1
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Wang Q, Sun RY, Hu JX, Sun YH, Li CY, Huang H, Wang H, Li XM. Hypothalamic-hindbrain circuit for consumption-induced fear regulation. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7728. [PMID: 39231981 PMCID: PMC11375128 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51983-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2024] [Indexed: 09/06/2024] Open
Abstract
To ensure survival, animals must sometimes suppress fear responses triggered by potential threats during feeding. However, the mechanisms underlying this process remain poorly understood. In the current study, we demonstrated that when fear-conditioned stimuli (CS) were presented during food consumption, a neural projection from lateral hypothalamic (LH) GAD2 neurons to nucleus incertus (NI) relaxin-3 (RLN3)-expressing neurons was activated, leading to a reduction in CS-induced freezing behavior in male mice. LHGAD2 neurons established excitatory connections with the NI. The activity of this neural circuit, including NIRLN3 neurons, attenuated CS-induced freezing responses during food consumption. Additionally, the lateral mammillary nucleus (LM), which received NIRLN3 projections, along with RLN3 signaling in the LM, mediated the decrease in freezing behavior. Collectively, this study identified an LHGAD2-NIRLN3-LM circuit involved in modulating fear responses during feeding, thereby enhancing our understanding of how animals coordinate nutrient intake with threat avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Rui-Yue Sun
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jia-Xue Hu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yan-Hui Sun
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chun-Yue Li
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Huiqian Huang
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hao Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Nanhu Brain-computer Interface Institute, Hangzhou, China.
- Affiliated Mental Health Center and Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Xiao-Ming Li
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Nanhu Brain-computer Interface Institute, Hangzhou, China.
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
- Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Research Units for Emotion and Emotion Disorders, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hangzhou, China.
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2
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Taira M, Millard SJ, Verghese A, DiFazio LE, Hoang IB, Jia R, Sias A, Wikenheiser A, Sharpe MJ. Dopamine Release in the Nucleus Accumbens Core Encodes the General Excitatory Components of Learning. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e0120242024. [PMID: 38969504 PMCID: PMC11358529 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0120-24.2024] [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: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens core (NAcC) is generally considered to be a proxy for phasic firing of the ventral tegmental area dopamine (VTADA) neurons. Thus, dopamine release in NAcC is hypothesized to reflect a unitary role in reward prediction error signaling. However, recent studies reveal more diverse roles of dopamine neurons, which support an emerging idea that dopamine regulates learning differently in distinct circuits. To understand whether the NAcC might regulate a unique component of learning, we recorded dopamine release in NAcC while male rats performed a backward conditioning task where a reward is followed by a neutral cue. We used this task because we can delineate different components of learning, which include sensory-specific inhibitory and general excitatory components. Furthermore, we have shown that VTADA neurons are necessary for both the specific and general components of backward associations. Here, we found that dopamine release in NAcC increased to the reward across learning while reducing to the cue that followed as it became more expected. This mirrors the dopamine prediction error signal seen during forward conditioning and cannot be accounted for temporal-difference reinforcement learning. Subsequent tests allowed us to dissociate these learning components and revealed that dopamine release in NAcC reflects the general excitatory component of backward associations, but not their sensory-specific component. These results emphasize the importance of examining distinct functions of different dopamine projections in reinforcement learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masakazu Taira
- Department of Psychology, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales 2006, Australia
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 90095, California
| | - Samuel J Millard
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 90095, California
| | - Anna Verghese
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 90095, California
| | - Lauren E DiFazio
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 90095, California
| | - Ivy B Hoang
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 90095, California
| | - Ruiting Jia
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 90095, California
| | - Ana Sias
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 90095, California
| | - Andrew Wikenheiser
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 90095, California
| | - Melissa J Sharpe
- Department of Psychology, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales 2006, Australia
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 90095, California
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3
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Hwang EK, Zapata A, Hu V, Hoffman AF, Wang HL, Liu B, Morales M, Lupica CR. Basal forebrain-lateral habenula inputs and control of impulsive behavior. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024:10.1038/s41386-024-01963-7. [PMID: 39155312 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-01963-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2024] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/20/2024]
Abstract
Deficits in impulse control are observed in several neurocognitive disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHD), substance use disorders (SUDs), and those following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Understanding brain circuits and mechanisms contributing to impulsive behavior may aid in identifying therapeutic interventions. We previously reported that intact lateral habenula (LHb) function is necessary to limit impulsivity defined by impaired response inhibition in rats. Here, we examine the involvement of a synaptic input to the LHb on response inhibition using cellular, circuit, and behavioral approaches. Retrograde fluorogold tracing identified basal forebrain (BF) inputs to LHb, primarily arising from ventral pallidum and nucleus accumbens shell (VP/NAcs). Glutamic acid decarboxylase and cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1R) mRNAs colocalized with fluorogold, suggesting a cannabinoid modulated GABAergic pathway. Optogenetic activation of these axons strongly inhibited LHb neuron action potentials and GABA release was tonically suppressed by an endogenous cannabinoid in vitro. Behavioral experiments showed that response inhibition during signaled reward omission was impaired when VP/NAcs inputs to LHb were optogenetically stimulated, whereas inhibition of this pathway did not alter LHb control of impulsivity. Systemic injection with the psychotropic phytocannabinoid, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), also increased impulsivity in male, and not female rats, and this was blocked by LHb CB1R antagonism. However, as optogenetic VP/NAcs pathway inhibition did not alter impulse control, we conclude that the pro-impulsive effects of Δ9-THC likely do not occur via inhibition of this afferent. These results identify an inhibitory LHb afferent that is controlled by CB1Rs that can regulate impulsive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun-Kyung Hwang
- Computational and Systems Neuroscience Branch, Electrophysiology Research Section, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Agustin Zapata
- Computational and Systems Neuroscience Branch, Electrophysiology Research Section, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Vivian Hu
- Computational and Systems Neuroscience Branch, Electrophysiology Research Section, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Alexander F Hoffman
- Computational and Systems Neuroscience Branch, Electrophysiology Research Section, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Hui-Ling Wang
- Integrative Neuroscience Research Branch, Neuronal Networks Section, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Bing Liu
- Integrative Neuroscience Research Branch, Neuronal Networks Section, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Marisela Morales
- Integrative Neuroscience Research Branch, Neuronal Networks Section, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Carl R Lupica
- Computational and Systems Neuroscience Branch, Electrophysiology Research Section, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA.
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4
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Goode TD, Alipio JB, Besnard A, Pathak D, Kritzer-Cheren MD, Chung A, Duan X, Sahay A. A dorsal hippocampus-prodynorphinergic dorsolateral septum-to-lateral hypothalamus circuit mediates contextual gating of feeding. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.02.606427. [PMID: 39149322 PMCID: PMC11326193 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.02.606427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Adaptive regulation of feeding depends on linkage of internal states and food outcomes with contextual cues. Human brain imaging has identified dysregulation of a hippocampal-lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) network in binge eating, but mechanistic instantiation of underlying cell-types and circuitry is lacking. Here, we identify an evolutionary conserved and discrete Prodynorphin (Pdyn)-expressing subpopulation of Somatostatin (Sst)-expressing inhibitory neurons in the dorsolateral septum (DLS) that receives primarily dorsal, but not ventral, hippocampal inputs. DLS(Pdyn) neurons inhibit LHA GABAergic neurons and confer context- and internal state-dependent calibration of feeding. Viral deletion of Pdyn in the DLS mimicked effects seen with optogenetic silencing of DLS Pdyn INs, suggesting a potential role for DYNORPHIN-KAPPA OPIOID RECEPTOR signaling in contextual regulation of food-seeking. Together, our findings illustrate how the dorsal hippocampus has evolved to recruit an ancient LHA feeding circuit module through Pdyn DLS inhibitory neurons to link contextual information with regulation of food consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis D Goode
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- BROAD Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA
| | - Jason Bondoc Alipio
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- BROAD Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA
| | - Antoine Besnard
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- BROAD Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA
| | - Devesh Pathak
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- BROAD Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA
| | - Michael D Kritzer-Cheren
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- BROAD Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA
| | - Ain Chung
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- BROAD Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA
| | - Xin Duan
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco, CA
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, CA
- Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, CA
| | - Amar Sahay
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- BROAD Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA
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5
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Marinescu AM, Labouesse MA. The nucleus accumbens shell: a neural hub at the interface of homeostatic and hedonic feeding. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1437210. [PMID: 39139500 PMCID: PMC11319282 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1437210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Feeding behavior is a complex physiological process regulated by the interplay between homeostatic and hedonic feeding circuits. Among the neural structures involved, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) has emerged as a pivotal region at the interface of these two circuits. The NAc comprises distinct subregions and in this review, we focus mainly on the NAc shell (NAcSh). Homeostatic feeding circuits, primarily found in the hypothalamus, ensure the organism's balance in energy and nutrient requirements. These circuits monitor peripheral signals, such as insulin, leptin, and ghrelin, and modulate satiety and hunger states. The NAcSh receives input from these homeostatic circuits, integrating information regarding the organism's metabolic needs. Conversely, so-called hedonic feeding circuits involve all other non-hunger and -satiety processes, i.e., the sensory information, associative learning, reward, motivation and pleasure associated with food consumption. The NAcSh is interconnected with hedonics-related structures like the ventral tegmental area and prefrontal cortex and plays a key role in encoding hedonic information related to palatable food seeking or consumption. In sum, the NAcSh acts as a crucial hub in feeding behavior, integrating signals from both homeostatic and hedonic circuits, to facilitate behavioral output via its downstream projections. Moreover, the NAcSh's involvement extends beyond simple integration, as it directly impacts actions related to food consumption. In this review, we first focus on delineating the inputs targeting the NAcSh; we then present NAcSh output projections to downstream structures. Finally we discuss how the NAcSh regulates feeding behavior and can be seen as a neural hub integrating homeostatic and hedonic feeding signals, via a functionally diverse set of projection neuron subpopulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina-Măriuca Marinescu
- Brain, Wire and Behavior Group, Translational Nutritional Biology Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marie A. Labouesse
- Brain, Wire and Behavior Group, Translational Nutritional Biology Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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6
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Millard SJ, Hoang IB, Sherwood S, Taira M, Reyes V, Greer Z, O'Connor SL, Wassum KM, James MH, Barker DJ, Sharpe MJ. Cognitive representations of intracranial self-stimulation of midbrain dopamine neurons depend on stimulation frequency. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:1253-1259. [PMID: 38741021 PMCID: PMC11239488 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01643-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area support intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS), yet the cognitive representations underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. Here, 20-Hz stimulation of dopamine neurons, which approximates a physiologically relevant prediction error, was not sufficient to support ICSS beyond a continuously reinforced schedule and did not endow cues with a general or specific value. However, 50-Hz stimulation of dopamine neurons was sufficient to drive robust ICSS and was represented as a specific reward to motivate behavior. The frequency dependence of this effect is due to the rate (not the number) of action potentials produced by dopamine neurons, which differently modulates dopamine release downstream.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel J Millard
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ivy B Hoang
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Savannah Sherwood
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Masakazu Taira
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Vanessa Reyes
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Zara Greer
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shayna L O'Connor
- Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Kate M Wassum
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Morgan H James
- Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - David J Barker
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Melissa J Sharpe
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.
