile, we hypothesized that SAM would block key neurobiological effects of drugs of abuse. Therefore, we assessed the effects of SAM on ethanol-, oxycodone-, cocaine-, and amphetamine-induced increases in extracellular dopamine (DAext) in the nucleus accumbens shell (NAc-sh), and ethanol and cocaine self-administration behavior in rats. In microdialysis studies, administration of SAM alone did not result in measurable changes in NAc-sh DAext when given across a large range of doses. However, SAM markedly decreased average and maximal increases in NAc-sh DAext produced by each of the drugs of abuse tested. In behavioral studies, SAM attenuated fixed-ratio ethanol self-administration and progressive ratio cocaine self-administration. These results highlight the potential of SAM to counteract the neurobiological and behavioral effects of several drugs of abuse with differing mechanisms of action.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - George F Koob
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
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21
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Galaj E, Xi ZX. Progress in opioid reward research: From a canonical two-neuron hypothesis to two neural circuits. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2021; 200:173072. [PMID: 33227308 PMCID: PMC7796909 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2020.173072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Opioid abuse and related overdose deaths continue to rise in the United States, contributing to the national opioid crisis in the USA. The neural mechanisms underlying opioid abuse and addiction are still not fully understood. This review discusses recent progress in basic research dissecting receptor mechanisms and circuitries underlying opioid reward and addiction. We first review the canonical GABA-dopamine neuron hypothesis that was upheld for half a century, followed by major findings challenging this hypothesis. We then focus on recent progress in research evaluating the role of the mesolimbic and nigrostriatal dopamine circuitries in opioid reward and relapse. Based on recent findings that activation of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) is equally rewarding and that GABA neurons in the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) and the substantia nigra pars reticula (SNr) are rich in mu opioid receptors and directly synapse onto midbrain DA neurons, we proposed that the RTMg→VTA → ventrostriatal and SNr → SNc → dorsostriatal pathways may act as the two major neural substrates underlying opioid reward and abuse. Lastly, we discuss possible integrations of these two pathways during initial opioid use, development of opioid abuse and maintenance of compulsive opioid seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Galaj
- Addiction Biology Unit, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Zheng-Xiong Xi
- Addiction Biology Unit, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, United States of America.
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Gomez DM, Everett TJ, Hamilton LR, Ranganath A, Cheer JF, Oleson EB. Chronic cannabinoid exposure produces tolerance to the dopamine releasing effects of WIN 55,212-2 and heroin in adult male rats. Neuropharmacology 2021; 182:108374. [PMID: 33115642 PMCID: PMC7836093 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic cannabinoids were introduced into recreational drug culture in 2008 and quickly became one of the most commonly abused drugs in the United States. The neurobiological consequences resulting from synthetic cannabinoid repeated exposure remain poorly understood. It is possible that a blunted dopamine (DA) response may lead drug users to consume larger quantities to compensate for this form of neurochemical tolerance. Because the endogenous cannabinoid and opioid systems exhibit considerable cross-talk and cross-tolerance frequently develops following repeated exposure to either opioids or cannabinoids, there is interest in investigating whether a history of synthetic cannabinoid exposure influences the ability of heroin to increase DA release. To test the effects of chronic cannabinoid exposure on cannabinoid- and heroin-evoked DA release, male adult rats were treated with either vehicle or a synthetic cannabinoid (WIN55-212-2; WIN) using an intravenous (IV) dose escalation regimen (0.2-0.8 mg/kg IV over 9 treatments). As predicted, WIN-treated rats showed a rightward shift in the dose-response relationship across all behavioral/physiological measures when compared to vehicle-treated controls. Then, using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry to measure changes in the frequency of transient DA events in the nucleus accumbens shell of awake and freely-moving rats, it was observed that the DA releasing effects of both WIN and heroin were significantly reduced in male rats with a pharmacological history of cannabinoid exposure. These results demonstrate that repeated exposure to the synthetic cannabinoid WIN can produce tolerance to its DA releasing effects and cross-tolerance to the DA releasing effects of heroin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devan M Gomez
- Psychology Department, University of Colorado Denver, USA; Current: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, USA
| | | | | | - Ajit Ranganath
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Maryland Baltimore, USA
| | - Joseph F Cheer
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Maryland Baltimore, USA
| | - Erik B Oleson
- Psychology Department, University of Colorado Denver, USA; Biology Department, University of Colorado Denver, USA.
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23
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Galaj E, Han X, Shen H, Jordan CJ, He Y, Humburg B, Bi GH, Xi ZX. Dissecting the Role of GABA Neurons in the VTA versus SNr in Opioid Reward. J Neurosci 2020; 40:8853-8869. [PMID: 33046548 PMCID: PMC7659457 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0988-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Revised: 08/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Opioid reward has traditionally been thought to be mediated by GABA-induced disinhibition of dopamine (DA) neurons in the VTA. However, direct behavioral evidence supporting this hypothesis is still lacking. In this study, we found that the μ opioid receptor (MOR) gene, Oprm1, is highly expressed in GABA neurons, with ∼50% of GABA neurons in the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr), ∼30% in the VTA, and ∼70% in the tail of the VTA (also called the rostromedial tegmental nucleus) in male rats. No Oprm1 mRNA was detected in midbrain DA neurons. We then found that optogenetic inhibition of VTA DA neurons reduced intravenous heroin self-administration, whereas activation of these neurons produced robust optical intracranial self-stimulation in DAT-Cre mice, supporting an important role of DA neurons in opioid reward. Unexpectedly, pharmacological blockade of MORs in the SNr was more effective than in the VTA in reducing heroin reward. Optogenetic activation of VTA GABA neurons caused place aversion and inhibited cocaine, but not heroin, self-administration, whereas optogenetic activation of SNr GABA neurons caused a robust increase in heroin self-administration with an extinction pattern, suggesting a compensatory response in drug intake due to reduced heroin reward. In addition, activation of SNr GABA neurons attenuated heroin-primed, but not cue-induced, reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior, whereas inhibition of SNr GABA neurons produced optical intracranial self-stimulation and place preference. Together, these findings suggest that MORs on GABA neurons in the SNr play more important roles in opioid reward and relapse than MORs on VTA GABA neurons.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Opioid reward has long been believed to be mediated by inhibition of GABA interneurons in the VTA that subsequently leads to disinhibition of DA neurons. In this study, we found that more μ opioid receptors (MORs) are expressed in GABA neurons in the neighboring SNr than in the VTA, and that pharmacological blockade of MORs in the SNr is more effective in reducing heroin reward than blockade of MORs in the VTA. Furthermore, optogenetic activation of VTA GABA neurons inhibited cocaine, but not heroin, self-administration, whereas activation of SNr GABA neurons inhibited heroin reward and relapse. These findings suggest that opioid reward is more likely mediated by stimulation of MORs in GABA afferents from other brain regions than in VTA GABA neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Galaj
- Addiction Biology Unit, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Xiao Han
- Addiction Biology Unit, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Hui Shen
- Synaptic Plasticity Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Chloe J Jordan
- Addiction Biology Unit, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Yi He
