Differentiation of basal ganglia dopaminergic involvement in behavior after hippocampectomy

Ethovision™ analysis of open field behaviour in rats following bilateral vestibular loss

Bilateral vestibular loss (BVL) causes a unique behavioural syndrome in rodents, with symptoms such as locomotor hyperactivity and changes in exploratory behaviour. Many of these symptoms appear to be indirect consequences of the loss of vestibular reflex function and are difficult to explain. Although such symptoms have been reported before, there have been few systematic studies of the effects of BVL using automated digital tracking systems in which many behavioural symptoms can be measured simultaneously with high precision. In this study, data were obtained from rats with BVL induced by intratympanic sodium arsanilate injections (n = 7) or sham injections (n = 8) and their behaviour in the open field was measured at 3 days and 23 days post-injection using Ethovision™ tracking software. BVL rats demonstrated reduced thigmotaxis, with more time spent in the central zones. Twenty-three days post-injection, BVL animals showed increased locomotor activity in the open field. The increase in activity was also reflected in the number of transitions between each zone of the field. In addition to increased activity, BVL animals showed increased whole body rotations following lesions. Using linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and random forest classification (RFC), we were able to show that the indirect behavioural effects of BVL, excluding direct measurement of vestibular reflex function, could correctly predict whether animals had received a BVL with a high degree of accuracy at both day 3 and day 23 post-BVL (83% and 100% for LDA, and 100% and 100% for RFC, respectively). RFC has been similarly successful in classifying other hyperactivity syndromes such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. These results suggest that BVL results in a unique behavioural signature that can identify vestibular loss in rats even without direct vestibular reflex measurements.

Proceedings of the 2017 annual meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders study group

The 2017 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group (FASDSG) meeting was titled "Prenatal alcohol exposure in the context of multiple factors affecting brain development." The theme was reflected in the interactions between members of the Teratology Society and the FASDSG this year. The first keynote speaker, Elaine Faustman, Ph.D., was a liaison between the societies and spoke about systems biology and the multiple genetic and environmental influences on development. The second keynote speaker, Rebecca Knickmeyer, Ph.D., discussed population neuroscience and multiple influences on brain development. The conference presented updates from three government agencies and short presentations by junior and senior investigators showcasing late-breaking FASD research. The conference was capped by Dr. John Hannigan, Ph.D., the recipient of the 2017 Henry Rosett award for career-long contributions to the field.

Hippocampal inactivation enhances taste learning

Learning tasks are typically thought to be either hippocampal-dependent (impaired by hippocampal lesions) or hippocampal-independent (indifferent to hippocampal lesions). Here, we show that conditioned taste aversion (CTA) learning fits into neither of these categories. Rats were trained to avoid two taste stimuli, one novel and one familiar. Muscimol infused through surgically implanted intracranial cannulae temporarily inactivated the dorsal hippocampus during familiarization, subsequent CTA training, or both. As shown previously, hippocampal inactivation during familiarization enhanced the effect of that familiarization on learning (i.e., hippocampal inactivation enhanced latent inhibition of CTA); more novel and surprising, however, was the finding that hippocampal inactivation during training sessions strongly enhanced CTA learning itself. These phenomena were not caused by specific aspects of our infusion technique--muscimol infusions into the hippocampus during familiarization sessions did not cause CTAs, muscimol infusions into gustatory cortex caused the expected attenuation of CTA, and hippocampal inactivation caused the expected attenuation of spatial learning. Thus, we suggest that hippocampal memory processes interfere with the specific learning mechanisms underlying CTA, and more generally that multiple memory systems do not operate independently.

Different neural mechanisms underlie dizocilpine maleate- and dopamine agonist-induced locomotor activity