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7
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Higgs MH, Beckstead MJ. Impact of Unitary Synaptic Inhibition on Spike Timing in Ventral Tegmental Area Dopamine Neurons. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0203-24.2024. [PMID: 38969500 PMCID: PMC11287791 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0203-24.2024] [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: 05/11/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Midbrain dopamine neurons receive convergent synaptic input from multiple brain areas, which perturbs rhythmic pacemaking to produce the complex firing patterns observed in vivo. This study investigated the impact of single and multiple inhibitory inputs on ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neuron firing in mice of both sexes using novel experimental measurements and modeling. We first measured unitary inhibitory postsynaptic currents produced by single axons using both minimal electrical stimulation and minimal optical stimulation of rostromedial tegmental nucleus and ventral pallidum afferents. We next determined the phase resetting curve, the reversal potential for GABAA receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs), and the average interspike membrane potential trajectory during pacemaking. We combined these data in a phase oscillator model of a VTA dopamine neuron, simulating the effects of unitary inhibitory postsynaptic conductances (uIPSGs) on spike timing and rate. The effect of a uIPSG on spike timing was predicted to vary according to its timing within the interspike interval or phase. Simulations were performed to predict the pause duration resulting from the synchronous arrival of multiple uIPSGs and the changes in firing rate and regularity produced by asynchronous uIPSGs. The model data suggest that asynchronous inhibition is more effective than synchronous inhibition, because it tends to hold the neuron at membrane potentials well positive to the IPSC reversal potential. Our results indicate that small fluctuations in the inhibitory synaptic input arriving from the many afferents to each dopamine neuron are sufficient to produce highly variable firing patterns, including pauses that have been implicated in reinforcement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew H Higgs
- Aging & Metabolism Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK 73104
| | - Michael J Beckstead
- Aging & Metabolism Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK 73104
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8
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Meng L, Zheng X, Xie K, Li Y, Liu D, Xu Y, Zhang J, Wu F, Guo G. Hyperexcitation of the glutamatergic neurons in lateral hypothalamus induced by chronic pain contributes to depression-like behavior and learning and memory impairment in male mice. Neurobiol Stress 2024; 31:100654. [PMID: 38948390 PMCID: PMC11214532 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100654] [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: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic pain can induce mood disorders and cognitive dysfunctions, such as anxiety, depression, and learning and memory impairment in humans. However, the specific neural network involved in anxiety- and depression-like behaviors and learning and memory impairment caused by chronic pain remains poorly understood. In this study, behavioral test results showed that chronic pain induced anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, and learning and memory impairment in male mice. c-Fos immunofluorescence and fiber photometry recording showed that glutamatergic neurons in the LH of mice with chronic pain were selectively activated. Next, the glutamatergic neurons of LH in normal mice were activated using optogenetic and chemogenetic methods, which recapitulates some of the depressive-like behaviors, as well as memory impairment, but not anxiety-like behavior. Finally, inhibition of glutamatergic neurons in the LH of mice with chronic pain, effectively relieved anxiety- and depression-like behaviors and learning and memory impairment. Taken together, our findings suggest that hyperexcitation of glutamatergic neurons in the LH is involved in depression-like behavior and learning and memory impairment induced by chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Keman Xie
- Department of Anatomy, Neuroscience Laboratory for Cognitive and Developmental Disorders, Medical College of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Yifei Li
- Department of Anatomy, Neuroscience Laboratory for Cognitive and Developmental Disorders, Medical College of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Danlei Liu
- Department of Anatomy, Neuroscience Laboratory for Cognitive and Developmental Disorders, Medical College of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Yuanyuan Xu
- Department of Anatomy, Neuroscience Laboratory for Cognitive and Developmental Disorders, Medical College of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Jifeng Zhang
- Department of Anatomy, Neuroscience Laboratory for Cognitive and Developmental Disorders, Medical College of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Fengming Wu
- Department of Anatomy, Neuroscience Laboratory for Cognitive and Developmental Disorders, Medical College of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Guoqing Guo
- Department of Anatomy, Neuroscience Laboratory for Cognitive and Developmental Disorders, Medical College of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
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9
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Huijgens PT, Heijkoop R, Vanderschuren LJMJ, Lesscher HMB, Snoeren EMS. CaMKIIa+ neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis modulate pace of natural reward seeking depending on internal state. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024; 241:1245-1263. [PMID: 38396196 PMCID: PMC11106149 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-024-06561-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the underlying neurobiological mechanisms that regulate natural reward seeking behaviors, specifically in the context of sexual behavior and sucrose self-administration. The role of CaMKIIa+ neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) was explored using chemogenetic silencing and -stimulation. Additionally, the study examined how these effects interacted with the internal state of the animals. Through detailed behavioral analysis, it was demonstrated that CaMKIIa+ neurons in the BNST play a significant role in the regulation of both sexual behavior and sucrose self-administration. Although the behavioral outcome measures differed between the two behaviors, the regulatory role of the CaMKIIa+ neurons in the BNST was found to converge on the modulation of the pacing of engagement in these behaviors in male rats. Moreover, our study confirmed that the internal physiological state of the animal affects how the BNST modulates these behaviors. These findings suggest that different types of natural rewards may recruit a similar brain circuitry to regulate the display of motivated behaviors. Overall, this research provides valuable insights into the neural mechanisms underlying natural reward seeking and sheds light on the interconnected nature of reward-related behaviors in male rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patty T Huijgens
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Roy Heijkoop
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Louk J M J Vanderschuren
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Heidi M B Lesscher
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Eelke M S Snoeren
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
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10
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Zhang Y, Zhang W, Wang L, Liu D, Xie T, Le Z, Li X, Gong H, Xu XH, Xu M, Yao H. Whole-brain Mapping of Inputs and Outputs of Specific Orbitofrontal Cortical Neurons in Mice. Neurosci Bull 2024:10.1007/s12264-024-01229-8. [PMID: 38801564 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-024-01229-8] [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: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The orbitofrontal cortex (ORB), a region crucial for stimulus-reward association, decision-making, and flexible behaviors, extensively connects with other brain areas. However, brain-wide inputs to projection-defined ORB neurons and the distribution of inhibitory neurons postsynaptic to neurons in specific ORB subregions remain poorly characterized. Here we mapped the inputs of five types of projection-specific ORB neurons and ORB outputs to two types of inhibitory neurons. We found that different projection-defined ORB neurons received inputs from similar cortical and thalamic regions, albeit with quantitative variations, particularly in somatomotor areas and medial groups of the dorsal thalamus. By counting parvalbumin (PV) or somatostatin (SST) interneurons innervated by neurons in specific ORB subregions, we found a higher fraction of PV neurons in sensory cortices and a higher fraction of SST neurons in subcortical regions targeted by medial ORB neurons. These results provide insights into understanding and investigating the function of specific ORB neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yijie Zhang
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Wen Zhang
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Lizhao Wang
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Dechen Liu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Taorong Xie
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Ziwei Le
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiangning Li
- HUST-Suzhou Institute for Brainsmatics, JITRI, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Hui Gong
- HUST-Suzhou Institute for Brainsmatics, JITRI, Suzhou, 215123, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Xiao-Hong Xu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
- Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Min Xu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
- Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Haishan Yao
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.
- Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, 201210, China.
- Key Laboratory of Brain Cognition and Brain-inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, 200031, China.