- Addiction Biology Unit, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Bree Humburg
- Addiction Biology Unit, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Guo-Hua Bi
- Addiction Biology Unit, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Zheng-Xiong Xi
- Addiction Biology Unit, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
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Abstract
Addiction is commonly identified with habitual nonmedical self-administration of drugs. It is usually defined by characteristics of intoxication or by characteristics of withdrawal symptoms. Such addictions can also be defined in terms of the brain mechanisms they activate; most addictive drugs cause elevations in extracellular levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Animals unable to synthesize or use dopamine lack the conditioned reflexes discussed by Pavlov or the appetitive behavior discussed by Craig; they have only unconditioned consummatory reflexes. Burst discharges (phasic firing) of dopamine-containing neurons are necessary to establish long-term memories associating predictive stimuli with rewards and punishers. Independent discharges of dopamine neurons (tonic or pacemaker firing) determine the motivation to respond to such cues. As a result of habitual intake of addictive drugs, dopamine receptors expressed in the brain are decreased, thereby reducing interest in activities not already stamped in by habitual rewards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roy A Wise
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA; .,Behavioral Genetics Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478, USA;
| | - Mykel A Robble
- Behavioral Genetics Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478, USA;
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Pharmacological inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase 3 increases operant alcohol self-administration in a manner associated with altered pGSK-3β, protein interacting with C kinase and GluA2 protein expression in the reward pathway of male C57BL/6J mice. Behav Pharmacol 2020; 31:15-26. [PMID: 31503067 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) is a constitutively active serine-threonine kinase that regulates numerous signaling pathways and has been implicated in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases. Alcohol exposure increases GSK-3β (ser9) phosphorylation (pGSK-3β); however, few studies have investigated whether GSK-3 regulates the positive reinforcing effects of alcohol, which drive repetitive drug use. To address this goal, male C57BL/6J mice were trained to lever press on a fixed-ratio 4 schedule of sweetened alcohol or sucrose-only reinforcement in operant conditioning chambers. The GSK-3 inhibitor CHIR 99021 (0-10 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected 45 minutes prior to self-administration sessions. After completion of the self-administration dose-effect curve, potential locomotor effects of the GSK-3 inhibitor were assessed. To determine molecular efficacy, CHIR 99021 (10 mg/kg, i.p.) was evaluated on pGSK-3β, GSK-3β, protein interacting with C kinase (PICK1), and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor GluA2 subunit protein expression in amygdala, nucleus accumbens (NAcb), and frontal cortex. Results showed that CHIR 99021 (10 mg/kg) dose-dependently increased alcohol reinforced responding with no effect on sucrose self-administration or locomotor activity. CHIR 99021 (10 mg/kg) significantly decreased pGSK-3β expression in all brain regions tested, reduced PICK1 and increased GluA2 total expression only in the NAcb. We conclude that GSK-3 inhibition increased the reinforcing effects of alcohol in mice. This was associated with reduced pGSK-3β and PICK1, and increased GluA2 expression. Given prior results showing that AMPA receptor activity regulates alcohol self-administration, we propose that signaling through the GSK-3/PICK1/GluA2 molecular pathway drives the positive reinforcing effects of the drug, which are required for abuse liability.
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Isaacs DP, Leman RP, Everett TJ, Lopez-Beltran H, Hamilton LR, Oleson EB. Buprenorphine is a weak dopamine releaser relative to heroin, but its pretreatment attenuates heroin-evoked dopamine release in rats. Neuropsychopharmacol Rep 2020; 40:355-364. [PMID: 32935483 PMCID: PMC7718284 DOI: 10.1002/npr2.12139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS The United States of America is currently in an opioid epidemic. Heroin remains the most lethal opioid option with its death rate increasing by over 500% in the last decade. The rewarding and reinforcing effects of heroin are thought to be mediated by its ability to increase dopamine concentration in the nucleus accumbens shell. By activating Gi/o-coupled μ-opioid receptors, opioids are thought to indirectly excite midbrain dopamine neurons by removing an inhibitory GABAergic tone. The partial μ-opioid receptor agonist buprenorphine is a substitution-based therapy for heroin dependence that is thought to produce a steady-state level of μ-opioid receptor activation. But it remains unclear how buprenorphine alters dopamine release relative to heroin and how buprenorphine alters the dopamine-releasing effects of heroin. Because buprenorphine is a partial agonist at the μ-opioid receptor and heroin is a full agonist, we predicted that buprenorphine would function as a weak dopamine releaser relative to heroin, while functioning as a competitive antagonist if administered in advance of heroin. METHODS We performed fast-scan cyclic voltammetry in awake and behaving rats to measure how heroin, buprenorphine HCl, and their combination affect transient dopamine release events in the nucleus accumbens shell. We also performed a complimentary pharmacokinetic analysis comparing opioid plasma levels at time points correlated to our neurochemical findings. RESULTS Both buprenorphine and heroin produced changes in the frequency of transient dopamine release events, although the effect of buprenorphine was weak and only observed at a low dose. In comparison with vehicle, the frequency of dopamine release events maximally increased by ~25% following buprenorphine treatment and by ~60% following heroin treatment. Distinct neuropharmacological effects were observed in the high-dose range. The frequency of dopamine release events increased linearly with heroin dose but biphasically with buprenorphine dose. We also found that buprenorphine pretreatment occluded the dopamine-releasing effects of heroin, but plasma levels of buprenorphine had returned to baseline at this time point. CONCLUSION These findings support the notion that low-dose buprenorphine is a weak dopamine releaser relative to heroin and that buprenorphine pretreatment can block the dopamine-releasing effects of heroin. The finding that high-dose buprenorphine fails to increase dopamine release might explain its relatively low abuse potential among opioid-dependent populations. Because high-dose buprenorphine decreased dopamine release before occluding heroin-evoked dopamine release, and buprenorphine was no longer detected in plasma, we conclude that the mechanisms through which buprenorphine blocks heroin-evoked dopamine release involve multifaceted pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic P Isaacs
- Psychology Department, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado, USA.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Ryan P Leman
- Psychology Department, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Thomas J Everett
- Psychology Department, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | | | | | - Erik B Oleson
- Psychology Department, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado, USA
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27
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Joshi DD, Puaud M, Fouyssac M, Belin‐Rauscent A, Everitt B, Belin D. The anterior insular cortex in the rat exerts an inhibitory influence over the loss of control of heroin intake and subsequent propensity to relapse. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 52:4115-4126. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dhaval D. Joshi
- Department of Psychology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Mickaël Puaud
- Department of Psychology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Maxime Fouyssac
- Department of Psychology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | | | - Barry Everitt
- Department of Psychology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - David Belin
- Department of Psychology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
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28