This study evaluated and compared the role of mesoaccumbens dopamine and the ventral pallidal region in the locomotor stimulatory action of the non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist dizocilpine maleate and dopamine agonists. Intra-accumbens injections of both amphetamine (1, 5 and 25 nmol) and dizocilpine maleate (1, 5, 25 and 50 nmol) induced a dose-dependent increase in locomotor activity. The N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist was somewhat less effective than amphetamine. 6-Hydroxydopamine dopamine-depleting lesions of the nucleus accumbens completely blocked locomotor stimulation induced by focal administrations of amphetamine (5 nmol), but were ineffective in altering the actions of dizocilpine maleate (50 nmol). Ibotenic acid lesions of the ventral pallidal region and muscimol injections into this area also prevented the stimulatory effects of systemic amphetamine (1 mg/kg), while having no effect on the locomotor-activating actions of systemic dizocilpine maleate (0.3 mg/kg). Microdialysis studies revealed that systemically administered apomorphine (2 mg/kg) significantly decreased extracellular GABA in the pallidum, which was accompanied by substantial increases in locomotor output. Systemically administered dizocilpine maleate (0.3 mg/kg), on the other hand, also increased locomotor activity without having any effect on pallidal GABA. These data, taken together, indicate that while the locomotor effects of dopamine agonists are dependent upon intact mesoaccumbens dopamine and involve GABAergic efferents from the nucleus accumbens to the ventral pallidum, dizocilpine maleate's stimulatory actions are independent of such mechanisms.

Kainic acid lesions enhance locomotor responses to novelty, saline, amphetamine, and MK-801

Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of kainic acid (KA) to rats produces neuronal loss in the hippocampus and other areas of the limbic system. The present study demonstrates that i.c.v. KA enhances the locomotor response to novelty and saline injection, as well as to amphetamine and MK-801. Sixteen to 18 days after i.c.v. administration of KA or vehicle, lesioned and control rats were placed in a novel cage, and locomotor activity and grooming were recorded for 30 min prior to and 60 min following a subcutaneous injection of saline, D-amphetamine, or MK-801. In response to the novel cage and after each injection, KA rats exhibited increased locomotor activity relative to controls. Grooming behavior was found to be elevated in the KA rats when compared to controls, but only in response to the novel cage and saline injection. The possibility that damage to the limbic system disrupts dopaminergic regulation of locomotor behavior is discussed, as well as implications for neuropathology in schizophrenia.

1S,3R-ACPD has cataleptogenic effects and reverses MK-801-, and less pronounced, D,L-amphetamine-induced locomotion

The purpose of this study was to examine the motor effects of (1S,3R)-1-amino-cyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (1S,3R-ACPD), an agonist at metabotropic glutamate receptors, its interaction with dizocilpine (MK-801), a NMDA receptor antagonist, and with D,L-amphetamine, an indirect dopamine receptor agonist. 1S,3R-ACPD (20, 30, 40, 80 micrograms) evoked prominent locomotor and exploratory deficits in an open-field hole-board test and a moderate akinesia and rigidity in a catalepsy test (30, 40, 80 micrograms). MK-801 (0.08, 0.16, 0.32 mg/kg i.p.) as well as D,L-amphetamine (1.0, 2.0, 3.0 mg/kg i.p.) potently reversed 1S,3R-ACPD-induced (80 micrograms) catalepsy. MK-801 and D,L-amphetamine, administered alone, induced motor stimulation. 1S,3R-ACPD (80 micrograms) reversed the effects of the two lower doses of MK-801. 1S,3R-ACPD reversed D,L-amphetamine-induced motor stimulation to a minor extent than that of MK-801. Thus motor deficits induced by 1S,3R-ACPD were reversed by both, NMDA receptor blockade and dopamine receptor activation. 1S,3R-ACPD reversed motor stimulation, induced by NMDA receptor blockade and, however less pronounced, that by dopamine receptor activation.

Differential behavioral effects following microinjection of an NMDA antagonist into nucleus accumbens subregions

Recent studies have demonstrated the existence of two distinct regions within the nucleus accumbens (N.Acc) known as "core" and "shell". In order to investigate whether the behavioral functions of excitatory amino acid receptors differed between these two subregions, rats were administered microinjections of 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (AP-5), a competitive NMDA antagonist (0, 0.05, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0 microgram/0.5 microliter) into selected central and medial regions of the accumbens. The central and medial sites were assumed to correspond approximately to core and shell subregions, respectively. The animals were tested in two exploratory tasks: the open field and a novel object test. In the open field test, AP-5 significantly decreased peripheral locomotion and center rearing frequency in the central but not the medial group. Locomotion and rearing were not affected by AP5 infusion into a control site, the anterior dorsal striatum (ADS). In the novel object test, animals were tested in the same open field, with prior habituation, and with several novel objects placed within it. In this test, infusions of AP-5 (0, 1.0 microgram/0.5 microliter) decreased the number and duration of contacts with the novel objects in the central but not the medial group. In addition, peripheral and center locomotion were decreased by AP-5 infusions into the central site, whether objects were present or not. In contrast, AP-5 infusions into the medial site elicited an increase in peripheral locomotion in both stimulus conditions. These findings provide behavioral-pharmacological evidence that the central and medial subregions of the nucleus accumbens can be differentiated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