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11
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Vázquez D, Maulhardt SR, Stalnaker TA, Solway A, Charpentier CJ, Roesch MR. Optogenetic Inhibition of Rat Anterior Cingulate Cortex Impairs the Ability to Initiate and Stay on Task. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1850232024. [PMID: 38569923 PMCID: PMC11097287 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1850-23.2024] [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: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Our prior research has identified neural correlates of cognitive control in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), leading us to hypothesize that the ACC is necessary for increasing attention as rats flexibly learn new contingencies during a complex reward-guided decision-making task. Here, we tested this hypothesis by using optogenetics to transiently inhibit the ACC, while rats of either sex performed the same two-choice task. ACC inhibition had a profound impact on behavior that extended beyond deficits in attention during learning when expected outcomes were uncertain. We found that ACC inactivation slowed and reduced the number of trials rats initiated and impaired both their accuracy and their ability to complete sessions. Furthermore, drift-diffusion model analysis suggested that free-choice performance and evidence accumulation (i.e., reduced drift rates) were degraded during initial learning-leading to weaker associations that were more easily overridden in later trial blocks (i.e., stronger bias). Together, these results suggest that in addition to attention-related functions, the ACC contributes to the ability to initiate trials and generally stay on task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Vázquez
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Sean R Maulhardt
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Thomas A Stalnaker
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Alec Solway
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Caroline J Charpentier
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Matthew R Roesch
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
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12
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Konanur VR, Hurh SJ, Hsu TM, Roitman MF. Dopamine neuron activity evoked by sucrose and sucrose-predictive cues is augmented by peripheral and central manipulations of glucose availability. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:2419-2435. [PMID: 38057909 PMCID: PMC11108752 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16214] [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: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Food deprivation drives eating through multiple signals and circuits. Decreased glucose availability (i.e., cytoglucopenia) drives eating and also increases the value of sucrose. Ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons (DANs) contribute to the evaluation of taste stimuli, but their role in integrating glucoprivic signals remains unknown. We monitored VTA DAN activity via Cre-dependent expression of a calcium indicator with in vivo fibre photometry. In ad libitum fed rats, intraoral sucrose evoked a phasic increase in DAN activity. To manipulate glucose availability, we administered (intraperitoneal, lateral or fourth ventricular) the antiglycolytic agent 5-thio-D-glucose (5TG), which significantly augmented the phasic DAN activity to sucrose. 5TG failed to alter DAN activity to water or saccharin, suggesting the response was selective for caloric stimuli. 5TG enhancement of sucrose-evoked DAN activity was stronger after fourth ventricular administration, suggesting a critical node of action within the hindbrain. As 5TG also increases blood glucose, in a separate study, we used peripheral insulin, which stimulates eating, to decrease blood glucose-which was associated with increased DAN activity to intraoral sucrose. DAN activity developed to a cue predictive of intraoral sucrose. While 5TG augmented cue-evoked DAN activity, its action was most potent when delivered to the lateral ventricle. Together, the studies point to central glucose availability as a key modulator of phasic DAN activity to food and food-cues. As glucose sensing neurons are known to populate the hypothalamus and brainstem, results suggest differential modulation of cue-evoked and sucrose-evoked DAN activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaibhav R. Konanur
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Current affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Samantha J. Hurh
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Ted M. Hsu
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
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13
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Scott A, Paulson A, Prill C, Kermoade K, Newell B, Richard JM. Ventral pallidal GABAergic neurons drive consumption in male, but not female rats. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.30.591876. [PMID: 38746325 PMCID: PMC11092650 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.30.591876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Food intake is controlled by multiple converging signals: hormonal signals that provide information about energy homeostasis, but also hedonic and motivational aspects of food and food cues that can drive non-homeostatic or "hedonic "feeding. The ventral pallidum (VP) is a brain region implicated in the hedonic and motivational impact of food and foods cues, as well as consumption of rewards. Disinhibition of VP neurons has been shown to generate intense hyperphagia, or overconsumption. While VP gamma-Aminobutyric acidergic (GABA) neurons have been implicated in cue-elicited reward seeking and motivation, the role of these neurons in the hyperphagia resulting from VP activation remains unclear. Here, we used Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs) to activate or inhibit VP GABA neurons in sated male and female rats during chow and sucrose consumption. We found that activation of VP GABA neurons increases consumption of chow and sucrose in male rats, but not female rats. We also found that, while inhibition of VP GABA neurons tended to decrease sucrose consumption, this effect was not statistically significant. Together, these findings suggest that activation of VP GABA neurons can stimulate consumption of routine or highly palatable rewards selectively in male rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Scott
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Anika Paulson
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Collin Prill
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Kaiten Kermoade
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
- Molecular and Pharmacological Therapeutics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Bailey Newell
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Jocelyn M. Richard
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
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14
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Saedi Marghmaleki V, Radahmadi M, Alaei H, Khanahmad H. Protective Effects of Long-Term Escitalopram Administration on Memory and Hippocampal BDNF and BCL-2 Gene Expressions in Rats Exposed to Predictable and Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress. Brain Sci 2024; 14:420. [PMID: 38790399 PMCID: PMC11118218 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14050420] [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: 03/23/2024] [Revised: 04/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Stress and escitalopram (an anti-stress medication) can affect brain functions and related gene expression. This study investigated the protective effects of long-term escitalopram administration on memory, as well as on hippocampal BDNF and BCL-2 gene expressions in rats exposed to predictable and unpredictable chronic mild stress (PCMS and UCMS, respectively). Male rats were randomly assigned to different groups: control (Co), sham (Sh), predictable and unpredictable stress (PSt and USt, respectively; 2 h/day for 21 consecutive days), escitalopram (Esc; 10 mg/kg for 21 days), and predictable and unpredictable stress with escitalopram (PSt-Esc and USt-Esc, respectively). The passive avoidance test was used to assess behavioral variables. The expressions of the BDNF and BCL-2 genes were assessed using real-time quantitative PCR. Latency significantly decreased in the PSt and USt groups. Additionally, latency showed significant improvement in the PSt-Esc group compared to the PSt group. The expression of the BDNF gene significantly decreased only in the USt group. BDNF gene expression significantly increased in the PSt-Esc and USt-Esc groups compared to their respective stress-related groups, whereas the expression of the BCL-2 gene did not change significantly in both PSt-Esc and USt-Esc groups. PCMS and UCMS had devastating effects on memory. Escitalopram improved memory only under PCMS conditions. PCMS and UCMS exhibited fundamental differences in hippocampal BDNF and BCL-2 gene expressions. Furthermore, escitalopram increased hippocampal BDNF gene expression in the PCMS and UCMS subjects. Hence, neurogenesis occurred more significantly than anti-apoptosis under both PCMS and UCMS conditions with escitalopram.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vajihe Saedi Marghmaleki
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 81746-73461, Iran;
| | - Maryam Radahmadi
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 81746-73461, Iran;
| | - Hojjatallah Alaei
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 81746-73461, Iran;
| | - Hossein Khanahmad
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 81746-73461, Iran;
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15
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Harada M, Capdevila LS, Wilhelm M, Burdakov D, Patriarchi T. Stimulation of VTA dopamine inputs to LH upregulates orexin neuronal activity in a DRD2-dependent manner. eLife 2024; 12:RP90158. [PMID: 38567902 PMCID: PMC10990487 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90158] [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] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Dopamine and orexins (hypocretins) play important roles in regulating reward-seeking behaviors. It is known that hypothalamic orexinergic neurons project to dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), where they can stimulate dopaminergic neuronal activity. Although there are reciprocal connections between dopaminergic and orexinergic systems, whether and how dopamine regulates the activity of orexin neurons is currently not known. Here we implemented an opto-Pavlovian task in which mice learn to associate a sensory cue with optogenetic dopamine neuron stimulation to investigate the relationship between dopamine release and orexin neuron activity in the lateral hypothalamus (LH). We found that dopamine release can be evoked in LH upon optogenetic stimulation of VTA dopamine neurons and is also naturally evoked by cue presentation after opto-Pavlovian learning. Furthermore, orexin neuron activity could also be upregulated by local stimulation of dopaminergic terminals in the LH in a way that is partially dependent on dopamine D2 receptors (DRD2). Our results reveal previously unknown orexinergic coding of reward expectation and unveil an orexin-regulatory axis mediated by local dopamine inputs in the LH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaya Harada
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | | | - Maria Wilhelm
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Denis Burdakov
- Neuroscience Center Zürich, University and ETH ZürichZürichSwitzerland
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Tommaso Patriarchi
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of ZürichZürichSwitzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zürich, University and ETH ZürichZürichSwitzerland
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16
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Alonso-Lozares I, Wilbers P, Asperl L, Teijsse S, van der Neut C, Schetters D, van Mourik Y, McDonald AJ, Heistek T, Mansvelder HD, De Vries TJ, Marchant NJ. Lateral hypothalamic GABAergic neurons encode alcohol memories. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1086-1097.e6. [PMID: 38423016 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.076] [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: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
In alcohol use disorder, the alcohol memories persist during abstinence, and exposure to stimuli associated with alcohol use can lead to relapse. This highlights the importance of investigating the neural substrates underlying not only relapse but also encoding and expression of alcohol memories. GABAergic neurons in the lateral hypothalamus (LH-GABA) have been shown to be critical for food-cue memories and motivation; however, the extent to which this role extends to alcohol-cue memories and motivations remains unexplored. In this study, we aimed to describe how alcohol-related memories are encoded and expressed in LH GABAergic neurons. Our first step was to monitor LH-GABA calcium transients during acquisition, extinction, and reinstatement of an alcohol-cue memory using fiber photometry. We trained the rats on a Pavlovian conditioning task, where one conditioned stimulus (CS+) predicted alcohol (20% EtOH) and another conditioned stimulus (CS-) had no outcome. We then extinguished this association through non-reinforced presentations of the CS+ and CS- and finally, in two different groups, we measured relapse under non-primed and alcohol-primed induced reinstatement. Our results show that initially both cues caused increased LH-GABA activity, and after learning only the alcohol cue increased LH-GABA activity. After extinction, this activity decreases, and we found no differences in LH-GABA activity during reinstatement in either group. Next, we inhibited LH-GABA neurons with optogenetics to show that activity of these neurons is necessary for the formation of an alcohol-cue association. These findings suggest that LH-GABA might be involved in attentional processes modulated by learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isis Alonso-Lozares
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands; Compulsivity Impulsivity and Attention, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands
| | - Pelle Wilbers
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands; Compulsivity Impulsivity and Attention, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands
| | - Lina Asperl
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands; Compulsivity Impulsivity and Attention, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands
| | - Sem Teijsse
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands; Compulsivity Impulsivity and Attention, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands
| | - Charlotte van der Neut
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands; Compulsivity Impulsivity and Attention, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands
| | - Dustin Schetters
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands; Compulsivity Impulsivity and Attention, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands
| | - Yvar van Mourik
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands; Compulsivity Impulsivity and Attention, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands
| | - Allison J McDonald
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands; Compulsivity Impulsivity and Attention, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands
| | - Tim Heistek
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands
| | - Huibert D Mansvelder
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands
| | - Taco J De Vries
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands; Compulsivity Impulsivity and Attention, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands
| | - Nathan J Marchant
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands; Compulsivity Impulsivity and Attention, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam 1081 HZ, the Netherlands.