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Crummy EA, O'Neal TJ, Baskin BM, Ferguson SM. One Is Not Enough: Understanding and Modeling Polysubstance Use. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:569. [PMID: 32612502 PMCID: PMC7309369 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Substance use disorder (SUD) is a chronic, relapsing disease with a highly multifaceted pathology that includes (but is not limited to) sensitivity to drug-associated cues, negative affect, and motivation to maintain drug consumption. SUDs are highly prevalent, with 35 million people meeting criteria for SUD. While drug use and addiction are highly studied, most investigations of SUDs examine drug use in isolation, rather than in the more prevalent context of comorbid substance histories. Indeed, 11.3% of individuals diagnosed with a SUD have concurrent alcohol and illicit drug use disorders. Furthermore, having a SUD with one substance increases susceptibility to developing dependence on additional substances. For example, the increased risk of developing heroin dependence is twofold for alcohol misusers, threefold for cannabis users, 15-fold for cocaine users, and 40-fold for prescription misusers. Given the prevalence and risk associated with polysubstance use and current public health crises, examining these disorders through the lens of co-use is essential for translatability and improved treatment efficacy. The escalating economic and social costs and continued rise in drug use has spurred interest in developing preclinical models that effectively model this phenomenon. Here, we review the current state of the field in understanding the behavioral and neural circuitry in the context of co-use with common pairings of alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, and other addictive substances. Moreover, we outline key considerations when developing polysubstance models, including challenges to developing preclinical models to provide insights and improve treatment outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Crummy
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Timothy J O'Neal
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Britahny M Baskin
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Susan M Ferguson
- Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States.,Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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29
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Galaj E, Newman AH, Xi ZX. Dopamine D3 receptor-based medication development for the treatment of opioid use disorder: Rationale, progress, and challenges. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 114:38-52. [PMID: 32376243 PMCID: PMC7252042 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Opioid abuse and overdose have become a national crisis in the USA. Although several opioid-based pharmacotherapies are available, they are ineffective in long-term relapse prevention. National Institute on Drug Abuse has listed dopamine D3 receptor antagonists as high priority for anti-opioid medication development. The novel D3 receptor antagonists (VK4-116, VK4-40) are effective in reducing opioid reward and relapse as well as potentiate opioid analgesia. D3 receptor antagonists deserve further studies as new pharmacotherapies for pain and of opioid use disorder.
Opioid abuse and related overdose deaths continue to rise in the United States, contributing to the current national opioid crisis. Although several opioid-based pharmacotherapies are available (e.g., methadone, buprenorphine, naloxone), they show limited effectiveness in long-term relapse prevention. In response to the opioid crisis, the National Institute on Drug Abuse proposed a list of pharmacological targets of highest priority for medication development for the treatment of opioid use disorders (OUD). Among these are antagonists of dopamine D3 receptors (D3R). In this review, we first review recent progress in research of the dopamine hypothesis of opioid reward and abuse and then describe the rationale and recent development of D3R ligands for the treatment of OUD. Herein, an emphasis is placed on the effectiveness of newly developed D3R antagonists in the animal models of OUD. These new drug candidates may also potentiate the analgesic effects of clinically used opioids, making them attractive as adjunctive medications for pain management and treatment of OUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Galaj
- Molecular Targets and Medication Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Amy Hauck Newman
- Molecular Targets and Medication Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Zheng-Xiong Xi
- Molecular Targets and Medication Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, United States.
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30
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Lüscher C, Robbins TW, Everitt BJ. The transition to compulsion in addiction. Nat Rev Neurosci 2020; 21:247-263. [PMID: 32231315 PMCID: PMC7610550 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-020-0289-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Compulsion is a cardinal symptom of drug addiction (severe substance use disorder). However, compulsion is observed in only a small proportion of individuals who repeatedly seek and use addictive substances. Here, we integrate accounts of the neuropharmacological mechanisms that underlie the transition to compulsion with overarching learning theories, to outline how compulsion develops in addiction. Importantly, we emphasize the conceptual distinctions between compulsive drug-seeking behaviour and compulsive drug-taking behaviour (that is, use). In the latter, an individual cannot stop using a drug despite major negative consequences, possibly reflecting an imbalance in frontostriatal circuits that encode reward and aversion. By contrast, an individual may compulsively seek drugs (that is, persist in seeking drugs despite the negative consequences of doing so) when the neural systems that underlie habitual behaviour dominate goal-directed behavioural systems, and when executive control over this maladaptive behaviour is diminished. This distinction between different aspects of addiction may help to identify its neural substrates and new treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Lüscher
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Division of Neurology, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Barry J Everitt
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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31
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Fredriksson I, Applebey SV, Minier-Toribio A, Shekara A, Bossert JM, Shaham Y. Effect of the dopamine stabilizer (-)-OSU6162 on potentiated incubation of opioid craving after electric barrier-induced voluntary abstinence. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:770-779. [PMID: 31905372 PMCID: PMC7075949 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0602-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
In the classical incubation of drug craving rat model, drug seeking is assessed after homecage forced abstinence. However, human abstinence is often voluntary because negative consequences of drug seeking outweigh the desire for the drug. Here, we developed a rat model of incubation of opioid craving after electric barrier-induced voluntary abstinence and determined whether the dopamine stabilizer (-)-OSU6162 would decrease this new form of incubation. We trained male and female rats to self-administer oxycodone (0.1 mg/kg/infusion, 6 h/day) for 14 days. We then exposed them to either homecage forced abstinence or voluntary abstinence induced by an electric barrier of increasing intensity near the drug-paired lever. On abstinence days 1, 15, or 30, we tested the rats for oxycodone seeking without shock and drug. We also examined the effect of (-)-OSU6162 (7.5 and 15 mg/kg) on oxycodone seeking on abstinence day 1 or after 15 days of either voluntary or forced abstinence. Independent of sex, the time-dependent increase in oxycodone seeking after cessation of opioid self-administration (incubation of opioid craving) was stronger after voluntary abstinence than after forced abstinence. In males, (-)-OSU6162 decreased incubated (day 15) but not non-incubated (day 1) oxycodone seeking after either voluntary or forced abstinence. In females, (-)-OSU6162 modestly decreased incubated oxycodone seeking after voluntary but not forced abstinence. Results suggest that voluntary abstinence induced by negative consequences of drug seeking can paradoxically potentiate opioid craving and relapse. We propose the dopamine stabilizer (-)-OSU6162 may serve as an adjunct pharmacological treatment to prevent relapse in male opioid users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida Fredriksson
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, IRP/NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, IRP/NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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32