In the rat medial nucleus accumbens, hippocampal and catecholaminergic terminals converge on spiny neurons and are in apposition to each other

The nucleus accumbens septi (Acb) represents an interface between limbic and motor systems and a site for modulation of these integrative functions by ascending catecholaminergic, principally dopaminergic, axons. This modulatory regulation is most likely attributed to pre- or postsynaptic associations between limbic telencephalic and brainstem afferents. In the present investigation, we examined the ultrastructure and synaptic associations of hippocampal afferents, as well as their relation to catecholaminergic terminals, in the medial Acb of adult rats. Hippocampal afferents were identified by anterograde transport of wheat germ agglutinin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) injected in the ventral subiculum, and by anterograde degeneration seen 2-3 days following lesion of the fimbria. Specific comparisons between these methods were made (1) to determine whether similar populations of terminals were labeled and (2) to assess the feasibility of combining degeneration with immunoperoxidase labeling for the catecholamine synthesizing enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). Hippocampal afferents labeled with HRP were finely myelinated or unmyelinated and gave rise to small terminals (mean diameter 0.58 micron) containing mostly clear, round vesicles. Of the HRP-labeled terminals which made recognizable junctions, 85% (104/122) formed asymmetric synapses with the heads of dendritic spines. The remainder either formed asymmetric axodendritic synapses or symmetric junctions. Degenerating terminals were significantly smaller (mean diameter 0.35 micron) than terminals labeled with HRP. However, these also formed principally asymmetric axospinous synapses (89/102, 87%). Whether identified by HRP transport or anterograde degeneration, the hippocampal afferents comprised approximately 10% of all terminals and 30% of all asymmetric axospinous synapses in the medial Acb. In contrast to hippocampal afferents, TH-labeled terminals formed primarily symmetric contacts with dendritic shafts and the heads and necks of spines. Quantitative analysis of sections containing both anterograde degeneration and TH-immunoreactivity showed that 25% (26/104) of associations formed by degenerating hippocampal terminals involved convergent inputs with TH-labeled terminals on the same postsynaptic structure. These included dual input either to the same spine head or to different parts of the same dendrite. In addition, the plasma membranes of hippocampal and TH-labeled terminals were often directly apposed to each other (10/58, 17% of axo-axonal associations formed by degenerating terminals), without recognizable synaptic specializations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Hyperactivity following intradentate injection of colchicine: a role for dopamine systems in the nucleus accumbens

The role of dopamine systems in the nucleus accumbens (NA) in mediating the hyperactivity following colchicine-induced granule cell damage was investigated. In the first experiment adult Sprague-Dawley rats were bilaterally injected with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA; 8 micrograms/2 microliters) or 0.5% ascorbate into the NA. Eight days later, rats received intradentate COLCH or CSF and were tested for locomotor activity 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 days later. Intradentate COLCH produced a significant hyperactivity which was prevented by prior injection of 6-OHDA into the NA. Neurochemical analysis revealed that 6-OHDA decreased dopamine (80%) but not norepinephrine in the NA without altering either catecholamine in the striatum. In the second experiment animals were injected with COLCH or CSF in the dentate gyrus and immediately implanted with bilateral cannulae in the NA. Animals received intraaccumbens injections of CSF or d-amphetamine (20 micrograms/l microliters) and were tested for locomotor activity. Amphetamine produced a significant increase in locomotor activity in both CSF- and COLCH-treated animals. However, COLCH produced an exaggerated response to the motor stimulating effects of amphetamine. These results suggest that the destruction of dentate granule cells following colchicine results in a "functional" hyperactivity of the mesolimbic dopamine input to the NA which might disinhibit locomotor activity.

Hippocampal fibers make synaptic contacts with glutamate decarboxylase-immunoreactive neurons in the rat nucleus accumbens

Axons arising in the hippocampal formation form asymmetric synapses with glutamate decarboxylase-immunoreactive neurons in nucleus accumbens. The postsynaptic targets included many spines, and less frequently dendritic shafts and perikarya. Some immunolabelled neurons resemble medium-sized, spiny projection neurons which suggests that the input from the hippocampal formation exerts a strong and direct influence on output pathways of nucleus accumbens.