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17
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Mitchell CS, Campbell EJ, Fisher SD, Stanton LM, Burton NJ, Pearl AJ, McNally GP, Bains JS, Füzesi T, Graham BA, Manning EE, Dayas CV. Optogenetic recruitment of hypothalamic corticotrophin-releasing-hormone (CRH) neurons reduces motivational drive. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:8. [PMID: 38191479 PMCID: PMC10774335 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02710-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Impaired motivational drive is a key feature of depression. Chronic stress is a known antecedent to the development of depression in humans and depressive-like states in animals. Whilst there is a clear relationship between stress and motivational drive, the mechanisms underpinning this association remain unclear. One hypothesis is that the endocrine system, via corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN; PVNCRH), initiates a hormonal cascade resulting in glucocorticoid release, and that excessive glucocorticoids change brain circuit function to produce depression-related symptoms. Another mostly unexplored hypothesis is that the direct activity of PVNCRH neurons and their input to other stress- and reward-related brain regions drives these behaviors. To further understand the direct involvement of PVNCRH neurons in motivation, we used optogenetic stimulation to activate these neurons 1 h/day for 5 consecutive days and showed increased acute stress-related behaviors and long-lasting deficits in the motivational drive for sucrose. This was associated with increased Fos-protein expression in the lateral hypothalamus (LH). Direct stimulation of the PVNCRH inputs in the LH produced a similar pattern of effects on sucrose motivation. Together, these data suggest that PVNCRH neuronal activity may be directly responsible for changes in motivational drive and that these behavioral changes may, in part, be driven by PVNCRH synaptic projections to the LH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin S Mitchell
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Brain Neuromodulation Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Sydney, NSW, 2305, Australia
| | - Erin J Campbell
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Brain Neuromodulation Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Sydney, NSW, 2305, Australia
| | - Simon D Fisher
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Brain Neuromodulation Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Sydney, NSW, 2305, Australia
| | - Laura M Stanton
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Brain Neuromodulation Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Sydney, NSW, 2305, Australia
| | - Nicholas J Burton
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Brain Neuromodulation Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Sydney, NSW, 2305, Australia
| | - Amy J Pearl
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Brain Neuromodulation Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Sydney, NSW, 2305, Australia
| | - Gavan P McNally
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Jaideep S Bains
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Tamás Füzesi
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Brett A Graham
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Brain Neuromodulation Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Sydney, NSW, 2305, Australia
| | - Elizabeth E Manning
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
- Brain Neuromodulation Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Sydney, NSW, 2305, Australia.
| | - Christopher V Dayas
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
- Brain Neuromodulation Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Sydney, NSW, 2305, Australia.
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18
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Sharpe MJ. The cognitive (lateral) hypothalamus. Trends Cogn Sci 2024; 28:18-29. [PMID: 37758590 PMCID: PMC10841673 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.08.019] [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: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Despite the physiological complexity of the hypothalamus, its role is typically restricted to initiation or cessation of innate behaviors. For example, theories of lateral hypothalamus argue that it is a switch to turn feeding 'on' and 'off' as dictated by higher-order structures that render when feeding is appropriate. However, recent data demonstrate that the lateral hypothalamus is critical for learning about food-related cues. Furthermore, the lateral hypothalamus opposes learning about information that is neutral or distal to food. This reveals the lateral hypothalamus as a unique arbitrator of learning capable of shifting behavior toward or away from important events. This has relevance for disorders characterized by changes in this balance, including addiction and schizophrenia. Generally, this suggests that hypothalamic function is more complex than increasing or decreasing innate behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa J Sharpe
- Department of Psychology, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia; Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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19
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Ahn DB, Jang HB, Ryu Y, Kim HK, Guan X, Fan Y, Lee BH, Kim HY. A hypothalamus-habenula circuit regulates psychomotor responses induced by cocaine. Addict Biol 2023; 28:e13354. [PMID: 38017642 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13354] [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: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
Administration of cocaine increases synaptic dopamine levels by blocking dopamine reuptake and leads to increased locomotor activity and compulsive drug-seeking behaviour. It has been suggested that the lateral hypothalamus (LH) or lateral habenula (LHb) is involved in drug-seeking behaviours. To explore the role of the LH and the LHb in cocaine-induced psychomotor responses, we tested whether modulation of the LH or the LH-LHb circuit affects cocaine-induced locomotion. Cocaine-induced locomotor activity and dopamine release were suppressed by the activation of the LH with 2-[2,6-difluoro-4-[[2-[(phenylsulfonyl)amino]ethyl]thio]phenoxy]acetamide (PEPA), an AMPA receptor agonist. When the LH was inhibited by microinjection of a GABA receptor agonists mixture prior to cocaine injection, the cocaine's effects were enhanced. Furthermore, optogenetic activation of the LH-LHb circuit attenuated the cocaine-induced locomotion, while optogenetic inhibition of the LH-LHb circuit increased it. In vivo extracellular recording found that the LH sent a glutamatergic projection to the LHb. These findings suggest that the LH glutamatergic projection to the LHb plays an active role in the modulation of cocaine-induced psychomotor responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Bi Ahn
- Department of Physiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Physiology, College of Korean Medicine, Daegu Haany University, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Han Byeol Jang
- Department of Physiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Physiology, College of Korean Medicine, Daegu Haany University, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Yeonhee Ryu
- Korean Medicine Fundamental Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Hyung Kyu Kim
- Department of Physiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Xiaowei Guan
- Department of Human Anatomy and Histoembryology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yu Fan
- Department of Human Anatomy and Histoembryology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Bae Hwan Lee
- Department of Physiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hee Young Kim
- Department of Physiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
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20
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Stuber GD. Neurocircuits for motivation. Science 2023; 382:394-398. [PMID: 37883553 DOI: 10.1126/science.adh8287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
The nervous system coordinates various motivated behaviors such as feeding, drinking, and escape to promote survival and evolutionary fitness. Although the precise behavioral repertoires required for distinct motivated behaviors are diverse, common features such as approach or avoidance suggest that common brain substrates are required for a wide range of motivated behaviors. In this Review, I describe a framework by which neural circuits specified for some innate drives regulate the activity of ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons to reinforce ongoing or planned actions to fulfill motivational demands. This framework may explain why signaling from VTA dopamine neurons is ubiquitously involved in many types of diverse volitional motivated actions, as well as how sensory and interoceptive cues can initiate specific goal-directed actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garret D Stuber
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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21
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Concetti C, Peleg-Raibstein D, Burdakov D. Hypothalamic MCH Neurons: From Feeding to Cognitive Control. FUNCTION 2023; 5:zqad059. [PMID: 38020069 PMCID: PMC10667013 DOI: 10.1093/function/zqad059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Modern neuroscience is progressively elucidating that the classic view positing distinct brain regions responsible for survival, emotion, and cognitive functions is outdated. The hypothalamus demonstrates the interdependence of these roles, as it is traditionally known for fundamental survival functions like energy and electrolyte balance, but is now recognized to also play a crucial role in emotional and cognitive processes. This review focuses on lateral hypothalamic melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons, producing the neuropeptide MCH-a relatively understudied neuronal population with integrative functions related to homeostatic regulation and motivated behaviors, with widespread inputs and outputs throughout the entire central nervous system. Here, we review early findings and recent literature outlining their role in the regulation of energy balance, sleep, learning, and memory processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Concetti
- Neurobehavioural Dynamics Laboratory, ETH Zürich, Schorenstrasse 16, Schwerzenbach 8603, Switzerland
| | - Daria Peleg-Raibstein
- Neurobehavioural Dynamics Laboratory, ETH Zürich, Schorenstrasse 16, Schwerzenbach 8603, Switzerland
| | - Denis Burdakov
- Neurobehavioural Dynamics Laboratory, ETH Zürich, Schorenstrasse 16, Schwerzenbach 8603, Switzerland
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22
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Rossi MA. Control of energy homeostasis by the lateral hypothalamic area. Trends Neurosci 2023; 46:738-749. [PMID: 37353461 PMCID: PMC10524917 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2023.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
The lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) is a subcortical brain region that exerts control over motivated behavior, feeding, and energy balance across species. Recent single-cell sequencing studies have defined at least 30 distinct LHA neuron types. Some of these influence specific aspects of energy homeostasis; however, the functions of many LHA cell types remain unclear. This review addresses the rapidly emerging evidence from cell-type-specific investigations that the LHA leverages distinct neuron populations to regulate energy balance through complex connections with other brain regions. It will highlight recent findings demonstrating that LHA control of energy balance extends beyond mere food intake and propose outstanding questions to be addressed by future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Rossi
- Child Health Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA; Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
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23
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Watkins de Jong L, Nejad MM, Yoon E, Cheng S, Diba K. Optogenetics reveals paradoxical network stabilizations in hippocampal CA1 and CA3. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1689-1703.e5. [PMID: 37023753 PMCID: PMC10175182 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.03.032] [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: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
Recurrent connectivity between excitatory neurons and the strength of feedback from inhibitory neurons are critical determinants of the dynamics and computational properties of neuronal circuits. Toward a better understanding of these circuit properties in regions CA1 and CA3 of the hippocampus, we performed optogenetic manipulations combined with large-scale unit recordings in rats under anesthesia and in quiet waking, using photoinhibition and photoexcitation with different light-sensitive opsins. In both regions, we saw striking paradoxical responses: subsets of cells increased firing during photoinhibition, while other cells decreased firing during photoexcitation. These paradoxical responses were more prominent in CA3 than in CA1, but, notably, CA1 interneurons showed increased firing in response to photoinhibition of CA3. These observations were recapitulated in simulations where we modeled both CA1 and CA3 as inhibition-stabilized networks in which strong recurrent excitation is balanced by feedback inhibition. To directly test the inhibition-stabilized model, we performed large-scale photoinhibition directed at (GAD-Cre) inhibitory cells and found that interneurons in both regions increased firing when photoinhibited, as predicted. Our results highlight the often-paradoxical circuit dynamics that are evidenced during optogenetic manipulations and indicate that, contrary to long-standing dogma, both CA1 and CA3 hippocampal regions display strongly recurrent excitation, which is stabilized through inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel Watkins de Jong