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Vassilev P, Avvisati R, Koya E, Badiani A. Distinct Populations of Neurons Activated by Heroin and Cocaine in the Striatum as Assessed by catFISH. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0394-19.2019. [PMID: 31937522 PMCID: PMC7005257 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0394-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 11/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the still prevailing notion of a shared substrate of action for all addictive drugs, there is evidence suggesting that opioid and psychostimulant drugs differ substantially in terms of their neurobiological and behavioral effects. These differences may reflect separate neural circuits engaged by the two drugs. Here we used the catFISH (cellular compartment analysis of temporal activity by fluorescence in situ hybridization) technique to investigate the degree of overlap between neurons engaged by heroin versus cocaine in adult male Sprague Dawley rats. The catFISH technique is a within-subject procedure that takes advantage of the different transcriptional time course of the immediate-early genes homer 1a and arc to determine to what extent two stimuli separated by an interval of 25 min engage the same neuronal population. We found that throughout the striatal complex the neuronal populations activated by noncontingent intravenous injections of cocaine (800 μg/kg) and heroin (100 and 200 μg/kg), administered at an interval of 25 min from each other, overlapped to a much lesser extent than in the case of two injections of cocaine (800 μg/kg), also 25 min apart. The greatest reduction in overlap between populations activated by cocaine and heroin was in the dorsomedial and dorsolateral striatum (∼30% and ∼22%, respectively, of the overlap observed for the sequence cocaine-cocaine). Our results point toward a significant separation between neuronal populations activated by heroin and cocaine in the striatal complex. We propose that our findings are a proof of concept that these two drugs are encoded differently in a brain area believed to be a common neurobiological substrate to drug abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Vassilev
- Sussex Addiction Research and Intervention Centre (SARIC), School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RH, United Kingdom
| | - Riccardo Avvisati
- Sussex Addiction Research and Intervention Centre (SARIC), School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RH, United Kingdom
| | - Eisuke Koya
- Sussex Addiction Research and Intervention Centre (SARIC), School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RH, United Kingdom
| | - Aldo Badiani
- Sussex Addiction Research and Intervention Centre (SARIC), School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RH, United Kingdom
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
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33
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Welsch L, Bailly J, Darcq E, Kieffer BL. The Negative Affect of Protracted Opioid Abstinence: Progress and Perspectives From Rodent Models. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 87:54-63. [PMID: 31521334 PMCID: PMC6898775 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Revised: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Opioid use disorder (OUD) is characterized by the development of a negative emotional state that develops after a history of long-term exposure to opioids. OUD represents a true challenge for treatment and relapse prevention. Human research has amply documented emotional disruption in individuals with an opioid substance use disorder, at both behavioral and brain activity levels; however, brain mechanisms underlying this particular facet of OUD are only partially understood. Animal research has been instrumental in elucidating genes and circuits that adapt to long-term opioid use or are modified by acute withdrawal, but research on long-term consequences of opioid exposure and their relevance to the negative affect of OUD remains scarce. In this article, we review the literature with a focus on two questions: 1) Do we have behavioral models in rodents, and what do they tell us? and 2) What do we know about the neuronal populations involved? Behavioral rodent models have successfully recapitulated behavioral signs of the OUD-related negative affect, and several neurotransmitter systems were identified (i.e., serotonin, dynorphin, corticotropin-releasing factor, oxytocin). Circuit mechanisms driving the negative mood of prolonged abstinence likely involve the 5 main reward-aversion brain centers (i.e., nucleus accumbens, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, amygdala, habenula, and raphe nucleus), all of which express mu opioid receptors and directly respond to opioids. Future work will identify the nature of these mu opioid receptor-expressing neurons throughout reward-aversion networks, characterize their adapted phenotype in opioid abstinent animals, and hopefully position these primary events in the broader picture of mu opioid receptor-associated brain aversion networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lola Welsch
- Douglas Mental Health Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Julie Bailly
- Douglas Mental Health Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Emmanuel Darcq
- Douglas Mental Health Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Brigitte Lina Kieffer
- Douglas Mental Health Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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Venniro M, Russell TI, Zhang M, Shaham Y. Operant Social Reward Decreases Incubation of Heroin Craving in Male and Female Rats. Biol Psychiatry 2019; 86:848-856. [PMID: 31326085 PMCID: PMC8383184 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We recently reported that operant social choice-induced voluntary abstinence prevents incubation of methamphetamine craving. Here, we determined whether social choice-induced voluntary abstinence would prevent incubation of heroin craving. We also introduce a fully automatic social reward self-administration model that eliminates the intense workload and rat-human interaction of the original semiautomatic model. METHODS In experiment 1, we trained male and female rats for social self-administration (6 days) and then for heroin self-administration (12 days). Next, we assessed relapse to heroin seeking after 1 and 15 abstinence days. Between tests, the rats underwent either forced or social choice-induced abstinence. In experiment 2, we developed a fully automatic social self-administration procedure by introducing a screen between the self-administration chamber and the social-peer chamber; the screen allows physical contact but prevents rats from crossing chambers. Next, we compared incubation of craving in rats with a history of standard (no-screen) or automatic (screen) social self-administration and social choice-induced abstinence. RESULTS The time-dependent increase in heroin seeking after cessation of drug self-administration (incubation of craving) was lower after social choice-induced abstinence than after forced abstinence. There were no differences in social self-administration, social choice-induced abstinence, and incubation of craving in rats trained in the standard semiautomatic procedure versus the novel fully automatic procedure. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates the protective effect of rewarding social interaction on heroin self-administration and incubation of heroin craving and introduces a fully automatic social self-administration and choice procedure to investigate the role of volitional social interaction in drug addiction and other psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Venniro
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
| | - Trinity I Russell
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Michelle Zhang
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
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35
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Glial neuroimmune signaling in opioid reward. Brain Res Bull 2019; 155:102-111. [PMID: 31790721 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2019.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Revised: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The opioid epidemic is a growing public concern affecting millions of people worldwide. Opioid-induced reward is the initial and key process leading to opioid abuse and addiction. Therefore, a better understanding of opioid reward may be helpful in developing a treatment for opioid addiction. Emerging evidence suggests that glial cells, particularly microglia and astrocytes, play an essential role in modulating opioid reward. Indeed, glial cells and their associated immune signaling actively regulate neural activity and plasticity, and directly modulate opioid-induced rewarding behaviors. In this review, we describe the neuroimmune mechanisms of how glial cells affect synaptic transmission and plasticity as well as how opioids can activate glial cells affecting the glial-neuronal interaction. Last, we summarize current attempts of applying glial modulators in treating opioid reward.