The residual spatial abilities of hippocampally lesioned rats can be enhanced by peripheral sympathetic-adrenal interventions

In order to test the possible effectiveness of peripheral interventions with the adrenergic system for the alleviation of certain disorders that typically follow bilateral hippocampal lesions, rats with bilateral lesions of the hippocampus, the overlying neocortex, or sham operations were tested at two postoperative times in the Morris water maze, a frequently used "spatial task." Half of the animals in all groups were exposed to the adrenergic manipulations, i.e., a chronic, 7-day, systemic bretylium regime (5 mg/kg) and, in addition, a peripheral injection of norepinephrine (4 micrograms/kg) 30 min before the start of each training day. The other half received saline chronically and a single saline injection before each training day. Five days of training were given at each of the two training periods. The first began 7 days after surgery while the second began 33 days after surgery. As expected, the hippocampally lesioned animals were severely impaired in the task. The adrenergic treatment produced enhanced performances in the rats with hippocampal lesions at both training sessions, although the improvement was greatest at the later period. Although the animals receiving the pharmacologic treatment located the general area of the hidden platform better than the saline-treated animals with hippocampal lesions, the treated animals were still impaired, swimming directly to the hidden platform on fewer trials than did animals in the other groups.

Amperozide--a new putatively antipsychotic drug with a limbic mode of action on dopamine mediated behaviour

Amperozide, a new putatively antipsychotic drug, was found to exert a functional selectivity for the limbic system of the brain. Thus, amperozide was as active as both classical and atypical neuroleptics on hypermotility induced by a low dose of amphetamine. On the other hand, amperozide did not produce catalepsy, nor did it reverse amphetamine-induced stereotypies. Moreover, amperozide inhibited exploratory behaviour in mice. The present results indicate an antipsychotic effect of amperozide, with a minimal risk for EPS when used in the clinic.

The role of the fornix/fimbria and some related subcortical structures in place learning and memory

Place learning and memory were assessed in rats with selective damage to the fornix/fimbria or to subcortical structures which have a major connection with the hippocampal formation via the fornix/fimbria. Navigation to a hidden or visible platform in a fixed location was studied in the Morris water task in rats who were preoperatively trained in the task or who were preoperatively naive. All rats learned to navigate accurately to a visible platform. Only complete transection of the fornix/fimbria abolished both acquisition and retention of navigation to a hidden platform. Severe impairment of postoperative acquisition was produced by bilateral damage to the medial nucleus accumbens or bilateral damage to the anterior thalamic area. Nucleus accumbens or anterior thalamic damage produced little effect on retention of preoperatively acquired place navigation. Damage to medial septum or mammillary complex produced modest impairments evident only in postoperative acquisition.

The basal ganglia and pain

The basal ganglia are associated with motor functions of the brain, although it is becoming clear that they may subserve many nonmotor functions as well. A review of the literature reveals an association between the basal ganglia and pain, and raises the question of a new function for the basal ganglia in selective attention.

Organization of the projections from the subiculum to the ventral striatum in the rat. A study using anterograde transport of Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin

The projections of the subiculum, as the main output structure of the hippocampal formation, to the striatum were studied in the rat using the anterograde tracer Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin. It appears that not only the entire nucleus accumbens, part of the so-called ventral striatum, receives fibres from the subiculum, but that the hippocampal projection area in the striatum includes also the most medial, ventral, rostral and caudal parts of the caudate-putamen complex. Moreover, a relatively small number of fibres and terminals are present in the striatal elements of the medial part of the olfactory tubercle. The projections to the ventral and caudal parts of the caudate-putamen are predominantly derived from the ventral subiculum, whereas the projections to the rostral part of the caudate-putamen are derived from the dorsal subiculum. Furthermore, with respect to the subiculum-accumbens pathway a topographical organization could be established. Thus, the ventral or temporal part of the subiculum projects predominantly to the caudomedial part of the nucleus accumbens, and to a lesser degree to its rostromedial portion, whereas progressively more dorsal or septal parts of the subiculum send fibres to successively more lateral and rostral portions of the nucleus accumbens. Very sparse projections are found to the contralateral nucleus accumbens, arranged in a topographical manner similar to the ipsilateral projections. An important observation with respect to the structure of the nucleus accumbens is that the subicular terminations are inhomogeneously distributed, although a relation with earlier described mosaic patterns in the connectivity and neurochemical composition of the nucleus is not yet clear. Subicular fibres have their densest terminations in relatively cell-poor regions of the nucleus accumbens, and in particular tend to avoid small cell clusters.