- Department of Anesthesiology, Michigan Medicine, 1150 W. Medical Center Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2441 E Hartford Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
| | | | - Euisik Yoon
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1301 Beal Avenue, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Sen Cheng
- Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Kamran Diba
- Department of Anesthesiology, Michigan Medicine, 1150 W. Medical Center Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2441 E Hartford Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
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24
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Perisse E, Miranda M, Trouche S. Modulation of aversive value coding in the vertebrate and invertebrate brain. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 79:102696. [PMID: 36871400 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Avoiding potentially dangerous situations is key for the survival of any organism. Throughout life, animals learn to avoid environments, stimuli or actions that can lead to bodily harm. While the neural bases for appetitive learning, evaluation and value-based decision-making have received much attention, recent studies have revealed more complex computations for aversive signals during learning and decision-making than previously thought. Furthermore, previous experience, internal state and systems level appetitive-aversive interactions seem crucial for learning specific aversive value signals and making appropriate choices. The emergence of novel methodologies (computation analysis coupled with large-scale neuronal recordings, neuronal manipulations at unprecedented resolution offered by genetics, viral strategies and connectomics) has helped to provide novel circuit-based models for aversive (and appetitive) valuation. In this review, we focus on recent vertebrate and invertebrate studies yielding strong evidence that aversive value information can be computed by a multitude of interacting brain regions, and that past experience can modulate future aversive learning and therefore influence value-based decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Perisse
- Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Montpellier, CNRS, Inserm, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34094 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
| | - Magdalena Miranda
- Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Montpellier, CNRS, Inserm, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34094 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Stéphanie Trouche
- Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Montpellier, CNRS, Inserm, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34094 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
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25
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Bingul A, Merlin S, Carrive P, Killcross S, Furlong TM. Targeting the lateral hypothalamus with short hairpin RNAs reduces habitual behaviour following extended instrumental training in rats. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 193:107657. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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26
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López-Muciño LA, García-García F, Cueto-Escobedo J, Acosta-Hernández M, Venebra-Muñoz A, Rodríguez-Alba JC. Sleep loss and addiction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 141:104832. [PMID: 35988803 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Reducing sleep hours is a risk factor for developing cardiovascular, metabolic, and psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, previous studies have shown that reduction in sleep time is a factor that favors relapse in addicted patients. Additionally, animal models have demonstrated that both sleep restriction and sleep deprivation increase the preference for alcohol, methylphenidate, and the self-administration of cocaine. Therefore, the present review discusses current knowledge about the influence of sleep hours reduction on addictivebehaviors; likewise, we discuss the neuronal basis underlying the sleep reduction-addiction relationship, like the role of the orexin and dopaminergic system and neuronal plasticity (i.e., delta FosB expression). Potentially, chronic sleep restriction could increase brain vulnerability and promote addictive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Angel López-Muciño
- Health Sciences Ph.D. Program, Health Sciences Institute, Veracruzana University, Xalapa, VER 91190, Mexico.
| | - Fabio García-García
- Department of Biomedicine, Health Sciences Institute, Veracruzana University, Xalapa, VER 91190, Mexico.
| | - Jonathan Cueto-Escobedo
- Department of Clinical and Translational Research, Health Sciences Institute, Veracruzana University, Xalapa, VER 91190, Mexico.
| | - Mario Acosta-Hernández
- Department of Biomedicine, Health Sciences Institute, Veracruzana University, Xalapa, VER 91190, Mexico.
| | - Arturo Venebra-Muñoz
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Addiction and Brain Plasticity, Faculty of Science, Autonomous University of Mexico State, Edomex 50295, Mexico.
| | - Juan Carlos Rodríguez-Alba
- Department of Biomedicine, Health Sciences Institute, Veracruzana University, Xalapa, VER 91190, Mexico.
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27
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Morales I. Brain regulation of hunger and motivation: The case for integrating homeostatic and hedonic concepts and its implications for obesity and addiction. Appetite 2022; 177:106146. [PMID: 35753443 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2022.106146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Obesity and other eating disorders are marked by dysregulations to brain metabolic, hedonic, motivational, and sensory systems that control food intake. Classic approaches in hunger research have distinguished between hedonic and homeostatic processes, and have mostly treated these systems as independent. Hindbrain structures and a complex network of interconnected hypothalamic nuclei control metabolic processes, energy expenditure, and food intake while mesocorticolimbic structures are though to control hedonic and motivational processes associated with food reward. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that hedonic and homeostatic brain systems do not function in isolation, but rather interact as part of a larger network that regulates food intake. Incentive theories of motivation provide a useful route to explore these interactions. Adapting incentive theories of motivation can enable researchers to better how motivational systems dysfunction during disease. Obesity and addiction are associated with profound alterations to both hedonic and homeostatic brain systems that result in maladaptive patterns of consumption. A subset of individuals with obesity may experience pathological cravings for food due to incentive sensitization of brain systems that generate excessive 'wanting' to eat. Further progress in understanding how the brain regulates hunger and appetite may depend on merging traditional hedonic and homeostatic concepts of food reward and motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ileana Morales
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1043, USA.
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28
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Krishnan V, Wade-Kleyn LC, Israeli RR, Pelled G. Peripheral Nerve Injury Induces Changes in the Activity of Inhibitory Interneurons as Visualized in Transgenic GAD1-GCaMP6s Rats. BIOSENSORS 2022; 12:bios12060383. [PMID: 35735531 PMCID: PMC9221547 DOI: 10.3390/bios12060383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Peripheral nerve injury induces cortical remapping that can lead to sensory complications. There is evidence that inhibitory interneurons play a role in this process, but the exact mechanism remains unclear. Glutamate decarboxylase-1 (GAD1) is a protein expressed exclusively in inhibitory interneurons. Transgenic rats encoding GAD1–GCaMP were generated to visualize the activity in GAD1 neurons through genetically encoded calcium indicators (GCaMP6s) in the somatosensory cortex. Forepaw denervation was performed in adult rats, and fluorescent Ca2+ imaging on cortical slices was obtained. Local, intrahemispheric stimulation (cortical layers 2/3 and 5) induced a significantly higher fluorescence change of GAD1-expressing neurons, and a significantly higher number of neurons were responsive to stimulation in the denervated rats compared to control rats. However, remote, interhemispheric stimulation of the corpus callosum induced a significantly lower fluorescence change of GAD1-expressing neurons, and significantly fewer neurons were deemed responsive to stimulation within layer 5 in denervated rats compared to control rats. These results suggest that injury impacts interhemispheric communication, leading to an overall decrease in the activity of inhibitory interneurons in layer 5. Overall, our results provide direct evidence that inhibitory interneuron activity in the deprived S1 is altered after injury, a phenomenon likely to affect sensory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijai Krishnan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA;
| | | | - Ron R. Israeli
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA;
| | - Galit Pelled
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA;
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA;
- Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(517)-884-7464
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29
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Watts AG, Kanoski SE, Sanchez-Watts G, Langhans W. The physiological control of eating: signals, neurons, and networks. Physiol Rev 2022; 102:689-813. [PMID: 34486393 PMCID: PMC8759974 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00028.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
During the past 30 yr, investigating the physiology of eating behaviors has generated a truly vast literature. This is fueled in part by a dramatic increase in obesity and its comorbidities that has coincided with an ever increasing sophistication of genetically based manipulations. These techniques have produced results with a remarkable degree of cell specificity, particularly at the cell signaling level, and have played a lead role in advancing the field. However, putting these findings into a brain-wide context that connects physiological signals and neurons to behavior and somatic physiology requires a thorough consideration of neuronal connections: a field that has also seen an extraordinary technological revolution. Our goal is to present a comprehensive and balanced assessment of how physiological signals associated with energy homeostasis interact at many brain levels to control eating behaviors. A major theme is that these signals engage sets of interacting neural networks throughout the brain that are defined by specific neural connections. We begin by discussing some fundamental concepts, including ones that still engender vigorous debate, that provide the necessary frameworks for understanding how the brain controls meal initiation and termination. These include key word definitions, ATP availability as the pivotal regulated variable in energy homeostasis, neuropeptide signaling, homeostatic and hedonic eating, and meal structure. Within this context, we discuss network models of how key regions in the endbrain (or telencephalon), hypothalamus, hindbrain, medulla, vagus nerve, and spinal cord work together with the gastrointestinal tract to enable the complex motor events that permit animals to eat in diverse situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan G Watts
- The Department of Biological Sciences, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Scott E Kanoski
- The Department of Biological Sciences, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Graciela Sanchez-Watts
- The Department of Biological Sciences, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Wolfgang Langhans
- Physiology and Behavior Laboratory, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule-Zürich, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
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30