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Spagnolo PA, Kimes A, Schwandt ML, Shokri-Kojori E, Thada S, Phillips KA, Diazgranados N, Preston KL, Herscovitch P, Tomasi D, Ramchandani VA, Heilig M. Striatal Dopamine Release in Response to Morphine: A [ 11C]Raclopride Positron Emission Tomography Study in Healthy Men. Biol Psychiatry 2019; 86:356-364. [PMID: 31097294 PMCID: PMC6699765 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.03.965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Revised: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preclinical and human positron emission tomography studies have produced inconsistent results regarding the effects of opioids on mesolimbic dopamine (DA). Here, we quantify striatal DA release (measured by [11C]raclopride displacement) in response to an intravenous infusion of morphine, and its relationship with morphine-induced subjective effects, in healthy, nondependent opioid-experienced participants. METHODS Fifteen healthy male participants were initially included. Sessions were on separate days. On session 1, participants received intravenous morphine (10 mg/70 kg) in the clinic to ensure tolerability. Participants without adverse reactions (n = 10) then received intravenous morphine and placebo (saline) sessions, in counterbalanced order, while undergoing [11C]raclopride positron emission tomography scans. Subjective and physiological responses were assessed. Region-of-interest and voxelwise image analyses were used to assess changes in [11C]raclopride nondisplaceable binding potential. RESULTS Morphine produced marked subjective and physiological effects and induced a significant decrease in [11C]raclopride nondisplaceable binding potential, particularly in the nucleus accumbens and globus pallidus, where the change in [11C]raclopride nondisplaceable binding potential was approximately 9%. However, the subjective effects of morphine did not show a simple pattern of correlation with DA release. CONCLUSIONS This is, to our knowledge, the first study providing in vivo human evidence that DA transmission in the ventral striatum is affected by morphine. Further studies are required to fully delineate the DA contribution to the reinforcing effects of opioids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Primavera A Spagnolo
- Human Motor Control Section, National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Instutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Alane Kimes
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Melanie L Schwandt
- Office of the Clinical Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Instutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Ehsan Shokri-Kojori
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Instutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Shantalaxmi Thada
- Positron Emission Tomography Department, Clinical Center, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Karran A Phillips
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Nancy Diazgranados
- Office of the Clinical Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Instutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Kenzie L Preston
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Peter Herscovitch
- Positron Emission Tomography Department, Clinical Center, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Dardo Tomasi
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Instutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Vijay A Ramchandani
- Section on Human Psychopharmacology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Instutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
| | - Markus Heilig
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
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Abstract
Drug addiction is a worldwide societal problem and public health burden, and results from recreational drug use that develops into a complex brain disorder. The opioid system, one of the first discovered neuropeptide systems in the history of neuroscience, is central to addiction. Recently, opioid receptors have been propelled back on stage by the rising opioid epidemics, revolutions in G protein-coupled receptor research and fascinating developments in basic neuroscience. This Review discusses rapidly advancing research into the role of opioid receptors in addiction, and addresses the key questions of whether we can kill pain without addiction using mu-opioid-receptor-targeting opiates, how mu- and kappa-opioid receptors operate within the neurocircuitry of addiction and whether we can bridge human and animal opioid research in the field of drug abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Darcq
- Douglas Mental Health Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Brigitte Lina Kieffer
- Douglas Mental Health Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. .,Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, INSERM, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
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Bernardi RE, Olevska A, Morella I, Fasano S, Santos E, Brambilla R, Spanagel R. The Inhibition of RasGRF2, But Not RasGRF1, Alters Cocaine Reward in Mice. J Neurosci 2019; 39:6325-6338. [PMID: 31182637 PMCID: PMC6687905 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1120-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Revised: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK (Ras-ERK) signaling has been implicated in the effects of drugs of abuse. Inhibitors of MEK1/2, the kinases upstream of ERK1/2, have been critical in defining the role of the Ras-ERK cascade in drug-dependent alterations in behavioral plasticity, but the Ras family of small GTPases has not been extensively examined in drug-related behaviors. We examined the role of Ras Guanine Nucleotide Releasing Factor 1 (RasGRF1) and 2 (RasGRF2), upstream regulators of the Ras-ERK signaling cascade, on cocaine self-administration (SA) in male mice. We first established a role for Ras-ERK signaling in cocaine SA, demonstrating that pERK1/2 is upregulated following SA in C57BL/6N mice in striatum. We then compared RasGRF1 and RasGRF2 KO mouse lines, demonstrating that cocaine SA in RasGRF2 KO mice was increased relative to WT controls, whereas RasGRF1 KO and WT mice did not differ. This effect in RasGRF2 mice is likely mediated by the Ras-ERK signaling pathway, as pERK1/2 upregulation following cocaine SA was absent in RasGRF2 KO mice. Interestingly, the lentiviral knockdown of RasGRF2 in the NAc had the opposite effect to that in RasGRF2 KO mice, reducing cocaine SA. We subsequently demonstrated that the MEK inhibitor PD325901 administered peripherally prior to cocaine SA increased cocaine intake, replicating the increase seen in RasGRF2 KO mice, whereas PD325901 administered into the NAc decreased cocaine intake, similar to the effect seen following lentiviral knockdown of RasGRF2. These data indicate a role for RasGRF2 in cocaine SA in mice that is ERK-dependent, and suggest a differential effect of global versus site-specific RasGRF2 inhibition.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Exposure to drugs of abuse activates a variety of intracellular pathways, and following repeated exposure, persistent changes in these pathways contribute to drug dependence. Downstream components of the Ras-ERK signaling cascade are involved in the acute and chronic effects of drugs of abuse, but their upstream mediators have not been extensively characterized. Here we show, using a combination of molecular, pharmacological, and lentiviral techniques, that the guanine nucleotide exchange factor RasGRF2 mediates cocaine self-administration via an ERK-dependent mechanism, whereas RasGRF1 has no effect on responding for cocaine. These data indicate dissociative effects of mediators of Ras activity on cocaine reward and expand the understanding of the contribution of Ras-ERK signaling to drug-taking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rick E Bernardi
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim 68159, Germany,
| | - Anastasia Olevska
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim 68159, Germany
| | - Ilaria Morella
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, United Kingdom