Colchicine-induced granule cell loss in rat hippocampus: selective behavioral and histological alterations

Bilateral injection of 3.5 micrograms of colchicine into two levels of the dentate gyrus produced a selective loss of dentate granule cells and persistent behavioral effects in male Fischer rats. Histological analysis confirmed that this dosage of colchicine resulted in the selective loss of most granule cells in both superior and inferior blades of the dentate gyrus near the injection sites, while sparing pyramidal cells in CA1, CA2, CA3, and CA4, and GABAergic interneurons throughout the hippocampus. Rats injected with colchicine were significantly more active than cerebrospinal fluid-injected controls 2, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after treatment. Behavioral reactivity, assessed by the magnitude of the acoustic startle response and the latency to respond in a hot-plate test, was not affected at any of these time points. Retention of a step-through passive avoidance task was impaired in the colchicine group one month after surgery. Their step-through latencies were significantly shorter than control latencies, and they exhibited more partial entries during the retention test. Acquisition and performance in a radial-arm maze, measured up to 3 months after surgery, were also impaired by colchicine. Animals injected with colchicine required more trials to acquire the task and were less accurate in the task even after their performance had stabilized. These data suggest that the hippocampus modulates motor behavior and cognitive function. The results of these experiments also support the use of colchicine as a means of defining the functional and anatomical consequences following selective destruction of the granule cell population of the dentate gyrus.

The effects of Org 2766 on the performance of sham, neocortical, and hippocampal-lesioned rats in a food search task

The behavioral effects of an ACTH4-9 variant, Org 2766, given for one week postoperatively at a dose of 1 microgram/rat daily, were evaluated in animals given hippocampal, neocortical, or "sham" lesions. After the week during which the injections were given, the animals were tested for 5 days in a food-search task in which food was hidden in two recessed holes in the floor. On the next day the ability of the rats to find food in these same two baited holes was tested in the presence of 14 additional holes that were not baited. On the following day, the animals were tested again, this time with all 16 holes baited. To assess the long-term effects of Org 2766 treatment, the animals were tested once again 2-3 months later in the same apparatus with 16 empty holes. In general, rats with lesions restricted to the neocortex were severely impaired in the task and were unaffected by prior treatment with Org 2766. Animals with hippocampal damage quickly learned the task and were hyperactive. During the test session with 16 baited holes they showed differential behavioral changes suggesting attentional deficits not seen in "sham" operated rats. These deficits were attenuated by prior Org 2766 treatment, whereas the lesion-induced hyperactivity was not. Treatment with Org 2766 impaired all aspects of performance of "sham" operated animals.

Dopamine-sensitive alternation and collateral behaviour in a Y-maze: effects of d-amphetamine and haloperidol

The degree of alternation of arm choice in a Y-maze was examined on 15-min tests over 4 days in rats treated (IP) with saline, amphetamine (0.5 or 2.0 mg/kg) or pretreated with haloperidol (0.08 mg/kg) in each condition prior to test. On day 1 amphetamine-treated animals chose arms at random, but from day 2-4 those receiving the higher dose perseverated their choice. Controls maintained alternation. These effects could be prevented by haloperidol pretreatment. Amphetamine treatment increased the frequency of rearing at the middle, choice-point of the maze more than at the end of an arm. The increase at the mid-point was suppressed by haloperidol pretreatment from day 1 and at the end of an arm from day 2. Amphetamine induced an increase in head-turning/"looking" that was suppressed by haloperidol from day 2. The effect of haloperidol in increasing the duration of an item of looking or rearing at the end of an arm also started later in testing. Two effects are postulated to have occurred: (i) a conflict on day 1 between novelty-controlled sensory or attentional effects that leads to an alternation of arm choice and amphetamine-induced dopaminergic activity that facilitates an alternation of behavioural responses. The result was random choice and increased rearing at the choice point. (ii) On days 2-4 the drug-induced effects on switching motor responses came to control behaviour.