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Godfrey N, Qiao M, Borgland SL. Activation of LH GABAergic inputs counteracts fasting-induced changes in tVTA/RMTG neurons. J Physiol 2022; 600:2203-2224. [PMID: 35338656 DOI: 10.1113/jp282653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS While dopamine neuronal activity changes with motivational state, it is unknown if fasting influences tVTA/RMTg GABAergic neurons, a major inhibitory input to VTA dopamine neurons. In unfasted mice, there were sex differences in inhibitory synaptic transmission onto tVTA/RMTg GABAergic neurons. Activation of LH GABAergic neurons decreases firing of tVTA/RMTg GABAergic neurons through a monosynaptic input. An acute fast decreased the excitability of tVTA/RMTg GABAergic neurons. An acute fast decreases inhibitory synaptic transmission of the LH GABA input to tVTA/RMTg GABAergic neurons in both male and female mice. ABSTRACT Dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are strongly innervated by GABAergic neurons in the 'tail of the VTA' (tVTA), also known as the rostralmedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg). Disinhibition of dopamine neurons through firing of the GABAergic neurons projecting from the lateral hypothalamus (LH) leads to reward seeking and consumption through dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. VTA dopamine neurons respond to changes in motivational state, yet less is known of whether tVTA/RMTg GABAergic neurons or the LH GABAergic neurons that project to them are also affected by changes in motivational state, such as fasting. An acute 16 h overnight fast decreased the excitability of tVTA/RMTg GABAergic neurons of male and female mice. In addition, fasting decreased synaptic strength at LH GABA to tVTA/RMTg GABAergic synapses, indicated by reduced amplitude of optically evoked currents, decreased readily releasable pool (RRP) size and replenishment. Optical stimulation of LH GABA terminals suppressed evoked action potentials of tVTA/RMTg GABAergic neurons in unfasted mice, but this effect decreased following fasting. Furthermore, during fasting, LH GABA inputs to tVTA/RMTg neurons maintained functional connectivity during depolarization, as depolarization block was reduced following fasting. Taken together, inhibitory synaptic transmission from LH GABA inputs onto tVTA/RMTg GABAergic neurons decreases following fasting, however ability to functionally inhibit tVTA/RMTg GABAergic neurons is preserved, allowing for possible disinhibition of dopamine neurons and subsequent foraging. Abstract figure legend The inhibitory synaptic input is represented by the downward arrows. Following fasting, there was a decrease in inhibitory synaptic strength in both males and females. The action potentials represent the excitability, which also decreases in both males and females following fasting. Because both the LH GABA input and excitability of tVTA/RMTg GABA neurons have reduced activity following fasting, we predict that disinhibition of dopamine neurons with stimulation of LH inputs is preserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Godfrey
- University of Calgary, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1
| | - Min Qiao
- University of Calgary, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1
| | - Stephanie L Borgland
- University of Calgary, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1
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31
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Millard SJ, Bearden CE, Karlsgodt KH, Sharpe MJ. The prediction-error hypothesis of schizophrenia: new data point to circuit-specific changes in dopamine activity. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:628-640. [PMID: 34588607 PMCID: PMC8782867 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01188-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder affecting 21 million people worldwide. People with schizophrenia suffer from symptoms including psychosis and delusions, apathy, anhedonia, and cognitive deficits. Strikingly, schizophrenia is characterised by a learning paradox involving difficulties learning from rewarding events, whilst simultaneously 'overlearning' about irrelevant or neutral information. While dysfunction in dopaminergic signalling has long been linked to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, a cohesive framework that accounts for this learning paradox remains elusive. Recently, there has been an explosion of new research investigating how dopamine contributes to reinforcement learning, which illustrates that midbrain dopamine contributes in complex ways to reinforcement learning, not previously envisioned. This new data brings new possibilities for how dopamine signalling contributes to the symptomatology of schizophrenia. Building on recent work, we present a new neural framework for how we might envision specific dopamine circuits contributing to this learning paradox in schizophrenia in the context of models of reinforcement learning. Further, we discuss avenues of preclinical research with the use of cutting-edge neuroscience techniques where aspects of this model may be tested. Ultimately, it is hoped that this review will spur to action more research utilising specific reinforcement learning paradigms in preclinical models of schizophrenia, to reconcile seemingly disparate symptomatology and develop more efficient therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel J. Millard
- grid.19006.3e0000 0000 9632 6718Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
| | - Carrie E. Bearden
- grid.19006.3e0000 0000 9632 6718Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA ,grid.19006.3e0000 0000 9632 6718Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
| | - Katherine H. Karlsgodt
- grid.19006.3e0000 0000 9632 6718Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA ,grid.19006.3e0000 0000 9632 6718Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
| | - Melissa J. Sharpe
- grid.19006.3e0000 0000 9632 6718Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
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32
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DiFazio LE, Fanselow M, Sharpe MJ. The effect of stress and reward on encoding future fear memories. Behav Brain Res 2022; 417:113587. [PMID: 34543677 PMCID: PMC11164563 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Prior experience changes the way we learn about our environment. Stress predisposes individuals to developing psychological disorders, just as positive experiences protect from this eventuality (Kirkpatrick & Heller, 2014; Koenigs & Grafman, 2009; Pechtel & Pizzagalli, 2011). Yet current models of how the brain processes information often do not consider a role for prior experience. The considerable literature that examines how stress impacts the brain is an exception to this. This research demonstrates that stress can bias the interpretation of ambiguous events towards being aversive in nature, owed to changes in amygdala physiology (Holmes et al., 2013; Perusini et al., 2016; Rau et al., 2005; Shors et al., 1992). This is thought to be an important model for how people develop anxiety disorders, like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Rau et al., 2005). However, more recent evidence suggests that experience with reward learning can also change the neural circuits that are involved in learning about fear (Sharpe et al., 2021). Specifically, the lateral hypothalamus, a region typically restricted to modulating feeding and reward behavior, can be recruited to encode fear memories after experience with reward learning. This review discusses the literature on how stress and reward change the way we acquire and encode memories for aversive events, offering a testable model of how these regions may interact to promote either adaptive or maladaptive fear memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E DiFazio
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Michael Fanselow
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Staglin Center for Brain and Behavioral Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Melissa J Sharpe
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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33
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An S, Li X, Deng L, Zhao P, Ding Z, Han Y, Luo Y, Liu X, Li A, Luo Q, Feng Z, Gong H. A Whole-Brain Connectivity Map of VTA and SNc Glutamatergic and GABAergic Neurons in Mice. Front Neuroanat 2022; 15:818242. [PMID: 35002641 PMCID: PMC8733212 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2021.818242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) mediated diverse brain functions. However, their whole-brain neural connectivity has not been comprehensively mapped. Here we used the virus tracers to characterize the whole-brain inputs and outputs of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in VTA and SNc. We found that these neurons received similar inputs from upstream brain regions, but some quantitative differences were also observed. Neocortex and dorsal striatum provided a greater share of input to VTA glutamatergic neurons. Periaqueductal gray and lateral hypothalamic area preferentially innervated VTA GABAergic neurons. Specifically, superior colliculus provided the largest input to SNc glutamatergic neurons. Compared to input patterns, the output patterns of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in the VTA and SNc showed significant preference to different brain regions. Our results laid the anatomical foundation for understanding the functions of cell-type-specific neurons in VTA and SNc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sile An
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiangning Li
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)-Suzhou Institute for Brainsmatics, Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute (JITRI), Suzhou, China
| | - Lei Deng
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Peilin Zhao
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhangheng Ding
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yutong Han
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yue Luo
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xin Liu
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Anan Li
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)-Suzhou Institute for Brainsmatics, Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute (JITRI), Suzhou, China
| | - Qingming Luo
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Zhao Feng
- Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)-Suzhou Institute for Brainsmatics, Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute (JITRI), Suzhou, China
| | - Hui Gong
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)-Suzhou Institute for Brainsmatics, Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute (JITRI), Suzhou, China
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VTA dopamine neuron activity encodes social interaction and promotes reinforcement learning through social prediction error. Nat Neurosci 2021; 25:86-97. [PMID: 34857949 PMCID: PMC7612196 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00972-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Social interactions are motivated behaviors that in many species facilitate learning. However, how the brain encodes the reinforcing properties of social interactions remains elusive. Here, using in vivo recording in freely moving mice, we show that dopamine (DA) neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) increase their activity during interactions with an unfamiliar conspecific and display heterogeneous responses. Using a social instrumental task (SIT), we then show that VTA DA neuron activity encodes social prediction error and drives social reinforcement learning. Thus, our findings suggest that VTA DA neurons are a neural substrate for a social learning signal that drives motivated behavior.
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35
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Jung S, Lee M, Kim DY, Son C, Ahn BH, Heo G, Park J, Kim M, Park HE, Koo DJ, Park JH, Lee JW, Choe HK, Kim SY. A forebrain neural substrate for behavioral thermoregulation. Neuron 2021; 110:266-279.e9. [PMID: 34687664 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.09.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Thermoregulatory behavior is a basic motivated behavior for body temperature homeostasis. Despite its fundamental importance, a forebrain region or defined neural population required for this process has yet to be established. Here, we show that Vgat-expressing neurons in the lateral hypothalamus (LHVgat neurons) are required for diverse thermoregulatory behaviors. The population activity of LHVgat neurons is increased during thermoregulatory behavior and bidirectionally encodes thermal punishment and reward (P&R). Although this population also regulates feeding and caloric reward, inhibition of parabrachial inputs selectively impaired thermoregulatory behaviors and encoding of thermal stimulus by LHVgat neurons. Furthermore, two-photon calcium imaging revealed a subpopulation of LHVgat neurons bidirectionally encoding thermal P&R, which is engaged during thermoregulatory behavior, but is largely distinct from caloric reward-encoding LHVgat neurons. Our data establish LHVgat neurons as a required neural substrate for behavioral thermoregulation and point to the key role of the thermal P&R-encoding LHVgat subpopulation in thermoregulatory behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sieun Jung
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea; Program in Neuroscience, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Myungsun Lee
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea; Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Dong-Yoon Kim
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea; Program in Neuroscience, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Celine Son
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Benjamin Hyunju Ahn
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea; Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Gyuryang Heo
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Junkoo Park
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Minyoo Kim
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea; Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Han-Eol Park
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Dong-Jun Koo
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea; Program in Neuroscience, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Jong Hwi Park
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Jung Weon Lee
- Department of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Han Kyoung Choe
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu 42988, South Korea
| | - Sung-Yon Kim
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea; Program in Neuroscience, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea; Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South Korea.