- Cardiff University, School of Biosciences, Division of Neuroscience, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, United Kingdom, and
| | - Stefania Fasano
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, United Kingdom
- Cardiff University, School of Biosciences, Division of Neuroscience, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, United Kingdom, and
| | - Eugenio Santos
- Centro de Investigación del Cáncer-Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer (CSIC-Universidad de Salamanca) and CIBERONC, Salamanca, Spain, 37007
| | - Riccardo Brambilla
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, United Kingdom
- Cardiff University, School of Biosciences, Division of Neuroscience, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, United Kingdom, and
| | - Rainer Spanagel
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim 68159, Germany
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Kehinde F, Oduyeye O, Mohammed R. Could the link between drug addiction in adulthood and substance use in adolescence result from a blurring of the boundaries between incentive and hedonic processes? Subst Abuse Rehabil 2019; 10:33-46. [PMID: 31372088 PMCID: PMC6634303 DOI: 10.2147/sar.s202996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a broad consensus that the development of drug addiction in adulthood is closely linked to the onset of drug use in adolescence. However, the relationship between drug exposure during adolescence and subsequent vulnerability to addiction is yet to be fully understood. This review will first use evidence from adult studies on reward and addiction to give an up-to-date reference point of normal reward-circuitry and the maladaptive changes that later occur in addiction. This will then be compared with current evidence from adolescent studies on reward-circuitry. Similarities between the reward processes governing characteristic behavioral traits in adolescence and the reward profile in adult addiction could help to explain why the risk of later developing addiction is increased when substance use is initiated in adolescence. We argue that the age of onset is a major risk factor in the development of substance use disorder due to a blurring of the boundaries between incentive and hedonic processes, which occurs during adolescence. A deeper understanding of the processes that mediate this blurring could open new avenues for the prevention and treatment of adult drug addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Kehinde
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Opeoluwa Oduyeye
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, London, UK
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Badiani A, Caprioli D, De Pirro S. Opposite environmental gating of the experienced utility ('liking') and decision utility ('wanting') of heroin versus cocaine in animals and humans: implications for computational neuroscience. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:2451-2471. [PMID: 31289884 PMCID: PMC6695361 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-019-05318-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In this paper, we reviewed translational studies concerned with environmental influences on the rewarding effects of heroin versus cocaine in rats and humans with substance use disorder. These studies show that both experienced utility ('liking') and decision utility ('wanting') of heroin and cocaine shift in opposite directions as a function of the setting in which these drugs were used. Briefly, rats and humans prefer using heroin at home but cocaine outside the home. These findings appear to challenge prevailing theories of drug reward, which focus on the notion of shared substrate of action for drug of abuse, and in particular on their shared ability to facilitate dopaminergic transmission. AIMS Thus, in the second part of the paper, we verified whether our findings could be accounted for by available computational models of reward. To account for our findings, a model must include a component that could mediate the substance-specific influence of setting on drug reward RESULTS: It appears of the extant models that none is fully compatible with the results of our studies. CONCLUSIONS We hope that this paper will serve as stimulus to design computational models more attuned to the complex mechanisms responsible for the rewarding effects of drugs in real-world contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aldo Badiani
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
- Sussex Addiction Research & Intervention Centre (SARIC) and School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
| | - Daniele Caprioli
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
| | - Silvana De Pirro
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Sussex Addiction Research & Intervention Centre (SARIC) and School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
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Solis E, Afzal A, Kiyatkin EA. Intravenous Cocaine Increases Oxygen Entry into Brain Tissue: Critical Role of Peripheral Drug Actions. ACS Chem Neurosci 2019; 10:1923-1928. [PMID: 30040399 PMCID: PMC10754540 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although it is well established that the direct action of cocaine on centrally located neural substrates is essential in mediating its reinforcing properties, cocaine induces very rapid immediate neural effects that imply cocaine's action on peripheral neural substrates. We employed oxygen sensors coupled with high-speed amperometery to examine the effects of standard cocaine HCl that easily enters the blood-brain barrier and its blood-brain barrier-impermeable methiodide analogue on oxygen levels in the nucleus accumbens in awake, freely moving rats. Both drugs induced strong increases in nucleus accumbens oxygen levels, which displayed similarly short, second-scale latencies and a general similarity with oxygen increases induced by an auditory stimulus. This study provides additional support for the view that the immediate neural effects of intravenous cocaine are triggered via its direct action on peripherally located neural substrates and fast neural transmission to the central nervous system via somatosensory pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernesto Solis
- In-Vivo Electrophysiology Unit, Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse – Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, 333 Cassell Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Anum Afzal
- In-Vivo Electrophysiology Unit, Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse – Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, 333 Cassell Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Eugene A. Kiyatkin
- In-Vivo Electrophysiology Unit, Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse – Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, 333 Cassell Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
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Moningka H, Lichenstein S, Yip SW. Current understanding of the neurobiology of opioid use disorder: An overview. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep 2019; 6:1-11. [PMID: 34485022 PMCID: PMC8412234 DOI: 10.1007/s40473-019-0170-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review provides an overview of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying opioid use disorder (OUD) drawing from genetic, functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research. RECENT FINDINGS Preliminary evidence suggests an association between OUD and specific variants of the DRD2, δ-opioid receptor 1 (OPRD1) and μ-opioid receptor 1 (OPRM1) genes. Additionally, MRI research indicates functional and structural alterations in striatal and corticolimbic brain regions and pathways underlying reward, emotion/stress and cognitive control processes among individuals with OUD. SUMMARY Individual differences in genetic and functional and structural brain-based features are correlated with differences in OUD severity and treatment outcomes, and therefore may potentially one day be used to inform OUD treatment selection. However, given the heterogeneous findings reported, further longitudinal research across different stages of opioid addiction is needed to yield a convergent characterization of OUD and improve treatment and prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hestia Moningka