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36
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Oesch LT, Adamantidis AR. How REM sleep shapes hypothalamic computations for feeding behavior. Trends Neurosci 2021; 44:990-1003. [PMID: 34663506 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2021.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The electrical activity of diverse brain cells is modulated across states of vigilance, namely wakefulness, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Enhanced activity of neuronal circuits during NREM sleep impacts on subsequent awake behaviors, yet the significance of their activation, or lack thereof, during REM sleep remains unclear. This review focuses on feeding-promoting cells in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) that express the vesicular GABA and glycine transporter (vgat) as a model to further understand the impact of REM sleep on neural encoding of goal-directed behavior. It emphasizes both spatial and temporal aspects of hypothalamic cell dynamics across awake behaviors and REM sleep, and discusses a role for REM sleep in brain plasticity underlying energy homeostasis and behavioral optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas T Oesch
- Zentrum für Experimentelle Neurologie, Department of Neurology, Inselspital University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Biomedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Neurobiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Antoine R Adamantidis
- Zentrum für Experimentelle Neurologie, Department of Neurology, Inselspital University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Biomedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
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37
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Hoang IB, Sharpe MJ. The basolateral amygdala and lateral hypothalamus bias learning towards motivationally significant events. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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38
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Wicker E, Forcelli PA. Optogenetic activation of the reticular nucleus of the thalamus attenuates limbic seizures via inhibition of the midline thalamus. Epilepsia 2021; 62:2283-2296. [PMID: 34309008 PMCID: PMC9092275 DOI: 10.1111/epi.17016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The nucleus reticularis of the thalamus (nRT) is most studied in epilepsy for its role in the genesis of absence seizures; much less is known regarding its role in other seizure types, including those originating in limbic structures and the temporal lobe. As it is a major source of inhibitory input to higher order thalamic nuclei, stimulation of the nRT may be an effective strategy to disrupt seizure activity that requires thalamic engagement. METHODS We recorded single unit activity from the nRT prior to and after infusion of bicuculline into the area tempestas. We monitored single unit activity time-locked with interictal spikes. We optogenetically activated the nRT in both the area tempestas and amygdala kindling models. We tested a role for projections from the nRT to higher order midline thalamic nuclei through the use of retrogradely trafficked viral vector. RESULTS Mean firing rate in the nRT was decreased after infusion of bicuculline into the area tempestas as compared to the preinfusion baseline. nRT unit firing in response to interictal spikes was heterogeneous, with an approximately equal proportion of neurons displaying (1) no change in firing, (2) increased firing, and (3) decreasing firing. Optogenetic activation of the nRT significantly suppressed seizure activity in both the area tempestas and amygdala kindling models. Optogenetic activation of contralaterally targeting projections but not ipsilaterally targeting projections from the nRT to the midline thalamus significantly suppressed seizures in the kindling model. SIGNIFICANCE Although the nRT is typically thought of in the context of absence seizures, our data show that it may be a viable target for other seizure types. In two models that recapitulate the seizure types seen in temporal lobe epilepsy, nRT activation suppressed both electrographic and behavioral seizures. These data suggest that the nRT should be considered more broadly in the context of epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Wicker
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA
| | - Patrick A. Forcelli
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA
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39
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Siemian JN, Arenivar MA, Sarsfield S, Borja CB, Russell CN, Aponte Y. Lateral hypothalamic LEPR neurons drive appetitive but not consummatory behaviors. Cell Rep 2021; 36:109615. [PMID: 34433027 PMCID: PMC8423025 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Assigning behavioral roles to genetically defined neurons within the lateral hypothalamus (LH) is an ongoing challenge. We demonstrate that a subpopulation of LH GABAergic neurons expressing leptin receptors (LHLEPR) specifically drives appetitive behaviors in mice. Ablation of LH GABAergic neurons (LHVGAT) decreases weight gain and food intake, whereas LHLEPR ablation does not. Appetitive learning in a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm is delayed in LHVGAT-ablated mice but prevented entirely in LHLEPR-ablated mice. Both LHVGAT and LHLEPR neurons bidirectionally modulate reward-related behaviors, but only LHVGAT neurons affect feeding. In the Pavlovian paradigm, only LHLEPR activity discriminates between conditioned cues. Optogenetic activation or inhibition of either population in this task disrupts discrimination. However, manipulations of LHLEPR→VTA projections evoke divergent effects on responding. Unlike food-oriented learning, chemogenetic inhibition of LHLEPR neurons does not alter cocaine-conditioned place preference but attenuates cocaine sensitization. Thus, LHLEPR neurons may specifically regulate appetitive behaviors toward non-drug reinforcers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin N Siemian
- Neuronal Circuits and Behavior Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224-6823, USA
| | - Miguel A Arenivar
- Neuronal Circuits and Behavior Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224-6823, USA
| | - Sarah Sarsfield
- Neuronal Circuits and Behavior Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224-6823, USA
| | - Cara B Borja
- Neuronal Circuits and Behavior Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224-6823, USA
| | - Charity N Russell
- Neuronal Circuits and Behavior Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224-6823, USA
| | - Yeka Aponte
- Neuronal Circuits and Behavior Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224-6823, USA; The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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40
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Seitz BM, Tomiyama AJ, Blaisdell AP. Eating behavior as a new frontier in memory research. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 127:795-807. [PMID: 34087276 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The study of memory is commonly associated with neuroscience, aging, education, and eyewitness testimony. Here we discuss how eating behavior is also heavily intertwined-and yet considerably understudied in its relation to memory processes. Both are influenced by similar neuroendocrine signals (e.g., leptin and ghrelin) and are dependent on hippocampal functions. While learning processes have long been implicated in influencing eating behavior, recent research has shown how memory of recent eating modulates future consumption. In humans, obesity is associated with impaired memory performance, and in rodents, dietary-induced obesity causes rapid decrements to memory. Lesions to the hippocampus disrupt memory but also induce obesity, highlighting a cyclic relationship between obesity and memory impairment. Enhancing memory of eating has been shown to reduce future eating and yet, little is known about what influences memory of eating or how memory of eating differs from memory for other behaviors. We discuss recent advancements in these areas and highlight fruitful research pursuits afforded by combining the study of memory with the study of eating behavior.
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41
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Farrell MR, Esteban JSD, Faget L, Floresco SB, Hnasko TS, Mahler SV. Ventral Pallidum GABA Neurons Mediate Motivation Underlying Risky Choice. J Neurosci 2021; 41:4500-4513. [PMID: 33837052 PMCID: PMC8152612 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2039-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Pursuing rewards while avoiding danger is an essential function of any nervous system. Here, we examine a new mechanism helping rats negotiate the balance between risk and reward when making high-stakes decisions. Specifically, we focus on GABA neurons within an emerging mesolimbic circuit nexus: the ventral pallidum (VP). These neurons play a distinct role from other VP neurons in simple motivated behaviors in mice, but their role in more complex motivated behaviors is unknown. Here, we interrogate the behavioral functions of VPGABA neurons in male and female transgenic GAD1:Cre rats (and WT littermates), using a reversible chemogenetic inhibition approach. Using a behavioral assay of risky decision-making, and of the food-seeking and shock-avoidance components of this task, we show that engaging inhibitory Gi/o signaling specifically in VPGABA neurons suppresses motivation to pursue highly salient palatable foods, and possibly also motivation to avoid being shocked. In contrast, inhibiting these neurons did not affect seeking of low-value food, free consumption of palatable food, or unconditioned affective responses to shock. Accordingly, when rats considered whether to pursue food despite potential for shock in a risky decision-making task, inhibiting VPGABA neurons caused them to more readily select a small but safe reward over a large but dangerous one, an effect not seen in the absence of shock threat. Together, results indicate that VPGABA neurons are critical for high-stakes adaptive responding that is necessary for survival, but which may also malfunction in psychiatric disorders.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In a dynamic world, it is essential to implement appropriate behaviors under circumstances involving rewards, threats, or both. Here, we demonstrate a crucial role for VPGABA neurons in high-stakes motivated behavior of several types. We show that this VPGABA role in motivation impacts decision-making, as inhibiting these neurons yields a conservative, risk-averse strategy not seen when the task is performed without threat of shock. These new roles for VPGABA neurons in behavior may inform future strategies for treating addiction, and other disorders of maladaptive decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell R Farrell
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, California 92697
| | | | - Lauren Faget
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, California 92093
| | - Stan B Floresco
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Thomas S Hnasko
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, California 92093
- VASDHS Research Service, San Diego, California 92161
| | - Stephen V Mahler
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, California 92697
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42
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Bouton ME, Maren S, McNally GP. BEHAVIORAL AND NEUROBIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF PAVLOVIAN AND INSTRUMENTAL EXTINCTION LEARNING. Physiol Rev 2021; 101:611-681. [PMID: 32970967 PMCID: PMC8428921 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00016.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This article reviews the behavioral neuroscience of extinction, the phenomenon in which a behavior that has been acquired through Pavlovian or instrumental (operant) learning decreases in strength when the outcome that reinforced it is removed. Behavioral research indicates that neither Pavlovian nor operant extinction depends substantially on erasure of the original learning but instead depends on new inhibitory learning that is primarily expressed in the context in which it is learned, as exemplified by the renewal effect. Although the nature of the inhibition may differ in Pavlovian and operant extinction, in either case the decline in responding may depend on both generalization decrement and the correction of prediction error. At the neural level, Pavlovian extinction requires a tripartite neural circuit involving the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus. Synaptic plasticity in the amygdala is essential for extinction learning, and prefrontal cortical inhibition of amygdala neurons encoding fear memories is involved in extinction retrieval. Hippocampal-prefrontal circuits mediate fear relapse phenomena, including renewal. Instrumental extinction involves distinct ensembles in corticostriatal, striatopallidal, and striatohypothalamic circuits as well as their thalamic returns for inhibitory (extinction) and excitatory (renewal and other relapse phenomena) control over operant responding. The field has made significant progress in recent decades, although a fully integrated biobehavioral understanding still awaits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Bouton
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Gavan P McNally
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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Abstract
There is increasing evidence demonstrating that reward-related motivational food intake is closely connected with the brain's homeostatic system of energy balance and that this interaction might be important in the integrative control of feeding behavior. Dopamine regulates motivational behavior, including feeding behaviors, and the dopamine reward system is recognized as the most prominent system that controls appetite and motivational and emotional drives for food. It appears that the dopamine system exerts a critical role in the control of feeding behavior not only by the reward-related circuit, but also by contributing to the homeostatic circuit of food intake, suggesting that dopamine plays an integrative role across the converging circuitry of control of food intake by linking energy state-associated signals to reward-related behaviors. This review will cover and discuss up-to-date findings on the dopaminergic control of food intake by both the reward-related circuit and the homeostatic hypothalamic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ja-Hyun Baik
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
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44
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Floresco SB. Learning is a matter of history and relevance for lateral hypothalamus. Nat Neurosci 2021; 24:295-296. [PMID: 33589831 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-00781-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stan B Floresco
- Department of Psychology and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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45
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Noritake A, Ninomiya T, Isoda M. Subcortical encoding of agent-relevant associative signals for adaptive social behavior in the macaque. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 125:78-87. [PMID: 33609569 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2020] [Revised: 01/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Primates are group-living creatures that constantly face the challenges posed by complex social demands. To date, the cortical mechanisms underlying social information processing have been the major focus of attention. However, emerging evidence suggests that subcortical regions also mediate the collection and processing of information from other agents. Here, we review the literature supporting the hypothesis that behavioral variables important for decision-making, i.e., stimulus, action, and outcome, are associated with agent information (self and other) in subcortical regions, such as the amygdala, striatum, lateral hypothalamus, and dopaminergic midbrain nuclei. Such self-relevant and other-relevant associative signals are then integrated into a social utility signal, presumably at the level of midbrain dopamine neurons. This social utility signal allows decision makers to organize their optimal behavior in accordance with social demands. Determining how self-relevant and other-relevant signals might be altered in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders will be fundamental to better understand how social behaviors are dysregulated in disease conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Noritake
- Division of Behavioral Development, Department of System Neuroscience, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 38 Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan; Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, Kanagawa, 240-0193, Japan
| | - Taihei Ninomiya
- Division of Behavioral Development, Department of System Neuroscience, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 38 Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan; Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, Kanagawa, 240-0193, Japan
| | - Masaki Isoda
- Division of Behavioral Development, Department of System Neuroscience, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 38 Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan; Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, Kanagawa, 240-0193, Japan.