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510
- University College London, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, London WC1H 0AP
| | - Sarah Lichenstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510
| | - Sarah W. Yip
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510
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Smith SL, Dean RL, Todtenkopf MS, Heal DJ. Investigation of the reinforcing potential of samidorphan and naltrexone by fixed and progressive ratio intravenous self-administration testing in heroin-maintained rats. J Psychopharmacol 2019; 33:383-391. [PMID: 30676189 DOI: 10.1177/0269881118822111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Samidorphan is a novel μ-opioid antagonist with low intrinsic activity at κ- and δ-opioid receptors. AIMS Because samidorphan is central nervous system-active, we investigated whether samidorphan (13.6, 40.8, 68 μg/kg/injection) served as a positive reinforcer in rats trained to self-administer heroin on a fixed ratio-5 schedule. Samidorphan's relative reinforcing effect was evaluated by progressive ratio/break-point determination. Naltrexone (13.6, 40.8, 68 μg/kg/injection) and heroin (7.5, 15, 25 μg/kg/injection) were comparators. RESULTS All heroin doses maintained self-administration on fixed ratio-5 and progressive ratio/break-points at levels significantly greater than saline. Samidorphan and naltrexone had similar profiles on fixed ratio-5 with one samidorphan dose serving as a positive reinforcer and one naltrexone dose showing a strong trend ( p=0.053) for positive reinforcement. The numbers of injections of every samidorphan and naltrexone dose were significantly lower than all heroin doses. The numbers of self-administered samidorphan and naltrexone injections/session on fixed ratio-5 were not significantly different from one another. The mean inter-injection intervals for heroin were significantly shorter than for saline, whereas those of samidorphan and naltrexone were not. Progressive ratio break-points for samidorphan and naltrexone were not different from saline except for the highest dose of samidorphan. In addition, the progressive ratio break-points for samidorphan were not significantly different from those of naltrexone and were significantly lower than heroin. The samidorphan unit-doses evaluated in self-administration yielded plasma concentrations ranging between 25-109% and 10-45% of the maximum concentration values in humans. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the profiles of samidorphan and naltrexone, which has no abuse liability, were similar in this model.
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Siciliano CA, Tye KM. Leveraging calcium imaging to illuminate circuit dysfunction in addiction. Alcohol 2019; 74:47-63. [PMID: 30470589 PMCID: PMC7575247 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2018.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Revised: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol and drug use can dysregulate neural circuit function to produce a wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders, including addiction. To understand the neural circuit computations that mediate behavior, and how substances of abuse may transform them, we must first be able to observe the activity of circuits. While many techniques have been utilized to measure activity in specific brain regions, these regions are made up of heterogeneous sub-populations, and assessing activity from neuronal populations of interest has been an ongoing challenge. To fully understand how neural circuits mediate addiction-related behavior, we must be able to reveal the cellular granularity within brain regions and circuits by overlaying functional information with the genetic and anatomical identity of the cells involved. The development of genetically encoded calcium indicators, which can be targeted to populations of interest, allows for in vivo visualization of calcium dynamics, a proxy for neuronal activity, thus providing an avenue for real-time assessment of activity in genetically and anatomically defined populations during behavior. Here, we highlight recent advances in calcium imaging technology, compare the current technology with other state-of-the-art approaches for in vivo monitoring of neural activity, and discuss the strengths, limitations, and practical concerns for observing neural circuit activity in preclinical addiction models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody A Siciliano
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States.
| | - Kay M Tye
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States; The Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, 10010 N Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States.
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45
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De Luca MT, Montanari C, Meringolo M, Contu L, Celentano M, Badiani A. Heroin versus cocaine: opposite choice as a function of context but not of drug history in the rat. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:787-798. [PMID: 30443795 PMCID: PMC6469678 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5115-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Previous studies have shown that rats trained to self-administer heroin and cocaine exhibit opposite preferences, as a function of setting, when tested in a choice paradigm. Rats tested at home prefer heroin to cocaine, whereas rats tested outside the home prefer cocaine to heroin. Here, we investigated whether drug history would influence subsequent drug preference in distinct settings. Based on a theoretical model of drug-setting interaction, we predicted that regardless of drug history rats would prefer heroin at home and cocaine outside the home. METHODS Rats with double-lumen catheters were first trained to self-administer either heroin (25 μg/kg) or cocaine (400 μg/kg) for 12 consecutive sessions. Twenty-six rats were housed in the self-administration chambers (thus, they were tested at home), whereas 30 rats lived in distinct home cages and were transferred to self-administration chambers only for the self-administration session (thus, they were tested outside the home). The rats were then allowed to choose repeatedly between heroin and cocaine within the same session for seven sessions. RESULTS Regardless of the training drug, the rats tested outside the home preferred cocaine to heroin, whereas the rats tested at home preferred heroin to cocaine. There was no correlation between drug preference and drug intake during the training phase. CONCLUSION Drug preferences were powerfully influenced by the setting but, quite surprisingly, not by drug history. This suggests that, under certain conditions, associative learning processes and drug-induced neuroplastic adaptations play a minor role in shaping individual preferences for one drug or the other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Teresa De Luca
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology Vittorio Erspamer, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Christian Montanari
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology Vittorio Erspamer, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Meringolo
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology Vittorio Erspamer, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Contu
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology Vittorio Erspamer, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Michele Celentano
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology Vittorio Erspamer, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Aldo Badiani
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology Vittorio Erspamer, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
- Sussex Addiction Research and Intervention Centre (SARIC), School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Sussex, UK.
- Sussex Neuroscience, University of Sussex, Sussex, UK.