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46
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Sharpe MJ, Batchelor HM, Mueller LE, Gardner MPH, Schoenbaum G. Past experience shapes the neural circuits recruited for future learning. Nat Neurosci 2021; 24:391-400. [PMID: 33589832 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-00791-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Experimental research controls for past experience, yet prior experience influences how we learn. Here, we tested whether we could recruit a neural population that usually encodes rewards to encode aversive events. Specifically, we found that GABAergic neurons in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) were not involved in learning about fear in naïve rats. However, if these rats had prior experience with rewards, LH GABAergic neurons became important for learning about fear. Interestingly, inhibition of these neurons paradoxically enhanced learning about neutral sensory information, regardless of prior experience, suggesting that LH GABAergic neurons normally oppose learning about irrelevant information. These experiments suggest that prior experience shapes the neural circuits recruited for future learning in a highly specific manner, reopening the neural boundaries we have drawn for learning of particular types of information from work in naïve subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa J Sharpe
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Hannah M Batchelor
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Program, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lauren E Mueller
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Program, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Abstract
A large body of work has linked dopaminergic signaling to learning and reward processing. It stresses the role of dopamine in reward prediction error signaling, a key neural signal that allows us to learn from past experiences, and that facilitates optimal choice behavior. Latterly, it has become clear that dopamine does not merely code prediction error size but also signals the difference between the expected value of rewards, and the value of rewards actually received, which is obtained through the integration of reward attributes such as the type, amount, probability and delay. More recent work has posited a role of dopamine in learning beyond rewards. These theories suggest that dopamine codes absolute or unsigned prediction errors, playing a key role in how the brain models associative regularities within its environment, while incorporating critical information about the reliability of those regularities. Work is emerging supporting this perspective and, it has inspired theoretical models of how certain forms of mental pathology may emerge in relation to dopamine function. Such pathology is frequently related to disturbed inferences leading to altered internal models of the environment. Thus, it is critical to understand the role of dopamine in error-related learning and inference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly M. J. Diederen
- Department of Psychosis Studies,
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London,
London, UK
| | - Paul C. Fletcher
- Department of Psychiatry,
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome Trust MRC Institute of
Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus,
Cambridge, UK
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48
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Garcia A, Coss A, Luis-Islas J, Puron-Sierra L, Luna M, Villavicencio M, Gutierrez R. Lateral Hypothalamic GABAergic Neurons Encode and Potentiate Sucrose's Palatability. Front Neurosci 2021; 14:608047. [PMID: 33551725 PMCID: PMC7859279 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.608047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sucrose is attractive to most species in the animal kingdom, not only because it induces a sweet taste sensation but also for its positive palatability (i.e., oromotor responses elicited by increasing sucrose concentrations). Although palatability is such an important sensory attribute, it is currently unknown which cell types encode and modulate sucrose's palatability. Studies in mice have shown that activation of GABAergic LHAVgat+ neurons evokes voracious eating; however, it is not known whether these neurons would be driving consumption by increasing palatability. Using optrode recordings, we measured sucrose's palatability while VGAT-ChR2 transgenic mice performed a brief access sucrose test. We found that a subpopulation of LHAVgat+ neurons encodes palatability by increasing (or decreasing) their activity as a function of the increment in licking responses evoked by sucrose concentrations. Optogenetic gain of function experiments, where mice were able to choose among available water, 3% and 18% sucrose solutions, uncovered that opto-stimulation of LHAVgat+ neurons consistently promoted higher intake of the most palatable stimulus (18% sucrose). In contrast, if they self-stimulated near the less palatable stimulus, some VGAT-ChR2 mice preferred water over 18% sucrose. Unexpectedly, activation of LHAVgat+ neurons increased quinine intake but only during water deprivation, since in sated animals, they failed to promote quinine intake or tolerate an aversive stimulus. Conversely, these neurons promoted overconsumption of sucrose when it was the nearest stimulus. Also, experiments with solid foods further confirmed that these neurons increased food interaction time with the most palatable food available. We conclude that LHAVgat+ neurons increase the drive to consume, but it is potentiated by the palatability and proximity of the tastant.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Ranier Gutierrez
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Appetite, Department of Pharmacology, CINVESTAV, Mexico City, Mexico
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49
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Samodien E, Chellan N. Hypothalamic neurogenesis and its implications for obesity-induced anxiety disorders. Front Neuroendocrinol 2021; 60:100871. [PMID: 32976907 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2020.100871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Obesity and anxiety are public health problems that have no effective cure. Obesity-induced anxiety is also the most common behavioural trait exhibited amongst obese patients, with the mechanisms linking these disorders being poorly understood. The hypothalamus and hippocampus are reciprocally connected, important neurogenic brain regions that could be vital to understanding these disorders. Dietary, physical activity and lifestyle interventions have been shown to be able to enhance neurogenesis within the hippocampus, while the effects thereof within the hypothalamus is yet to be ascertained. This review describes hypothalamic neurogenesis, its impairment in obesity as well as the effect of interventional therapies. Obesity is characterized by a neurogenic shift towards neuropeptide Y neurons, promoting appetite and weight gain. While, nutraceuticals and exercise promote proopiomelanocortin neuron proliferation, causing diminished appetite and reduced weight gain. Through the furthered development of multimodal approaches targeting both these brain regions could hold an even greater therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ebrahim Samodien
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Nireshni Chellan
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Medical Physiology, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa
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Morales I, Berridge KC. 'Liking' and 'wanting' in eating and food reward: Brain mechanisms and clinical implications. Physiol Behav 2020; 227:113152. [PMID: 32846152 PMCID: PMC7655589 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
It is becoming clearer how neurobiological mechanisms generate 'liking' and 'wanting' components of food reward. Mesocorticolimbic mechanisms that enhance 'liking' include brain hedonic hotspots, which are specialized subregions that are uniquely able to causally amplify the hedonic impact of palatable tastes. Hedonic hotspots are found in nucleus accumbens medial shell, ventral pallidum, orbitofrontal cortex, insula cortex, and brainstem. In turn, a much larger mesocorticolimbic circuitry generates 'wanting' or incentive motivation to obtain and consume food rewards. Hedonic and motivational circuitry interact together and with hypothalamic homeostatic circuitry, allowing relevant physiological hunger and satiety states to modulate 'liking' and 'wanting' for food rewards. In some conditions such as drug addiction, 'wanting' is known to dramatically detach from 'liking' for the same reward, and this may also occur in over-eating disorders. Via incentive sensitization, 'wanting' selectively becomes higher, especially when triggered by reward cues when encountered in vulnerable states of stress, etc. Emerging evidence suggests that some cases of obesity and binge eating disorders may reflect an incentive-sensitization brain signature of cue hyper-reactivity, causing excessive 'wanting' to eat. Future findings on the neurobiological bases of 'liking' and 'wanting' can continue to improve understanding of both normal food reward and causes of clinical eating disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ileana Morales
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1043, United States.
| | - Kent C Berridge
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1043, United States
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