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Guillem K, Ahmed SH. A neuronal population code for resemblance between drug and nondrug reward outcomes in the orbitofrontal cortex. Brain Struct Funct 2018; 224:883-890. [PMID: 30539287 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-1809-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/01/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is implicated in choice and decision-making in both human and non-human animals. We previously identified in the rat OFC a mechanism that influences individual drug choices and preferences between a drug and a nondrug (i.e., sweet) outcome that is common across different types of drugs (cocaine and heroin). Importantly, this research also revealed some intriguing drug-specific differences. Notably, the size of non-selective OFC neurons that indiscriminately encode both the drug and the sweet outcomes varies as a function of the drug outcome available (cocaine or heroin). Here we tested the hypothesis that the relative size of the non-selective OFC population somehow represents the degree of resemblance between the drug and nondrug reward outcomes. We recorded OFC neuronal activity in vivo in the same individual rats while they were choosing between two outcomes with varying degrees of resemblance: high (two concentrations of sweet), intermediate (sweet versus heroin) and low (sweet versus cocaine). We found that the percentage of non-selective OFC neurons dramatically increased with the degree of resemblance between choice outcomes, from 26 to 62%. Overall, these findings reveal the existence of a neuronal population code for resemblance between different kinds of choice outcomes in the OFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Guillem
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Université de Bordeaux, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, 33000, Bordeaux, France. .,Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, CNRS, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, 33000, Bordeaux, France. .,Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR CNRS 5293, Université de Bordeaux, 146 rue Léo Saignât, 33076, Bordeaux, France.
| | - Serge H Ahmed
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, Université de Bordeaux, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, 33000, Bordeaux, France. .,Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, CNRS, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, 33000, Bordeaux, France. .,Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR CNRS 5293, Université de Bordeaux, 146 rue Léo Saignât, 33076, Bordeaux, France.
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Corre J, van Zessen R, Loureiro M, Patriarchi T, Tian L, Pascoli V, Lüscher C. Dopamine neurons projecting to medial shell of the nucleus accumbens drive heroin reinforcement. eLife 2018; 7:39945. [PMID: 30373717 PMCID: PMC6207421 DOI: 10.7554/elife.39945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The dopamine (DA) hypothesis posits the increase of mesolimbic dopamine levels as a defining commonality of addictive drugs, initially causing reinforcement, eventually leading to compulsive consumption. While much experimental evidence from psychostimulants supports this hypothesis, it has been challenged for opioid reinforcement. Here, we monitor genetically encoded DA and calcium indicators as well as cFos in mice to reveal that heroin activates DA neurons located in the medial part of the VTA, preferentially projecting to the medial shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Chemogenetic and optogenetic manipulations of VTA DA or GABA neurons establish a causal link to heroin reinforcement. Inhibition of DA neurons blocked heroin self-administration, while heroin inhibited optogenetic self-stimulation of DA neurons. Likewise, heroin occluded the self-inhibition of VTA GABA neurons. Together, these experiments support a model of disinhibition of a subset of VTA DA neurons in opioid reinforcement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Corre
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ruud van Zessen
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Michaël Loureiro
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Tommaso Patriarchi
- School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California Davis, California, United States
| | - Lin Tian
- School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California Davis, California, United States
| | - Vincent Pascoli
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Christian Lüscher
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Service of Neurology, University of Geneva Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland
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Abstract
Drug addiction or substance-use disorder is a chronically relapsing disorder that progresses through binge/intoxication, withdrawal/negative affect and preoccupation/anticipation stages. These stages represent diverse neurobiological mechanisms that are differentially involved in the transition from recreational to compulsive drug use and from positive to negative reinforcement. The progression from recreational to compulsive substance use is associated with downregulation of the brain reward systems and upregulation of the brain stress systems. Individual differences in the neurobiological systems that underlie the processing of reward, incentive salience, habits, stress, pain, and executive function may explain (i) the vulnerability to substance-use disorder; (ii) the diversity of emotional, motivational, and cognitive profiles of individuals with substance-use disorders; and (iii) heterogeneous responses to cognitive and pharmacological treatments. Characterization of the neuropsychological mechanisms that underlie individual differences in addiction-like behaviors is the key to understanding the mechanisms of addiction and development of personalized pharmacotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier George
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - George F Koob
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Rockville, Maryland, USA
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49
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Akhiary M, Purvis EM, Klein AK, Ettenberg A. Methamphetamine self-administration in a runway model of drug-seeking behavior in male rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2018; 175:27-32. [PMID: 30196087 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2018.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Cocaine administration has been shown to produce immediate positive (rewarding) and subsequent negative (anxiogenic) effects in humans and animals. These dual and opposing affective responses have been more difficult to demonstrate with administration of methamphetamine (meth). While animal studies have reliably demonstrated the positive reinforcing effects of the drug, reports of negative aftereffects following acute exposure have been few in number and contradictory in nature. The current research was devised to assess the effects of acute meth using a runway model of self-administration that is uniquely sensitive to both the positive and negative effects of a drug reinforcer in the same animal on the same trial. Male rats were allowed to traverse a straight alley once a day for 16 consecutive days/trials where entry into the goal box resulted in a single IV injection of meth (0.25, 0.5 or 1.0 mg/kg/inj.). The chosen doses were confirmed to be psychoactive as they produced dose-dependent increases in motoric/locomotor activation in these same subjects. The results demonstrated a U-shaped dose-response curve for the reinforcing effects of meth in that the intermediate dose group (0.5 mg/kg) produced the strongest approach behavior in the runway. Unlike other psychomotor stimulants, like cocaine, animals running for IV meth exhibited no evidence of any significant approach-avoidance behaviors reflective of the drug's negative anxiogenic effects. These results suggest that the abuse potential for meth is likely higher than for other shorter-acting psychomotor stimulants and reaffirms the utility of the runway procedure as a screen for a substance's abuse potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Akhiary
- Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93109-9660, USA
| | - Erin M Purvis
- Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93109-9660, USA
| | - Adam K Klein
- Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93109-9660, USA
| | - Aaron Ettenberg
- Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93109-9660, USA.
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50
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Bossert JM, Hoots JK, Fredriksson I, Adhikary S, Zhang M, Venniro M, Shaham Y. Role of mu, but not delta or kappa, opioid receptors in context‐induced reinstatement of oxycodone seeking. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 50:2075-2085. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2018] [Revised: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M. Bossert
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch IRP/NIDA/NIH 251 Bayview Blvd, Suite 200 Baltimore MD USA
| | - Jennifer K. Hoots
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch IRP/NIDA/NIH 251 Bayview Blvd, Suite 200 Baltimore MD USA
| | - Ida Fredriksson
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch IRP/NIDA/NIH 251 Bayview Blvd, Suite 200 Baltimore MD USA
| | - Sweta Adhikary
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch IRP/NIDA/NIH 251 Bayview Blvd, Suite 200 Baltimore MD USA
| | - Michelle Zhang
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch IRP/NIDA/NIH 251 Bayview Blvd, Suite 200 Baltimore MD USA
| | - Marco Venniro
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch IRP/NIDA/NIH 251 Bayview Blvd, Suite 200 Baltimore MD USA
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch IRP/NIDA/NIH 251 Bayview Blvd, Suite 200 Baltimore MD USA
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